My current project investigates how smallholder rice farmers persist across Southeast Asia—despite political-economic systems increasingly favoring large-scale investment and capital-intensive agriculture. Drawing on descriptive and qualitative analysis of household survey data collected from nearly 700 rice farmers in 2019 and 2024, the research explores the evolving nature of the agrarian transition in the Mekong, Red River, and Chao Phraya deltas and the broader region.

My work at CSEAS seeks to highlight how smallholders adapt—or are constrained—within shifting political, economic, and environmental landscapes. This analysis challenges the prevailing emphasis on farm size as the primary metric of viability. Instead, it argues for a more nuanced understanding of persistence, transformation, and adaptation among smallholders in these contexts.

The findings will inform scholars and policymakers about the complex realities of agrarian change, emphasizing the need for context-specific strategies. Far from disappearing, smallholder rice farming remains resilient and will likely continue for decades, albeit shaped by demographic shifts, environmental pressures, and regional integration into global supply chains. These transitions are not uniform but reflect local geographies and proximity dynamics that structure how farmers engage with broader markets and policy frameworks.