The Impact of Agricultural Commercialization on Children's Educational Opportunities and Outcomes: Evidence from Crop-Producing Households in Vietnam

Agricultural commercialization is often promoted as a strategy to improve the well-being of crop-producing households, but its impact on children's educational opportunities and outcomes is less understood. This study uses panel data from the 1992/93 and 1997/98 Vietnam Household Living Standards Survey (VHLSS) to examine the effects of agricultural commercialization on children's educational outcomes, including the highest grade attained, household education expenditure, and access to school books. A fixed effects (FE) regression analysis reveals a nuanced relationship: households that increased their general crop sales experienced positive effects on education, especially regarding higher household spending. However, when households specialized more heavily in cash crops, children's educational opportunities and outcomes generally worsened—unless the households were able to successfully sell their cash crops in the market, which led to an increase in educational attainment. Despite these varied effects, agricultural commercialization had minimal impact on access to schoolbooks. These findings suggest that while commercialization can provide financial benefits that enhance educational investments, the type of crops sold plays a critical role in determining whether commercialization supports or detracts from children's education.