Informed forestry decisions, sustainable forest management and forest certification in smallholder forests in Vietnam
Vietnam
January 2023 – December 2026
The FFD project aims to build resilience of smallholder forestry livelihoods in Vietnam by promoting forest planning, forest certification, environmental management and climate-smart practices in Nghe An and Thua Thien Hue provinces. The project works together with Cooperative Alliance (CA) of two provinces and 8 members-based cooperatives with around 13 000 members (50 % women) who manage small forest plots totaling around 14 000 hectares of forest. Farmers' organisations provide agricultural services, but forestry services are absent due to poor know-how in forest management and forest value-chains. Producers’ possibility to make informed forestry decisions is impeded, as relevant forestry services are not available or accessible to all.
Integrating these services into farmers organisations enables sustainable forest management (SFM) and resilience of forest-based livelihoods. FFD project aims i) to ensure smallholdes' access to forest advisory and environmental management services, ii) to integrate cooperatives and their members to forest certification schemes and iii) to strengthen inclusion of women and vulnerable groups in forest value-chains. Popularization of forestry information, promotion of inclusive forest planning and value-chains, nursery development, technical support in SFM and support to locally-led climate intitiatives are centric activities in the project.
The project implementation strategy is built on power of peer-exchange and pilot initiatives promoting inclusive and knowledge-based decision-making in member-based producer organsiations. Nghe An CA will adopt best practices of Thue Thien Hue CA in promotion of certification and agroforestry systems. Project's disability cooperative will advice other producer cooperatives in accessibility measures. Forest Management Association Pirkanmaa provides support to its Vietnamese peers in leadership development, inclusion and certification. Climate Insititute CCCSC provides coordination and knowledge-management support, and facilitates cooperatives access to the latest climate and forestry informaton and technological innovations.
The project beneficiaries are 13000 rural small-scale producers and their member-based organsations active in forestry sector: 7 local agriculture/forestry cooperatives, 1 processing cooperative of persons with disability, and 2 provincial level federations in Nghe An and Thua Thien Hue Provinces. The direct beneficiaries are 3000 forest producers (50 % women) that are
mainly rice-farmers managing small forest plots commonly around 1-4 hectares. Around 9 % of them are youth under 35 years, and around 8 % belong to ethnic minority groups (Ta Oi/Van Kieu Thai) and under 1% persons with disability (this data to be verified durin baseline study). According to govenrment data 3 cooperatives are located in poor communes. Majority of smallholders and cooperatives have poor know-how in sustainable forest management practices. The project improves forest-based livelihoods of these beneficiaries by ensuring their access to forestry services and value-chain development and adaptation initiatives.
The planned impact of the project is "Small-scale forest producers' informed and inclusive forestry-decisions ensure sustainable forest management (SFM) and improved resilience of forest value-chains in Vietnam". The theory of chance leading to the impact captures the idea that of fullfillment of smallholders' (rightsholders of this project) right to information,and the power of their informed decisions leads to sustainable forestry decisions embedded in sustainable forest management, improved value-chains,and viability of forestry livelihoods (ecological and economic).Organised farmers (i.e. inclusive member-based farmers organisations) are seen as a centric agent of change towards the project impact: They can reach a critical mass of land managers, have a mandate to serve their members and institutions for certification.They are important duty-barers along government agencies ensuring that all smallholders are equipped with information and capacity for sustainable forest management
Forest Management Association Pirkanmaa (FMA Pirkanmaa) is a member-based forest owners association established in 2011, has 33 employers and 5584 members that manage 166 000 hectares of forest. FMA Pirkanmaa is the project's twinning partner, i.e. peer-support to NACA and TTHCA in the project, and provides as a volunteer contribution in form of minimum of 12 days a year working time, and engages 3 people (management an technical staff). FMA Pirkanmaa is a protagonist in FMA member communications, management of high conservation value sites, forest data management and various forest services. The twinning service embraces peer-to peer support and mutual learning and exchange of experiences in support of achievement of the FFD project results. FMA Pirkanmaa twinning services will support FFD partner organisations and their members in the project country in the areas of technical know-how in silviculture and sustainable forest management and organisational development with a special emphasis on democratic and inclusive organisations and increased capacity in communication.
In addition, the project will work closely with FAO Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) and PEFC to leverage project's visibility and smallholder agenda to the national level and international audience in FAO and PEFC organised events. PEFC will also support FFD in identification of potential companies interested in buying PEFC certified wood, as well as govenrments Vietnam Forest Certification Office. FFF works with farmers organisations in Northern Vietnam, thus regular exchange is beneficial for all and FFF is invited to the FO exchange platform as a quest speaker. FFD will collaborate with Simosol/Afry, as Simosol oy has developed with support from FFD an Iptim Mobile Solution customised to smallholder in Vietnam. The project aims to pilot this solution in promotion of climate smart-forestry and will provide Simosol/Afry with feedback of its usefulness based on smallholder experiences.
Twinning partner: Forest Management Association Pirkanmaa
Project Funded by: Ministry for Foreign Affairs and FFD
