SIRIWAT 41

Pimmada Benz Siriwat

Mr. Abel Cadias

English 10 / 08

June 5, 2019

The Effects of the Increase of Tractors in Vietnam

Some countries have their own agricultural method of doing agriculture practices

such as planting crops. Traditional agriculture of America is unique. Its style is

independent; growing corn fields, breeding chickens, and using horses to plow fields. On

the other hand, according to DAFE (n.d.), Vietnam has a tradition of raising buffalos for

multipurpose usage in agriculture. However, in the modern days, people are influenced to

use more machinery tractors to lessen the production time of planting and harvesting

agricultural products. The popularity of tractors is destroying the ancient tradition of

Vietnamese farming. Could the fame of tractors affect the population of buffaloes? It is

likely that that machinery tractors will replace buffaloes in the future.

The purpose of this research report is to find out whether the population of

buffaloes is affected by the numbers of tractors in Vietnam by consolidating data. The

author uses four academic articles from different sources to relate the results and

interpretation of the consolidated data to other research studies.

The data consolidated aims to show the population of buffalos used for agriculture

purposes compared to the number of sold tractors in Vietnam ranging between the year of

1995 and 2005. The figure below shows that the number of tractors sold each year is

increasing rapidly and the number of buffaloes is decreasing gradually at an average of

60,856 animals or 2.054% each year comparing to the population of the buffaloes in the

year 1995. Gaping between the late 1990s, the population of buffaloes diminishes at an

average of 9362 or 0.316% each year until aggressively plummet when it reaches the
 SIRIWAT 42

2000s. During early 2000, agricultural buffaloes decline drastically reaching to its peak at

148,348 or 5.01% loss of overall buffaloes. In addition, base on the data, the buffalo’s

population is decreasing and will continue to do so. It is expected that the decline will be

more than 148,436 individuals or more than 5.01% in the near future.

During the early 2000s (Brann, 2014), the Vietnamese company started to slaughter

buffaloes and sell it like meat in meat markets. The popularity of tractors is gaining at that

time as well, more and more buffalo domesticators are claiming their buffaloes for money

to the slaughterhouse since its labor is no longer proficient. In other words, multipurpose

agricultural buffaloes are brought to slaughterhouses in Vietnam to exchange its life for

money to the owner causing the decline of the buffaloes statistics. Moreover, some farmers

use that money to trade for tractors which works efficiently more than buffaloes’ strength

(Riedel, 2012). Thus, the importance of conserving agricultural buffaloes are not

acknowledged or enhanced among the people associated with the decline of the buffaloes.

Year Number of Sold Tractors Population of Buffaloes Decline Rate of Buffaloes

Comparing With 1995

1995 99300 2962800 0%

1996 115900 2953700 -0.31%

1997 117550 2943700 -0.65%

1998 122700 2951400 -0.39%

1999 149260 2955728 -0.23%

2000 162750 2958355 -0.25%

2001 185234 2818376 -4.87%

2002 198353 2814452 -5.01%

2003 215681 2834886 -4.32%

2004 223564 2869802 -3.14%

2005 275645 2922155 -1.37%

 SIRIWAT 43

Figure 1 Rate of Buffaloes from 1995 until 2005

This research report concludes that the decline of the agricultural buffaloes in

Vietnam is due to the fame of tractors which is gaining after its invention. The declining

number of buffaloes since 1995 is approximately 2.054% gradually decrease each year.

Besides, it is possible for a massive loss of more than 148,436 individuals or 5.01% in the

future. The government should find a way to encourage the buffalo owners to keep their

buffaloes for other purposes instead of slaughtering them for food.

 SIRIWAT 44

References

Brann, M. (21 December 2014). Vietnamese importer starts selling fresh Australian beef
and buffalo directly to consumers. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/
rural/2014-12-21/fresh-australian-beef-and-buffalo-for-sale-in-vietnam/5976868

Hiroyuki Takeshima, Yanyan Liu, Cuong Van Nguyen, and Ian Masias. (2018).
Evolution of agricultural mechanization in Vietnam. Retrieved from
http://www.esocialsciences.org/Download/Download.aspx?qs=sO61F/RYd+Yqf
Ws04so3MbIIH7dAFNI8cGQdklfrP5XbE3ovAoaxjtU+iKjJMxYCmywpRYCCr
mMLqFasYrFfTLjGtb1/L5h9h1tyzb1huqKoZ3TqE8cccpQb9cS8qAwMg/g+S2ra
8oKFpMyoqE17VgnklPlW62FyeVXYqxH11e8=

Riedel, S. (2012). Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and
Subtropics. Retrieved from https://www.jarts.info/index.php/jarts/article/
download/2012092441815/193

Tuyen, D. (n.d.). Buffalo Production Situation in Vietnam and Development Plan to

2020. Retrieved from https://www.angrin.tlri.gov.tw/meeting/2009_Buffalo/3_1.
Vietnam_Do_Kim_Tuyen.pdf

Tuyen, D. (n.d.). The role of Swamp buffalo in agriculture. Retrieved from http://pioneer
.netserv.chula.ac.th/~jratree/2003-3.htm

Vietnam - Agricultural machinery, tractors. (2019). Retrieved from

https://tradingeconomics.com/vietnam/agricultural-machinery-tractors-wb-
data.html