Sustainability intent transforming staple food in the Greater Mekong Sub-region: Qualitative study of Low Input and Niche Rice Value Chain

Abstract

Low-input, niche rice value chain in contexts of Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam has potential for sustainability intent to transform the Greater Mekong agri-retail consumer behavior. Creative communications for Sustainability or true-green advertising framework test-beds input-side optimization through rationalization of scaled-down water and off-grid-energy. This paper builds on retail mindset that drives sustainability intent, proactively. The research probes the research gap on lack of co-evolution of rural-urban aligned, rurbanization, through hierarchical levels of three sets of metrices of entrepreneurial potential. Literature prompts that the latent spirit of ownership evolves from trust. The potential of shared value entrepreneurship is a possibility for heritage rice-cuisine-driven family-led bottom-up businesses. To galvanize this spirit of ownership for folklore rice-based culinary delights spanning Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand (CLMVT) is an interesting proposition. The vibrant Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) is the test-bed here and this paper unfurls the theory leading to practice on issues of sustainability amid disaster vulnerability, floods, droughts and climate disruption. Key take-aways are (i) low input niche rice value chain serves as a sustainability enabler of tourism pivoted through heritage culinary traditions (ii) entrepreneurial ventures at community-scale can integrate the folklore heritage rice-cuisine-driven tourism with economic infrastructure of EEC through the spirit of ownership. Hierarchical Bayes-based sustainable entrepreneurship metric assesses the viability.