Rice Straw Value Chains and Case Study on Straw Mushroom in Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta

Abstract

Rice straw is a tradable commodity in food and feed markets, particularly in rice-producing countries such as India, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Understanding the bottlenecks and linkages of different components and actors in rice and rice straw value chains is important to identify strategies to extract maximum value out of the straw and encourage diversion of straw utilization from unsustainable practices, such as burning, to more sustainable uses of rice straw. In Vietnam, for example, demand for mushroom and dairy products generate a market for high-quality straw, which can be an input for both industries. Mechanized straw collection is critical to supplying the byproduct as an input for these markets. Generally, the successful development of rice straw value chains will hinge on investments in intersectoral upgrading, triggered by the demand for food, feed, energy, and fiber from a growing urban population and the expanding food and nonfood industries. This chapter provides: (1) an overview of rice straw value chains, (2) a case study of rice straw mushroom value chains in Vietnam, and (3) suggestions for further developments.