Finding livelihoods for ethnic minorities in Ky Son

Attending were Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen - National Coordinator, Global Environment Facility,United Nations Development Programme; Mr. Hua Duc Nhi - Chairman of Vietnam Forest Owners Association, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Forest Protection and Development Fund, Department of Tourism, leaders of Ky Son district and localities implementing the project.

Delegates attending the conference. Photo: Quang An

The project was implemented in the two communes of Muong Long and My Ly with the goal of raising awareness of forest protection for the highland people of Ky Son district, while at the same time implementing training and livelihood models for local people to escape poverty and stabilize their lives.

Ms. Lau Y Denh, owner of the homestay model in Muong Long commune, presented the advantages and difficulties when implementing the project. Photo: Quang An

After 1 year of project implementation with the consultation and participation of experienced experts, the activeness of the Executive Board, the attention and support in all aspects of the Party Committee and government, along with the response of the people of Muong Long and My Ly communes, the project has deployed many practical programs and models.

The Project Management Board organized 4 communication sessions about the project in 4 villages of 2 communes Muong Long and My Ly with 100 participants. Organized 8 training courses for 375 participants. Of which, 2 training courses, seminars to raise awareness of forest protection and management, enforcement of the Forestry Law, land and forest allocation for commune and village officials of 2 communes, each class had 40 delegates attending; 2 training courses on fattening cattle raising techniques for households in 2 communes, each class had 50 delegates attending...

Mr. Nguyen Khac Lam - Director of Nghe An Province Forest Protection and Development Fund said that the forest protection work of the highland people has been improved when the project was implemented. Photo: Quang An

In addition, the Executive Board also selected 35 households to participate in the peach and plum tree restoration model, receiving technical guidance on providing fertilizers, pruning shears, and pesticides; 10 households to participate in the OCOP black chicken development model, supported with 1,000 breeds, food, and care techniques; 10 households to participate in the fattening cattle breeding model were provided with technical guidance and material support.

Community tourism development was also implemented synchronously by the project with 6 households building Homestays, increasing the average income to over 5 million VND/household/month. Tourism promotion and communication activities were promoted, attracting more than 3,000 visitors to Muong Long and My Ly in the past year.

It can be seen that the synchronous implementation of many programs and models of the project has helped raise awareness of forest protection among the highland people. At the same time, the livelihood models have also contributed to changing the way of thinking and doing business of the people, reducing ineffective traditional production and breeding to scientific methods, contributing to increasing productivity and the value of agricultural products; focusing on developing sustainable tourism.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen - National Coordinator, Global Environment Facility, United Nations Development Program acknowledged and highly appreciated the results achieved by the project in Ky Son district. Photo: Quang An

However, the project implementation process also faces many limitations, such as some project activities are behind schedule due to the nature of overlapping work. Some activities have not been unified in implementation. Land and forest allocation is facing difficulties due to discrepancies between the field and the map. A part of the people implementing the project have a mindset of waiting, relying, and low self-reliance...

At the conference, representatives of people and households in 2 communesMuong Long, My Ly presented papers, focusing on the advantages and difficulties in implementing the project in the past time. Questions from the people were discussed and answered promptly by experts, local authorities, and the project management board.

Concluding the conference, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen - National Coordinator, Global Environment Facility, United Nations Development Program acknowledged and highly appreciated the results achieved by the project in Ky Son district, the strong participation of the local government and people in the 1 year of project implementation.

The peach and plum tree restoration model helps these trees grow and develop well, attracting tourists. Photo: Ky Son District People's Committee

At the same time, we hope that the members of the executive board will promotespirit, responsibility, smooth coordination, maintaining solidarity and cooperation to overcome difficulties and successfully implement the project programs in the coming time. Local officials of the communes proactively mobilize local resources to build ecological landscapes, have a spirit of learning and acquiring knowledge to develop livelihoods for the people. Localities also need to strengthen connections with tourism associations and the Department of Tourism to maintain a stable number of tourists every year. For households that directly receive support from the project, they need to continue to promote the spirit of self-reliance, self-improvement, and rise up to escape poverty, spreading to other households...