Relations entre organisation du travail et taille des exploitations laitières: une étude à Moc Chau (Vietnam)

In Vietnam, farming policies are aimed at developing milk production to increase the country’s self-sufficiency. National objectives, which are far from being reached, bring into question factors that limit greater dairy production. Work is perceived as one of the constraints to the development of this activity on the family dairy farms. The aim of this article is to explore the relationships between work duration, forms of work organisation and the size of herds, in order to discuss what would be involved in rationalising the work by increasing herd size. A survey was carried out with nine farmers in the Moc Chau region, combining two work methods. Data analysis consisted in extracting variables to identify i) relationships between herd and area size, duration and forms of work organisation, ii) types of work organisation. Our results point out that the total daily work routine is longer in the biggest herds, but it is also more efficient (hours/cow/year). Three types of organisation have been identified. For example, in the largest farms, with a higher level of intensification (productivity per cow), farmers reduce their work load by mechanising routine tasks and employing permanent hired workers. In a context in which technical management is standardised, the main sources of work adjustment are the level of equipment, the employment of hired workers and the cessation of the non-farming activity during workload periods. We conclude on ways of guiding and supporting farms in the development of their dairy activity, such as the employment of workers and mechanisation ; Au Vietnam, les politiques agricoles visent à développer la production laitière pour accroître l’autonomie du pays. Cependant, les objectifs nationaux sont loin d’être atteints. Le travail est perçu comme une des contraintes à l’accroissement de la production dans les exploitations familiales. L’objectif de cet article est d’explorer les relations entre les durées et les formes d’organisation du travail en lien avec la taille des troupeaux de ...