Factors associated with smallholders’ uptake of intercropping in Southeast Asia: A cross-country analysis of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia

While previous studies acknowledge intercropping as a climate-smart agricultural practice and confirm its prominence in developing countries, behavioral factors underlying farmers’ decision in intercropping adoption remain poorly understood. This study assesses and compares the heterogeneity in adoption of intercropping among smallholder farmers in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, through the lens of climate change adaptation. A sample of 1017 smallholder farmers was recruited for a household survey across the three countries using a convenient sampling approach. Principle component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify the main dimensions of farmers’ perception towards climate change and adaptation. Next, generalized order logit regressions were employed to assess the association between farmers’ adoption tendency of intercropping and their perception of climate change and adaptation, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of intercropping, and socio-demographic characteristics. The study shows that perceived climate severity was negatively associated with intercropping adoption tendency in Vietnam and Laos (p