Economic viability of intercropped farms in Dak Lak province, Central Highlands, Vietnam

Perennial crops have been applied by diversified approaches to get a high income and perennial crop sustainable development in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam. The study provides a comparative analysis of the economic viability of crop cultivation by two approaches: monocrop farm and intercropped- crop farm. Based on an investigation of 120 selected farms conducted from January to April 2019 in Dak Lak Province - the largest growing region of Vietnam, the general operation of perennial crop farms as well as economic indicators comprising costs, revenues and profits were also collected. The finding indicated that the yield of each crop in intercropped farms was less than mono-crop farms due to a space competition. Fortunately, the intercropped farm approach seems to be more economic efficiency than mono-crop farm one where a reduction of variable costs, especially intermediate costs while profitability increases. The higher input costs in intercropped farms are constraints considered to be appropriate for capital-endowed households. However, these results provide empirical evidence of agronomic benefits in applying intercropped farms for farmers in setting alternatives strategies and policymakers to making plans of sustainable perennial development.