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http://dx.doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2022.vol9.no2.0209

Livelihoods and Income Diversification of Informal Recyclers: A Case Study in the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam  

XUAN, Huynh Thi Dan (Department of Agricultural Economics, School of Economics, Can Tho University)
DUNG, Khong Tien (Department of Environmental and Resource Economics, School of Economics, Can Tho University)
KHAI, Huynh Viet (Department of Environmental and Resource Economics, School of Economics, Can Tho University)
Publication Information
The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business / v.9, no.2, 2022 , pp. 209-215 More about this Journal
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the livelihood resources and income diversification of informal recyclers in the Mekong River Delta (MRD). The multiple linear regression model was applied to determine income diversification and total household income with the sustainable livelihood analysis framework developed by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (2000), including human resources, physical resources, natural resources, financial resources, and social resources. The results indicated that up to 25% of itinerant waste buyers worked on average more than 7.3 hours/day, which was higher than the urban near-poor level regulated by the Vietnam government. The results of the regression model revealed that total households' income was affected by the factors of health status, gender, urban location type 1, the amount of potential savings, and informal credit participation, while the factors of health status, urban location, the amount of potential savings, and informal credit participation have the effect of diversifying farm household income. Thus, if the informal waste recycling sector is supported and regulated by proper government management, it will not only help poor households diversify their income, but it will also help poor households diversify their income, particularly women's income, which is vulnerable and lower than male income in the MRD.
Keywords
Income Diversification; Itinerant Waste Buyer; Mekong River Delta; Solid Waste Management;
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