Project

Informed forestry decisions, sustainable forest management and forest certification insmallholder forests in Vietnam

1. Project Description

The project VIE8748, Informed forestry decisions, sustainable forest management and forest certification in smallholder forests in Vietnam, 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 Centre for Climate Change Study in Central Vietnam (CCCSC), Vietnam Cooperative Alliance and Cooperative Alliance (CA) of the 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’ organizations 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 organizations enables sustainable forest management (SFM) and resilience of forest-based livelihoods. FFD project aims i) to ensure smallholders’ 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 initiatives 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 organizations. 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. The twinning partner Forest Management Association Pirkanmaa (FMA Pirkanmaa) provides support to its Vietnamese peers in leadership development, inclusion and certification. Climate Institute CCCSC provides coordination and knowledge-management support, and facilitates cooperatives access to the latest climate and forestry information and technological innovations. The project is funded by FFD with backdonor funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFAF) in a form of official development aid (ODA). The Finnish Agri-Agency for Food and Forest Development (FFD) provides advisory services together with FMA Pirkanmaa who is the Finnish peer, i.e. twinning partner of the project.

2. Project goal

The project goal is ‘Small-scale forest producers’ informed and inclusive forestry-decisions ensure sustainable forest management (SFM) and improved resilience of forest value chains.

3. Project Outcomes

The project has three expected outcomes:
Outcome 1: Organized smallholders are accessing forest environmental services
Outcome 2: Small-scale producers are prepared for forest certification
Outcome 3: Inclusive farmers organizations are representing their members interest

4. Project outputs

The expected outputs are:
Output 1.1. Farmers organizations (FOs) have increased technical capacity and specific resources for providing forest environmental services to their members
Output 1.2. Smallholders are committed to take climate-smart forestry decisions Output 2.1. Increased interest and awareness of small-scale forest producers in forest certification and its requirements
Output 2.2. Cooperatives have sustainable forest management (SFM) plans in place.
Output 2.3. FOs have found markets for certified forest products.
Output 3.2. FO exchange platforms have promoted organizational and inclusive service development.
Output 3.3. Person with disability have improved their position in smallholder forest value chains and organizations.

5. Integration of climate change

Vietnam has a strong political commitment to climate change mitigation, adaptation simultaneously with development of smallholder forestry, as found in the current strategies for Forest Sector, Climate Change and NDCs. In line with these policies, the project will contribute to the enhancement of smallholder forestry and forest/wood-product carbon
stocks and supports FO in capacity to conduct carbon inventories and preparedness for developing carbon markets and PES. In addition, the project raises awareness of climate risks and adopts systematic approach to climate risk assessment and adaptation planning, and institutionalizing climate in organizational development of project’s producer organizations.
The project aims also to pilot new technologies and integrated forest management systems to boost climate-smart smallholder forestry.

6. Contact