Fruit, Vegetables, Hairstyling, and Coconut Fibre: Regional Innovation

In Tra Vinh, one of Vietnam's poorest provinces in the southern part of the country, agriculture plays a key role. Nearly 80 percent of the province's residents depend on it for their means of economic sustenance. Rice paddies, fields, and orchards shape the landscape. Yet, the crops yield scarcely enough income to meet a family's needs.

That is why several rural area residents have decided to roll up their sleeves and find innovative ways to improve their living conditions.

In a village near the provincial capital, women have banded to form a microcredit association whereby each woman contributes to the reserve fund. Loans are made to those women who require funds to start up a small business, such as a hairstyling salon, or to obtain the equipment needed to sell fruit and vegetables at the market. The interest rate is less than what the bank charges, and repayment agreements are largely met.

Not far from that village, women and men have decided to process coconut fibre to turn it into yarn. The yarn is then sold to carpet makers in other provinces of Vietnam. A portion of the profits is reinvested in improving spinning methods.

A pre-primary school has been built nearby for children whose parents work in the fields or elsewhere. There, pupils are taught the basics of reading and writing, and they are able to play in a safe environment.

All of these actions have received support from an Improved Rural Livelihoods project. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has lent a helping hand to the province of Tra Vinh to support these activities drawn from similar projects in two other provinces, Soc Trang and Thanh Hoa.

A Canadian college, the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (SIAST), offers technical assistance to the province, chiefly in implementing economic development strategies and in strengthening local cooperatives. Special attention is given to women, especially those who are members of the Khmer minority.

Although modest in scale, the activities supported have a considerable effect. Women and men receive management training, and all are involved in decision making. Little by little, they gain self-confidence and are able to make life better for themselves and their families.

Reducing poverty in rural areas becomes a goal easier to attain when people are engaged in the process. To attain such a goal requires a lot of determination and innovation!

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Fact Sheet: Tra Vinh Improved Livelihoods (2006)

• The project is implemented in eight districts and 20 communes of Tra Vinh.
• Eleven subprojects, chiefly in shrimp fishing and in rice, sugar cane, and peanut growing, have been started up in 11 communes.
• More than 100 activities, including 60 training courses, 15 workshops, and four fact-finding tours, have received financial support through the project.
• More than 3,000 individuals have been trained: farmers (70 percent), women (35 percent), and members of the Khmer minority (12 percent).
• Of the 544 young women who have completed industrial training, 80 percent have found a job.

Additional Information