Still, our results bear significance for development policies
because they indicate that standards can be a strategic tool
in rural sector development, but care needs to be directed toward
small-scale farmers, probably through financial and
technical assistance. In case of the Vietnamese pangasius farmers,
better credit options and training are most likely desirable,
together with organizational and business development.
Group certification of small farmers has been a solution to
the high cost of certification in other countries but such an option
needs to be evaluated against cultural, social, and political
conditions in Vietnam.