Hanoi, 27 July 2017 – Today the Australian Government launched an 18-month project called “Integrating gender and social inclusion into agricultural value chain research in Vietnam”.

The project will support integration of gender analysis and social inclusion concepts into agricultural value chain research in Vietnam. Farming systems and agricultural supply chains in Vietnam and throughout South-East Asia are undergoing rapid changes, including increased levels of commercialisation and market integration, increased women’s participation and migration of youth. These changes present unique challenges for ethnic minority communities living in disadvantaged areas, including mountainous regions. Failure to consider the impact of gender norms, roles and intersectional social relationships on smallholder’s decisions, risks both poor adoption of technological innovations and increased gender inequality.

This project aims to address gendered social constraints to both men and women, especially in ethnic minority groups. It will increase adoption of modern technologies for more sustainable farming and enhance inclusive value chains. The project is also expected to create an evidence base for gender research, capacity building and networking for agricultural scientists in Vietnam and the region.

Project leader, Dr Nozomi Kawarazuka (the International Potato Center), said “Agricultural research has long focused on technological development while the different practical interests of men and women and the social and gender constraints they face are rarely considered. This project seeks to contribute to developing more inclusive agricultural interventions that support women and marginalized social groups”.

While many gender networks exist in the world, researchers in South-East Asia have been struggling to apply models and tools developed in other regions. Ms Nguyen Thi Le Hoa (Deputy Country Director, Oxfam in Vietnam) said: “There is a need to establish a gender platform as a knowledge hub for South-East Asia to facilitate the dissemination and application of relevant knowledge”.

The project is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), in line with the “Australia in Vietnam Gender Equality Strategy 2016- 2020”. It will work across 10 ACIAR projects focusing on value chains in Vietnam and South‑East Asia with total investment of AUD17 million (VND289 billion). It is implemented by the International Potato Center (CIP) and three partner organisations: Institute of Social Development Studies (ISDS), Care International in Vietnam, and Oxfam in Vietnam.

 

Đọc Thông cáo Báo chí tiếng Việt tại đây.

Information for editor:

  1. The “Australia in Vietnam Gender Equality Strategy 2016-2020” presents Australia’s priority commitments in Vietnam and its whole-of-government approach to improving the quality of life for women and girls in Vietnam. 
  1. ACIAR is the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. It is part of the Australian Government’s Development Assistance Program, and contributes to that Program’s objectives of helping developing countries reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development. It funds collaborative agricultural research projects carried out by Australian and overseas research institutes. These projects seek to solve agricultural problems in developing countries. ACIAR has been implementing its Vietnam program since 1993, through 170 projects valued AUD100 million (VND 1700 billion). 
  1. North West Vietnam is home to a diverse ethnic minority population and has some of the highest levels of poverty and inequality in Vietnam. North West is a strong focus of the ACIAR program and the Australian Aid (through Aus4Equality program).

 

List of 10 ACIAR projects participating in the gender project:

  1. Innovative agribusiness opportunities for profitable and sustainable cassava value chains in South-East Asia
  2. Evaluating opportunities for cassava production and marketing systems to enhance smallholder livelihoods in Cambodia and Laos
  3. Improving farmer competitiveness and returns in selected tropical fruit value chains in southern Vietnam
  4. Improving livelihoods in Myanmar and Vietnam through sustainable and inclusive vegetable value chains
  5. Intensification of beef cattle production in upland cropping systems in north-western Vietnam
  6. Improving maize-based farming systems on sloping lands in Vietnam and Lao PDR
  7. Towards more-profitable and sustainable vegetable production systems in north-western Vietnam and Australia
  8. Sustainable and inclusive cattle and beef industry development in South-East Asia and China
  9. Opportunities for innovative whole-of-chain financing to support agribusiness entrepreneurship
  10. Market based approaches to improving food safety of pork in Vietnam
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gender equality social inclusion value chain