Institutional governance and design principles on collective action for sustainable water management in Vietnam

Rice production is firmly situated at the nexus between food security, water resources, and greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) has been suggested as a climate-resilient irrigation practice in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. This study investigates ho...

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Main Authors: Ong Quoc Cuong, Vu Duong Quynh, Bui Tan Yen, Sander, Bjoern Ole, Vu Hong Trang, Barnard, Jennifer, Nelson, Katherine
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178486
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author Ong Quoc Cuong
Vu Duong Quynh
Bui Tan Yen
Sander, Bjoern Ole
Vu Hong Trang
Barnard, Jennifer
Nelson, Katherine
author_browse Barnard, Jennifer
Bui Tan Yen
Nelson, Katherine
Ong Quoc Cuong
Sander, Bjoern Ole
Vu Duong Quynh
Vu Hong Trang
author_facet Ong Quoc Cuong
Vu Duong Quynh
Bui Tan Yen
Sander, Bjoern Ole
Vu Hong Trang
Barnard, Jennifer
Nelson, Katherine
author_sort Ong Quoc Cuong
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Rice production is firmly situated at the nexus between food security, water resources, and greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) has been suggested as a climate-resilient irrigation practice in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. This study investigates how irrigation governance affects AWD uptake by applying Elinor Ostrom’s design principles for collective action. Focus group discussions with local agricultural authorities and one-on-one surveys with irrigation service providers were conducted in An Giang Province. The results show that 51 % of the providers reported AWD adoption in the Winter-Spring and Summer-Autumn seasons. Irrigation governance follows a hierarchical structure with nested management levels, and cooperatives and collaborative groups show more substantial institutional capacities than individual providers. However, key governance functions, such as monitoring and sanctioning, remain weakly implemented. Applying Ostrom’s design principles to collective action can improve the adoption of AWD technology. The findings of this study can provide insight into the evolution of irrigation governance and what is needed to implement institutions (rules, regulations, and norms) that would foster collective benefits effectively. The results can be used to analyze other common resource systems or to study the institutional governance of irrigated rice systems in other locations.
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publishDate 2025
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spelling CGSpace1784862025-12-03T15:42:05Z Institutional governance and design principles on collective action for sustainable water management in Vietnam Ong Quoc Cuong Vu Duong Quynh Bui Tan Yen Sander, Bjoern Ole Vu Hong Trang Barnard, Jennifer Nelson, Katherine water management climate change mitigation climate change governance collective action sustainability Rice production is firmly situated at the nexus between food security, water resources, and greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) has been suggested as a climate-resilient irrigation practice in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. This study investigates how irrigation governance affects AWD uptake by applying Elinor Ostrom’s design principles for collective action. Focus group discussions with local agricultural authorities and one-on-one surveys with irrigation service providers were conducted in An Giang Province. The results show that 51 % of the providers reported AWD adoption in the Winter-Spring and Summer-Autumn seasons. Irrigation governance follows a hierarchical structure with nested management levels, and cooperatives and collaborative groups show more substantial institutional capacities than individual providers. However, key governance functions, such as monitoring and sanctioning, remain weakly implemented. Applying Ostrom’s design principles to collective action can improve the adoption of AWD technology. The findings of this study can provide insight into the evolution of irrigation governance and what is needed to implement institutions (rules, regulations, and norms) that would foster collective benefits effectively. The results can be used to analyze other common resource systems or to study the institutional governance of irrigated rice systems in other locations. 2025-12-20 2025-12-03T15:42:03Z 2025-12-03T15:42:03Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178486 en Open Access Elsevier Ong, Q.C., Vu, D.Q., Bui T.Y., Sander, B.O., Vu, H.T., Barnard, J., Nelson, K. 2025. Institutional governance and design principles on collective action for sustainable water management in Vietnam. Environmental Challenges, Volume 21, 101370 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2025.101370
spellingShingle water management
climate change mitigation
climate change
governance
collective action
sustainability
Ong Quoc Cuong
Vu Duong Quynh
Bui Tan Yen
Sander, Bjoern Ole
Vu Hong Trang
Barnard, Jennifer
Nelson, Katherine
Institutional governance and design principles on collective action for sustainable water management in Vietnam
title Institutional governance and design principles on collective action for sustainable water management in Vietnam
title_full Institutional governance and design principles on collective action for sustainable water management in Vietnam
title_fullStr Institutional governance and design principles on collective action for sustainable water management in Vietnam
title_full_unstemmed Institutional governance and design principles on collective action for sustainable water management in Vietnam
title_short Institutional governance and design principles on collective action for sustainable water management in Vietnam
title_sort institutional governance and design principles on collective action for sustainable water management in vietnam
topic water management
climate change mitigation
climate change
governance
collective action
sustainability
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178486
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