AARES NE Branch & the UNEBS R&RT Committee Event 8 June 2023

Date

Time

11:00am - 12:00pm

Venue

In person: Room W40 LT2, University of New England Business School. Via Zoom: refer below for link

Speakers

Associate Professor Nam Hoang and Dr L. Emilio Morales

Description

"Mountain goat value chain in Laos and Vietnam - Should smallholders focus on quality or volume?"

The AARES NE Branch and the UNEBS R&RT Committee cordially invite you to the Seminar of Associate Professor Nam Hoang and Dr L. Emilio Morales (UNE Business School). The session will be held on Thursday 8th June at 11:00am, on location at the University of New England Business School and also via Zoom. A light lunch will be offered to those attending the event in person. Please see below for more details.
 
Abstract
Lao PDR and Vietnam have an important proportion of their territory covered by mountains, where resources and production options are constrained. In this scenario, goats represent an attractive alternative for smallholders, who can improve their food security and living conditions through this source of income. In addition, consumers have a positive perception of the pristine conditions of the mountains of Laos and Vietnam, which influences their preferences and willingness to pay for mountain goat meat.
Smallholder farmers can maximise their profits by increasing the quality or volume of their production. We theorise the buyer price discrimination faced by smallholders and their profits depend on interactions between determinants included in smallholder characteristics, farm characteristics, and market orientation dimensions, that are filtered by value chain characteristics and external factors.
Survey data were collected in Laos and Vietnam on the growing industry of the mountain goat chain, which is characterised by informality in the selling agreements, lack of control of the origin, and inadequate transportation and processing conditions. We found significant determinants among the three dimensions, with smallholders currently maximising total profits by increasing their mountain goat herd size instead of improving the quality of their goats. The government could prioritise on developing farmer education and road infrastructure, while exploring opportunities to export certified products that reward smallholder farmers for high-quality production..
 
Nam Hoang is Associate Professor in Econometrics at UNE Business School, University of New England. He studied his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Economics at University of Economics in Vietnam. After that, Nam studied a Master of Arts and PhD in Economics at University of Colorado, Boulder, United States. Before he joined UNE, he taught Econometrics and Macroeconomics at University of Economics (Vietnam), Purdue University (US) and American University (US). His research interests are in Econometrics, Time-Series and Panel Data Modelling, and Applied Economics. He has published articles in several prestigious journals, including Economic Record, Journal of Developing Areas, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and Animal Production Science. You can access his profile here.
 
Luis Emilio Morales is Senior Lecturer in Agricultural Economics - Value Chains at UNE Business School, University of New England, Australia. He has conducted research on consumer preferences and willingness to pay for agro-food products. In addition, he has published research papers on price and premium transmission in Australia, and compared price transmission and marketing margins between developing and developed countries. Emilio has been visiting scholar at the Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at University of Wyoming, the Department Agricultural and Food Market Research at University of Bonn, and the Centre for Global Food and Resources at University of Adelaide. He holds a PhD in Economics from University of New England and a Master on Agricultural Economics from Chilean Catholic University. You can access his profile here.

Zoom link: https://une-au.zoom.us/j/88553970084?pwd=RHcrTnRKblg4a2Y5MGcwQWc4SGhpUT09
If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact Emilio Morales.