Overview

The JP aims to increase income and employment opportunities for the rural poor by targeting some 4,000 raw material growers and grassroots producers of handicrafts and small furniture from rural communes and ethnic minorities. It supported the handicrafts sector in the four northern provinces Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Hoa Binh and Phu Tho as an important source of income for small farmers and landless poor. These provinces were selected due to the high incidence of poverty, especially among ethnic minorities; the concentration of raw materials and local production of crafts; and the possibility to build synergies with past and ongoing development activities.

Under outcome 1, through the preparation of baseline and value chain studies, Participatory Rural Appraisals were conducted to identify specific interventions, and Local Economic Development (LED) forums were organized allowing local stakeholders to review, update and prioritize activities.

In order to increase incomes of craft raw material growers/collectors under outcome 2, training materials were developed on planting, cultivating and harvesting raw materials in five value chains and Training of Trainers was conducted.  Availability of seedlings was improved through the creation of nursery gardens. The JP reached nearly 2,000 farmers through Farmer Field Schools. Farmer groups with developed action plans were established, and commitment from provinces and communes to continue support and upscale areas was secured.

Through Outcome 3, over 1,500 craft producers were guided to make their production cleaner and more sustainable, and support was provided to improve lacquer processing, bamboo treatment and silk dying. In addition, 52 business groups were established and producers of 10 communes were provided with tools, equipment and techniques to improve productivity and to decrease resource use. Companies strengthened their entrepreneurial skills and behavior through training, improved product designs  and were enabled to identify critical environmental bottlenecks, with pilot models for new cleaner production techniques in 14 companies A manual on branding handicraft towards sustainability including checklist of sustainable criteria, scoring system, labeling scheme were developed.

Under outcome 4 the JP supported the establishment of forums in 4 provinces to foster local dialogue and ownership on Value Chain (VC) upgrading, in addition, Provincial Advisory Boards were established to foster interdepartmental collaboration and to promote income and employment opportunities. Support was provided to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to make the Prime-Minister’s Decision on incentive policies for rattan and bamboo operational.

Outcome 1:

Improved understanding of the handicrafts and small furniture value chains in four provinces.

Outcome Achievements:

• Baseline studies provided socio-economic data of grassroots crafts and small furniture producers; end-line survey.
• Preparation, validation and dissemination of value chain studies for bamboo & rattan, sea grass, sericulture/silk, lacquer and handmade paper.
• Participatory Rural Appraisals conducted to identify specific interventions for farmers in the five value chains.
• Local Economic Development (LED) forums organized in the four provinces allowing local stakeholders to review and update value chain (VC) maps and prioritize VC upgrading activities.
• Media outreach through the programme website, dissemination of news and documents and creation of documentary videos.

Outcome 2:

An environmentally and economically sustainable increase in craft raw material growers/collectors incomes in four provinces.

Outcome Achievements:

• Training materials developed on planting, cultivating and harvesting raw materials in five value chains and Training of Trainers conducted.
• 1,781 farmers improved knowledge on planting, cultivating and harvesting through Farmer Field Schools.
• Availability of seedlings improved through the creation of nursery gardens. Using these nursery gardens, more than 700 farmers were supported and some 700,000 seedlings and 40,000 kg of fertilizer were provided.
• Training and study tours on rattan and mulberry cultivation organized.
• Farmer groups established with developed action plans with commitment by provinces and communes to continue support and upscale areas and number of households.

Outcome 3:

A sustainable increase of crafts related rural households and enterprises’ incomes in four provinces.

Outcome Achievements:

• 1,430 craft producers were guided to make their production cleaner and more sustainable; 261 of these received advanced vocational skills training to improve their skills to develop more value-added products.
• The JP improved beneficiaries’ understanding of: business group formation, business management, micro-credit and Occupational Safety and Health. 52 business groups in four provinces were established.
• Producers of 10 communes were provided with tools, equipment and techniques to improve productivity and to decrease resource use.
• Groups and companies received support to establish legal contracts specifying mutual rights
• As a result of the JP’s work cooperatives are in a better position to access finance.
• Companies strengthened their entrepreneurial skills and behavior through training, improved product designs and were enabled to identify critical environmental bottlenecks, with pilot models for new cleaner production techniques in 14 companies
• Vietcraft developed new international partnerships and was assisted to develop an on-line information system.
• Support was provided to improve lacquer processing, bamboo treatment and silk dying.
• Manual on branding handicraft towards sustainability including checklist of sustainable criteria, scoring system, labeling scheme were developed. 

Outcome 4:

Improved policies and regulatory frameworks at the provincial and national level that meet the needs of rural small enterprises, in particular raw materials and crafts producers, processors and traders.

Outcome Achievements:

• Establishment of LED dialogue forums in 4 provinces. The forums fostered local dialogue and ownership on VC upgrading and identified constraints in the Business Environment.
• A national workshop was jointly organized with the Labor Relation project/Legal Department of MOLISA in which findings from the study on the situation analysis on labor law coverage of home workers by value chains were presented.
• 25 local facilitators were trained in a ToT on participatory M&E through the COMPASS of local competitiveness. One day events enabled 130 stakeholders in the four provinces to monitor and assess, in a participatory manner, programme results, prioritize actions and assign local actors responsible.
• Provincial Advisory Boards were established in NgheAn and ThanhHoa provinces to foster interdepartmental collaboration and to promote income and employment opportunities.
• Support provided to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to prepare a circular that makes the Prime-Minister’s Decision on incentive policies for rattan and bamboo industry development operational.

Best practices:

• The advisory Board established with the support of the programme brought together relevant stakeholders, key for identifying and mobilizing sources from provincial funding to sustain and replicate JP achievements
• Cooperation between different United Nations agencies with their national implementing partners, provided technical support according to each agency’s strengths and expertise.  
• The establishment of local platforms to foster ownership and enhanced coordination proved key for sustainability.

Lessons learned:

• The handicraft sector and women’s rural micro-enterprises are often overlooked by policy makers who focus on the development of heavy industries. However, supporting rural women’s enterprises at different stages of the value chain proved particularly meaningful and effective in empowering women and promoting local economic development, as well as in contributing to income and job generation. 
• A value chain approach to local economic empowerment can be an effective strategy to empower poor household producers, women and to promote local economic development.
• Strengthening a value chain requires technical expertise specific to the type of business as well as to different steps of the value chain.
• Cost can be lowered by organizing household producers
• Transfer of new knowledge and skills to women in rural areas by women from within their community is particularly useful when working with ethnic minorities as they speak the same language and can communicate smoothly. This is particularly important as access to training opportunities and capacity building interventions is limited in remote rural and ethnic minority areas.

More details can be found in the documents below.