Bach Thong district Project – Phase 1

Target Groups

Direct beneficiaries:

• 2,405 villagers of 10 target villages of Nguyen Phuc and Tan Tu communes in Bach Thong district.
• 12 Local authorities, 10 staff of the Departments of Infrastructures, Finance, Agriculture, and Rural Development with its agriculture services, and 3 representatives of the Women Union, involved in trainings, monitoring, evaluation

Indirect beneficiaries:

• Approximately 6,000 residents of the ten villages in two communes benefit from the small-scale development projects and capacity building on self-help, gender equality, and community participation strategies.

 

Project Goal:

The living conditions of ethnic minorities in Bac Kan province are improved.

 

Project Objective:

Objective 1:

The living conditions of ethnic minorities in 10 project villages improved through employing community management related to infrastructure and farming

Objective 2:

Women’s competencies are recognized by the communities due to their contribution to local development

 

Indicators of the objective:

Indicator 1.1:

By the end of the project, agricultural productivity increased by 10% on a total of 40 ha of farmland owned by the members of the income-raising clubs against the baseline

Indicator 1.2:

By the end of the project, 55% of households of 2 project villages only have year-round access to local farms and markets through roads and bridges against the baseline

Indicator 2.1:

By the end of the project, at least 2 women-led environment-friendly farming models are generating income

Indicator 2.2

By the end of the project, at least 40% of community-based groups are headed by women

Main project activities

1. Introduce the project, its objective, and activities, especially the community management approach at the district and village level.
2. Thematic village meetings to disseminate information on gender equality and environment-friendly agriculture.
3. Elect 70 key community members with 50% females to support capacity-building measures like trainings, coaching, and managing the implementation of community solutions.
4. Form 25 community-based groups (CBGs) with up to 175 members for planning and implementing at least 25 community solutions.
5. Establish 2 income-raising clubs (IRCs) with 80 members. The club will be facilitated and maintained by the Women’s Union.
6. 10 dialogues between community members and local authorities to agree on specific project interventions.
7. 8 trainings for community key members and local authorities with 50% women.
8. 10 trainings for IRC members on relevant knowledge.
9. Regular meetings will be held to decide on and employ such environment-friendly farming models generating income, especially spouses will be encouraged to reflect and overcome gender-based power imbalances within their marriage.
10. 6 meetings to approve infrastructure and farming models suggested by the communities.
11. At least 25 sub-projects will be implemented by the CBGs like the rehabilitation or construction of small roads and bridges facilitating access to fields, farms, and markets, and irrigation channels to increase crop yields. Farming models will focus on marketable organic or safer (significantly reduced chemical inputs) vegetable and fruit production.
12. 10 evaluation meetings to assess the results of the sub-project. All other evaluations will be conducted by the communities and facilitated by the key community members.
13. 2 community meetings to identify and reflect on good practices and follow-up actions.
14. 1 workshop to discuss opportunities to apply and replicate community management in other villages and mainstream in National Target Programmes. Project and neighboring communities will participate as well as local authorities and governments…

---