Rice and shrimp production play an important role in Vietnam's economy. Vietnam is the world's third-largest rice exporter, and its shrimp is exported to 100 countries. These sectors employ over 10 million small producers and laborers, primarily in production and processing. 

However, there are existing hindering these groups from benefiting from decent work, including:

  • Occupational safety and health (OSH) issues: OSH issues are severe in rice and shrimp production in Vietnam, ranking behind construction, chemistry, and mining industries. The severity is due to improper use of pesticides, chemicals, and machinery without safety training.
  • Insurance coverage: Up to 98% of farmers and laborers lack social insurance, and 12% lack health insurance due to low incomes and lack of awareness.
  • Income vulnerability: Small-scale farmers and laborers earn the least in value chains, with high vulnerability to natural disasters, climate change, and market pressures, with no risk-sharing mechanisms or insurance.
  • Resource access: Limited access to land, water, and capital hampers production effectiveness.
  • Working conditions: Laborers in rice and shrimp processing factories experience poor working conditions and long hours that impact their health and job sustainability. Many SMEs lack proper labor contracts, social insurance, and formal registration…
  • Gender barriers: Control over agricultural inputs and limited access to assets create barriers for rural women, leading to unequal participation and benefits between men and women in rice and shrimp value chains across five key dimensions: gender division of labor, distribution of benefits, access and control over assets and resources, gender and social norms, and policies and legal environment.

Objectives

Women farmers and laborers in shrimp and rice value chains in Vietnam exercise their rights and have access to adequate labor and social protection, contributing to gender equality and resilience through better representation and policy changes. 

We do it through: 

  • Enhancing the capacity of female farmers and laborers, improving their bargaining power and confidence to negotiate fair benefits and risks, and strengthening their network and voice in local policy-making processes. 
  • Engaging the private sector, including SMEs and lead firms, to promote responsible business practices and adherence to international standards for women's rights and social protection. Additionally, the project provides capacity-building through training and coaching on decent work (Occupational Safety and Health, social protection) and gender-transformative leadership. 
  • Fostering cooperation between social organizations and firms to develop policies aligned with ILO conventions, Vietnam laws, UNGPBHR, SDG8, and the Joint strategic decent work framework. The project will support shrimp and rice sector firms to provide living wages, decent working conditions, gender-transformative policies, a harassment-free environment, and social protection by demonstrating the benefits. 
  • Supporting Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives (MSI) to explore insights on decent work from various actors, including government agencies, private sector associations, worker unions, and social organizations.

Key results

  • 25,800 female farmers, informal workers, and waged workers in rice and shrimp production in the Mekong Delta are better organized and have strengthened capacity to support and exercise their rights to gender-transformative and shock-responsive social protection.
  • 50 processing enterprises in the shrimp and rice value chains demonstrate improved compliance with national law and international standards on labour, social protection, occupational safety and health, as well as responsible business practices with promoting gender equality at workplaces, improving their ability to access international markets.
  • Ministries and provincial governments, in collaboration with Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives, develop and implement policies to enhance international labor standards and social protection for female farmers and workers in the rice and shrimp sectors.
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