From Policy Messages to Rural Markets: Institutional Communication and Sustainable Agribusiness in Vietnam and India
Cao Thị Thuyết and Trần Thị Vân Dung
27 Views | 14 Downloads
Abstract:
Sustainable agribusiness depends not only on the quality of agricultural policies but also on the institutional and communication systems through which those policies are interpreted, disseminated, implemented, and adapted at the grassroots level. This study examines the relationship between policy communication and institutional frameworks for sustainable agribusiness through a comparative analysis of Vietnam and India. Drawing on the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework and Strategic Communication Theory, the study employs Strategic Policy Discourse Analysis (SPDA) of a defined corpus of 45 primary policy documents issued between 2015 and 2025, comprising 23 Vietnamese and 22 Indian documents. The corpus is organized into three analytical groups: macro-level strategic and legislative frameworks; climate-smart agriculture and bio-economy directives; and dissemination networks, digitalization, and agricultural extension mechanisms. A four-dimensional communication matrix examines Source Authority, Message Framing, Dissemination Channels, and Feedback Mechanisms. The analysis identifies a structural divergence between the two countries. India has developed a comparatively decentralized and digitally enabled communication architecture, including e-NAM, digital agriculture initiatives, farmer-oriented information platforms, and Farmer Producer Organization mechanisms, thereby expanding the potential reach of policy information while remaining exposed to digital exclusion and institutional fragmentation. Vietnam combines formal governmental authority with comparatively cohesive socio-political and agricultural organizations, particularly the Vietnam Farmers’ Union and community agricultural extension structures, enabling locally embedded dissemination while creating risks of predominantly one-directional communication. The study argues that policy communication should be understood as implementation infrastructure rather than as a supplementary public-relations function. It proposes an Institutional-Communication Framework (ICF) that integrates policy authority, institutional translation, multichannel dissemination, agribusiness action, and upward feedback. The framework provides a comparative basis for strengthening policy implementation, rural entrepreneurship, institutional learning, and sustainable agribusiness resilience in emerging Asian economies.
Keywords:
Agricultural policy; Agribusiness; Institutional communication; Policy implementation; Sustainable development; Vietnam and India.
Citation: Cao Thị Thuyết and Trần Thị Vân Dung (2026). From Policy Messages to Rural Markets: Institutional Communication and Sustainable Agribusiness in Vietnam and India. Horizon J. Hum. Soc. Sci. Res. 8 (S), 41–58. https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2026.v8.nS.id1393.p41
Download Full PDF
