FAO’s support for the development of high quality, market-oriented agroforestry in Vietnam is geared towards the enhancement of rural livelihoods and sustainable management of natural resources through reforestration of denuded and barren forestlands.

The project is based mainly in Quang Nam province in the central region of Viet Nam and is funded primarily by the Government of Italy. The development partners include Quang Nam’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). The objective of the project is to assist the Government of Vietnam in its reforestration programme. It is expected that FAO’s assistance in supporting the development of environmentally sound and profitable agroforestry systems will generate benefits for the rural population in Quang Nam. Indeeed, Quang Nam has a number of advantages for market-oriented agroforestry that need to be utilized. These include large areas of unused land potential for agriculture and forestry production, government organized rural credit programmes, a pool of rich traditional knowledge as well as existing markets for wood and other agriculture products with stable prices and demand.To date, the project has resulted in significant improvement in the management of agroforestry lands as well as the increased production and higher income from the sale of agroforestry product. It is also noted that food security within the project area has been strengthened.

Nevertheless, the lack of labour and capital represent major constraints for the poor households in the project area. The issue of capital also entails the delay in land allocation and issuance of land use certificates or ‘Red Book’ by the government to individual farmers. Acknowledging the problems, the Quang Nam project supports the farmers with the free provision of inputs, primarily in the form of seedlings and fertiliser. In addition, to rectify the economic bottleneck in the long run, a micro-finance scheme has been put in place to supplement existing rural credit programmes and enhance the farmer’s access to capital for farm and enterprise development. In the same vein, farmers will be trained to obtain accurate market information and develop marketing strategies with the help of Market Information System introduced by DARD. In this regard, the establishment of rural enterprises is viewed as an indispensable mechanism in creating better linkages and access to the market outlets and in generating employment and additional economic return for the rural communities.

To achieve the abovementioned objectives, the project focuses on building the capacity of farmers and government personnel through various methods namely trainings, orientations, study tours and participatory technology development. Certainly, participation of concerned local government communes’ officials and staff in all aspects of the project is essential. The capacity building strategies ensure that new information, technologies and know-how will complement traditional knowledge and practices. The Gender dimension is also central to the project activities and implementation. It is acknowledged that women form a sizeable component of rural labour in Quang Nam. Therefore, their role should be understood and supported to participate in project activities particularly in livestock production, home garden improvement and the marketing of agroforestry product.

The project is currently in its Phase two involving the expansion of project areas, with particular focus on improving marketing strategies and the encouragement of the Government to accelerate the allocation of unused and other lands to farmers.