Dialogue to the Future: Interviews with a New Generation of Researchers in the AJI
Eighth Interview
Interview with Dr. HO Thanh Tam
―― Thank you, Dr. Ho Thanh Tam, for allowing us time for this interview. First, could you tell me what led you to decide on a career as a researcher?
HO Thanh Tam: Thank you for asking me. Well, after completing my undergraduate studies, I had the privilege of being chosen as a faculty member and working as a teaching assistant. This experience allowed me to gain valuable insights into the field of education. Later on, I was appointed as a lecturer at Nong Lam University, Vietnam, where I had the opportunity to contribute to the academic growth of students. However, my thirst for knowledge and desire to make a meaningful impact pushed me to pursue higher education, so I enrolled in a master's program at Okayama University. This experience increased my passion for research and my desire to contribute to the advancement of knowledge. After completing my master's program, I joined the doctoral course at Ritsumeikan University, which allowed me to engage in in-depth research and develop expertise in my chosen field. This experience truly solidified my desire to become a researcher.
―― This is the first time I've heard that you had already been assigned an academic position at Nong Lam University. Nevertheless, you still came to Japan to pursue your research interests, which is very inspiring. Next, may I ask about your research life in Japan. You have belonged to Ritsumeikan University since your Ph.D. What motivated you to pursue your studies in Japan? And how was your life studying abroad when you first came to Japan?
HO Thanh Tam： Well, I have always loved Japan and its culture since I was a student, especially anime. During my second year, I decided to study Japanese, but at that time, I never imagined that I would go abroad for my studies. After one year of studying Japanese, I stopped and focused on my research and writing my graduate thesis. As I already mentioned, once I completed my bachelor's degree, I was fortunate enough to be selected as a faculty member and work as a teaching assistant and later as a lecturer at Nong Lam University, Vietnam. This experience motivated me to study abroad and expand my knowledge. Naturally, Japan was the first place that came to mind. I applied for the International Program between Hue University and Okayama University and was fortunate to be one of the eight students selected that year. After completing my coursework in Vietnam within one and a half years, I came to Japan to conduct research for my master's thesis for one year. Actually, the year I spent studying at Okayama University was the best time of my student life. I had a great relationship with my lab mates, who were undergraduate Japanese students. We would meet each other in the lab every day and chat together. We also attended lab seminars and parties together. One unforgettable experience was a field trip to the Oki Islands in Shimane Prefecture with all the lab members.
―― Wow, the Oki Islands. I have never been there, but I have seen some images of the islands with their beautiful landscape and environment. What did you do on the trip?
HO Thanh Tam： During the trip, we conducted interviews with local people, which was my first time interacting with Japanese communities. I learned a lot from that experience. After completing my master's degree in Environmental Science at Okayama University, I had to return to Vietnam and search for another opportunity to pursue my PhD in Japan. Initially, my plan was to apply for a PhD scholarship at Okayama University. However, after several months of hard work preparing a research proposal, my friends introduced me to the Ph.D. program at Ritsumeikan University. I decided to give it a try and was ultimately successful in receiving the MEXT scholarship for my three-year Ph.D. at Ritsumeikan University.
――I can imagine how exciting your life must have been during your master's course. You specialized in sustainable agriculture and environmental economics, focusing on rice production. What led you to choose these fields of research?
HO Thanh Tam： As you may already know, Vietnam is one of the largest producers of rice in the world.
――Sure, it is quite well known that the production and consumption of rice in Vietnam are significantly high.
HO Thanh Tam： Right, but despite this fact, for Vietnam, the added value of rice exports remains low, mostly due to the low quality of rice because of low-grade rice products and the farmers' overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Moreover, rural farmers in Vietnam continue to struggle with low incomes, so they are facing a lot of challenges. With these issues in mind, my research is specifically centered around rice production in the context of climate change and sustainable agriculture. By studying the impact of climate change on rice production and exploring sustainable agricultural practices, I want to contribute to the development of strategies and solutions that can improve the quality and value of rice exports.
――I see. I was unaware of the challenges that rice farmers in Vietnam are facing. It appears that they have an urgent need for your research.
HO Thanh Tam： I think so, and that is why I am interested in addressing the challenges faced by rural farmers, especially helping them to increase their incomes and improve their livelihoods. Through my research, I hope to provide valuable insights and recommendations that can contribute to the overall sustainability and resilience of Vietnam's rice sector. By promoting sustainable agricultural practices and addressing the challenges faced by rural farmers, I want to contribute towards creating a more prosperous and sustainable future for Vietnam's rice industry.
