Buy Aussie or buy imports?

Ever wondered how your quick decision at the local supermarket impacts others? Do we buy local and support Aussie jobs? Or should we buy “cheap” imports? Are they labelled “cheap” because they’re of lesser quality, or is it just because they can produce it more economically? Does buying imports help support the livelihoods of those who are less fortunate? Does buying imports lead to environmental destruction? Would you support it if it were sustainable? We’re just touching the surface of things…

Aquaculture Economics & Management: Official Journal of the International Association of Aquaculture Economics and Management
Volume 17, Number 1 (March 2013)
	LIVELIHOOD CAPABILITIES AND PATHWAYS OF SHRIMP FARMERS IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM
	Authors:	TranThi Phung Ha 1, Han van Dijk 2, Roel Bosma 3, LeXuan Sinh 4
	Author Affiliations:	1: School of Social Sciences and Humanities, CanTho University 2: Rural Development Sociology Group, Wageningen University 3: Aquaculture and Fisheries Group, Wageningen University 4: College of Aquaculture and Fisheries, CanTho University
	Source:	Aquaculture Economics & Management: Official Journal of the International Association of Aquaculture Economics and Management, Volume 17, Number 1 (March 2013)
	Page Numbers:	1 – 30
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: Unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: Publisher’s Site
	Abstract:	Shrimp farming is a major livelihood activity in the Mekong Delta in the southernmost part of Vietnam. The Vietnamese government has promoted shrimp farming as a way to reduce poverty, provide employment opportunities and increase exports to support economic development. The shrimp farming system, however, is economically and ecologically risky and may negatively influence the environment and the sustainability of local people’s livelihoods. Because very little is known about the diversity of strategies people employ to deal with these risks, a study was performed in the Mekong Delta across four shrimp farming systems: (1) improved extensive non-forest, (2) mixed mangrove-shrimp, (3) intensive and (4) clustered intensive. The risks and livelihood strategies that were encountered differed systematically across the four farming systems. It was found that the uncertainties that the shrimp farmers faced include limited access rights to the mangrove forest, crop failure due to regular occurrence of shrimp disease, high investment costs and volatile markets for shrimp. Shrimp farmers have created several strategies for coping with these uncertainties, including redesigning farms, producing salt, changing the species farmed from Penaeus monodon to Penaeus vannamei, becoming involved in a cooperative cluster, integrating aquaculture and agriculture, and farming shrimp by organic standards.
	Citation:	TranThi Phung Ha, Han van Dijk, Roel Bosma, LeXuan Sinh . LIVELIHOOD CAPABILITIES AND PATHWAYS OF SHRIMP FARMERS IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM. Aquaculture Economics & Management: Official Journal of the International Association of Aquaculture Economics and Management, Volume 17, Number 1 (March 2013), pp. 1-30, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=44129214A73812D21899&gt;
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=44129214A73812D21899