Influence of catastrophes and epidemics on agricultural production of households in the Central Highlands

Abstract

Using descriptive statistics, the authors analyze influence of catastrophes and epidemics to 287 farming households in the Central Highlands. The results indicate storms, pests, epidemics and avian flu exert the most severe impact. The average loss caused by these catastrophes and epidemics is pretty large, decreasing over the time yet more complicated and occurring more frequently. In addition, more than 70% farming households adopt quite passive coping strategies which result in low recovery rate. This paper, therefore, proposes crop insurance mechanisms, improved irrigation system and selecting more suitable seedlings to the region.