Transitioning from Monoculture to Intercropping : The Case of Coffee, Pepper, and Fruit Trees in Vietnam

In the Central Highlands of Vietnam, coffee (Coffea canephora) and pepper (Peper nigrum) farmers have started transitioning from monoculture practices towards intercropping and agroforestry practices. Interviews of 220 farmers were conducted in the three provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Gia Lai in 2021 to characterize the ongoing transition towards diversified systems, and to understand the underlying agronomic and economic drivers. The interviews showed that farmers increasingly mix coffee, pepper, and fruit trees (mostly avocado, durian, and macadamia) within their plots, responding to signal prices and government incentives. The addition of perennial crops in existing systems results in an overall increase in planting densities (+33-71% compared with monoculture systems) and increased land equivalent ratios in diversified cropping systems (1.16-1.41). Productivity per tree remains high in these intensive farming systems, and diversification and densification does not yet result in visible competition between crops. Coffee diversified systems also exhibit higher gross margins (excluding labor costs) than monoculture coffee systems, and show higher economic resilience to price fluctuations. Due to the perennial nature of the crops, this transformation will continue to unfold in the coming years and reshape the agricultural landscape of the Central Highlands