Free trade, rural livelihoods and sustainable development: A comparative study of corn production in Mexico under NAFTA and rice production in Vietnam under new trade liberalization

Trade, livelihoods and environmental protection are three important topics in the current debate on sustainable development policies and academia. This thesis develops its own conceptual framework for the analysis and use qualitative/quantitative methodologies with a multi-disciplinary approach to explore the interaction between free trade policies and rural livelihood decision-making. It investigates the social and environmental impacts of the interaction between NAFTA and corn production in Mexico. From this case study, I derive some initial suggestions for Vietnamese rice production under new trade-liberalization regimes. I argue that free trade affects social, economic, and environmental systems in rural areas through the social change processes induced by the interaction of livelihood decision making and policy adjustments. The findings show that free trade has affected both governmental social policies and the social welfare of rural communities.