――That's a great reason for doing research! I can envisage how beneficial your research could be, not only for Vietnamese farmers but also for all the rice farmers in Asia. I am interested in learning more about your research on sustainable agriculture. Can you provide more information on your research focus and the issues you are tackling?
HO Thanh Tam： Well, my research primarily focuses on economic developments, sustainable agriculture, and policy studies. Actually, regarding sustainable agriculture, my goal is to examine the opportunities and challenges it presents, both from the perspective of policymakers and farmers. By analyzing the viewpoints of both groups, I aim to develop a comprehensive understanding of the issues surrounding sustainable agriculture. So ultimately, I hope to contribute to the development of effective policies and practices in this field.
――So, you are not just researching agriculture, but also involving the actors in policy making, right?
HO Thanh Tam： Yes, that's right. As an agricultural economist, I am particularly interested in studying the interactions between agricultural policies, sustainable agriculture, and economic development. In the context of sustainable agriculture, I aim to investigate the opportunities and challenges faced by policymakers and farmers. By analyzing the perspectives of both stakeholders, I hope to get a comprehensive understanding of the complexities and potential solutions in the field of sustainable agriculture. Ultimately, my research aims to contribute to the development of evidence-based policies and practices that promote sustainability and resilience in agriculture.
――Thank you for giving us a better understanding of the importance of your research topic and explaining your research methods. Next, I would like to ask you about your recent research topics. You mentioned that you need to collaborate with a variety of local actors. Can you please tell me about the people you work with and the areas they are in?
HO Thanh Tam： Well, through my KAKENHI projects and collaboration projects with overseas universities, including UK universities and Vietnamese universities, I have established networks that involve local governments, agricultural cooperatives, and farmers in Vietnam and Japan. I am expecting that these networks will play a crucial role when we are conducting field surveys and interviews to gain insights into farmers' intentions and behaviors towards sustainable agriculture. So, by taking advantage of these established networks, I hope that we will be able to gather valuable data and perspectives from farmers in both countries. And I hope this will help us to better understand rural farmers' attitudes towards sustainable agriculture and identify the challenges they face in adopting sustainable practices.
――Wow, it's really impressive how you were able to create such a comprehensive international network for your research. How about your networking with local people in Vietnam and Japan?
HO Thanh Tam： In Vietnam, I am collaborating with farmers in the Mekong Delta which is known for its significant rice production but is also one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the country. By working closely with farmers in these areas, I can gain insights into their farming practices, the challenges they face, and their views on sustainable agriculture. Similarly, in Japan, I am collaborating with farmers in different prefectures, such as Hokkaido and Shiga. These areas have unique characteristics and challenges in terms of agriculture. By engaging with farmers in these regions, I can gather valuable data on their experiences, attitudes, and practices related to sustainable agriculture. This collaboration with local farmers in Vietnam and Japan is really important for obtaining on-the-ground perspectives and data that will inform the development of policies and strategies for promoting sustainable agriculture in both countries.
Figure 1 – Conducting questionnaire surveys on sustainable rice farming with Japanese rice farmers in Shiga Prefecture in November 2022
Figure 2 - Conducting questionnaire surveys on sustainable rice farming with Vietnamese rice farmers in Long An Province in September 2022
――Do you encounter any difficulties in your interactions with the local farmers? What is the most vital thing when you conduct your research with them? Please tell us about your experiences.
HO Thanh Tam： Well, in my experience Japanese farmers were incredibly friendly and welcoming during my interactions with them. However, due to the language barrier it was quite challenging to communicate with them effectively. To overcome this, it is crucial to establish connections with farmer-leaders or agricultural cooperatives (JA) who can assist in our research. So, before doing field surveys and giving direct interviews, it's very important to develop a clear research plan with specific objectives. Having a clear purpose and asking specific questions really helps in the initial contact with local governments and agricultural cooperatives.
―― So, you cannot simply visit and ask for an interview; there are numerous preparatory tasks to do before conducting field surveys. How important is it to reach out to these stakeholders for your research?
HO Thanh Tam： I think that the involvement of local governments and agricultural cooperatives is especially important in ensuring the success of our research. I believe their support and collaboration will facilitate access to farmers and help to establish a strong connection with the agricultural community. By working closely with these stakeholders, we can ensure that our research findings are grounded in the realities and needs of the farming communities. It is important to note here that although we receive support from the local government, there may still be limitations to the number of farmers we can reach due to various factors.
