Valuation of Food Security and Cultural Landscape Services for Paddy Ecosystems in Developing Countries: A Case Study in Hongthai, Vietnam

In recent times, the assessment of ecosystem services has gained increased importance, as the disappearance of numerous ecosystems worldwide directly impact human well-being and the quality of the living environment, especially in developing countries where many environmental issues are increasingly concerned. The study was conducted to evaluate eco-services in terms of food security and cultural landscape services in Hongthai, Vietnam, by using a questionnaire survey to collect the market price, travel cost, and willingness to pay from the travelers and farmers. The results of the evaluation show that the total value of paddy eco-services in Hongthai is about 579,585.1 USD, with a use-value of 94,50.5 USD (29,146.9 USD of food security value, 65,353.6 of tourist landscape value); the non-use value is 485,084.6 USD (46,223.9 USD of option value; 61,549.0 USD of value left; 377,311.7 USD of value exists). To effectively exploit and use these ecosystem services, local government needs to propagate and raise awareness in maintaining, preserving, and promoting cultural and traditional values inherent in farming, providing tourist services to meet market needs, and providing paddy ecosystem services. Based on the findings, this study proposes some policy implications for Vietnam and similar low-living provinces in developing countries, helping them promote poverty reduction methods and develop sustainable tourism based on paddy ecosystem services.