Migration, crop production and non-farm labor diversification in rural Vietnam

Abstract This article examines the impacts of migration with and without remittances on crop productivity growth , crop diversification, and non-farm labor diversification of rural households in Vietnam. We use village fixed-effects regression models for a panel data set of about 2,000 rural households collected in 2007, 2008 and 2010 in three rural provinces. The findings demonstrate that rural households who receive remittances from their migrants reduce the share of their income from rice, increase their land productivity and become more specialized in non-farm labor allocation. However, migration without remittances decreases farm labor productivity growth and crop diversification of rural households.