Figure 3 – Meetings with local governments and agricultural offices before questionnaire surveys with Japanese farmers in July and August 2022
Figure 4 – Focus group discussion and disseminating information on the field experiment with Vietnamese rice farmers in August 2023
――It seems that there are limitations as you say, but it is still important to reach all the available actors. Can you give us any examples or possibilities of farming improvements that have come about through your collaborations with farmers?
HO Thanh Tam： Well, while it is difficult to give you specific examples of farming improvements at this stage of our research, I have gathered some useful information from my interviews with farmers on how to improve farming practices. However, I can tell you that rice farmers in Shiga have successfully implemented sustainable agriculture methods such as reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by half and adopting organic farming techniques. These practices have resulted in benefits from both economic and environmental perspectives. Furthermore, the experiences and lessons we have learned from Japanese rice farmers have been applied to a field experiment in Vietnam.
——― It is very interesting that your research has actually found useful results for farming that are transferrable from one place to another. For my next question, I would like to ask about your recent research interests. What are you primarily interested in, and what do you most enjoy about your recent research?
HO Thanh Tam： Currently, I'm working on a two-year research project titled "Sustainable Agricultural Practices and Market for Organic Products: An Empirical Analysis in Shiga Prefecture, Japan." This project is supported by the KAKENHI Grant for Early-Career Scientists and started in April 2022. In December 2022, I received funding from RENKEI (Research and Education Network for Knowledge Economy Initiatives) for a project titled "How Does Machine-learning based Fine-grained Climate Data Facilitate Sustainable Agriculture and Finance?" I was the Principal Investigator for this project, and I collaborated with young researchers from the University of Southampton and University of Liverpool. Our current research involves analyzing Japanese agriculture using governmental data and conducting field surveys in Hokkaido to study climate change, rice production, and promotion policies for sustainable agriculture. In addition, I am currently the project moderator for a two-year international collaborative research project sponsored by Ritsumeikan University. It's called "Toward Sustainable Agriculture of Rice Farming in Asia: Economic and Policy Aspects" and we are working in collaboration with Nong Lam University in Vietnam.
>——― As a next-generation researcher, you are organizing research projects to expand your international network. What is the underlying motivation behind doing this?
HO Thanh Tam： Due to climate change, policies to reduce food safety risks while minimizing environmental impacts have become increasingly important. Countries really need to prioritize sustainable rice farming as a potential solution for sequestering carbon, mitigating climate change, while at the same time improving environmental health and economic performance.
Recently, I have become really interested in designing practical field experiments that can provide precise results on the effectiveness of sustainable farming practices. I am also really intrigued by the potential impact of these experiments on farmers' habits and behaviors. So, by studying the outcomes of these experiments, I can gain valuable insights into the feasibility and benefits of sustainable farming practices. I hope that this research will contribute to the development of evidence-based strategies and policies for sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change.
——―Indeed, you are setting a great example for the research required in this era, in which we face the severe consequences of climate change. This is my final question. What are your current plans and goals for the future?
HO Thanh Tam： Through these collaboration projects, we have built academic networks among researchers in Japan, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia. Our networks with overseas researchers and Vietnamese rice farmers, will help us in our future collaboration with universities abroad. My goal is to develop international academic networks and contribute to the rice farming systems in Japan and Vietnam. I plan to expand these networks to include more young researchers in other rice-producing countries, particularly in Southeast Asia. Also, during my tenure as a senior researcher at Asia-Japan Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University, I had the opportunity to develop and enhance my skills in various areas. These included organizing workshops, publishing papers, and creating informative booklets. These experiences not only allowed me to contribute to the organization but also provided me with valuable transferable skills. I have successfully published papers and presented my findings at conferences and these accomplishments have further fueled my passion for academic pursuits and motivated me to actively pursue opportunities to join a university or faculty staff in Japan. I am eager to contribute to continue my research journey in a university setting, and in the future, I intend to actively pursue opportunities to become a university or faculty staff member in Japan.
——―I am pleased that we were able to have this interview with you Dr. Tam. We can really appreciate your potential and enthusiasm for research. You have provided a great example for the next-generation researchers to follow beyond their own research fields. Thank you very much for allowing us to have this meaningful talk with you. We are looking forward to learning about further developments in your research.