Participants of the Workshop

The objectives of the Workshop are to overview the implementation of the FFF Program in 2019; discuss the FFF Program work plan in 2020; shareinformation of related policy, projects, programs and the collaboration of multi-stakeholders, enterprises; propose solutions to implement the work plan; discuss and agree on how to effectivelyimplementFFF II Program in 2020, coordination mechanism of FFFPMU at all levels.
Attending the Workshop there were representatives of VNFOREST- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, FAO Vietnam, Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of FFFprovinces, buyer partners (HoaPhat company, Vineco, Bac Tom), technical consultants, Provincial Framers’ Union leaders and staff, representatives of forest and farm collective groups and cooperatives (FFPOs) of FFF II in4 provinces: Hoa Binh, Bac Kan, Yen Bai and Son La.
 
Speaking at the opening of the Workshop, Director of VNFU International Cooperation Department, FFF II Director Mr. Mai Bac My affirmed thatin 2019, despite many difficulties and challenges, the Program has achieved positive signals: Nearly 3,000 forest and farm farmers and FU staff in 14 communes of 10 districts of 5 provinces have been benefiting from the Program (37.5% female, 51% ethnic minority) ; Farmers participating in colective groups and cooperatives have seen the real benefits of working in group, organic production, adapting to climate change, preserving social and cultural identities. A number of colective groups have developed to cooperatives and can participate in the value chain of production and processing of timber and non-timber products to bring into supermarkets and export.
Implementing the work plan of 2019, the FFF II Program has been contributing to achieve the set 4 outcomes of the Program: More inclusive governance and cross-sectorial processes leading to enabling policies; increased entrepreneurship, access to markets and finance through an equitable value chain and  business development services within FFPOs; improved delivery of landscape-scale mitigation, adaptation and resilience for climate change through improved environmental technical knowledge, direct engagement to FFPOs and integration with inclusive livelihood approaches; improved and equitable access to social and cultural services.
Sharing at the Workshop, Vice Chairman of HoaBinhFramers’ Union, Ms. Nguyen ThiHuongHai said after 1 year participating FFF II, 2 cooperatives and 3 collective groups and 3 farmer core groupswere established and reorganized. The capacity of the core groups, collective groups and cooperatives has been raised. They have capable of operating activities, links to consume products, actively facilitate farmer to participate in Program activities. Typically, An Sinhmulti-service Cooperative in Cho Dam Village, An Binh Commune, LacThuy district has mobilized itself to open more businesses to grow medicinal plants and produce mushrooms. At the same time, implementation small grants supported by FFF, the FFPOs and local FU staff have not only improve capacity but also actively involved farmer and FFPOs’ members into community social economic development, increase income and forest and farm sustainable management.
 Vice Chairman of Son La Farmers’ Union, Mr. Cam Van Minh said2 communesof the province has selected to participate in the FFFProgram with 5 cooperatives and 7 collective groups. Through the implementation of the project, the production and business capacity of the Management Board of the FFPOs have been raised. In addition, the staff of FUs at all levels have beenenhanced propaganda skills, better services support for farmers, including specific forest and farm models which have attracted and persuaded more membership and farmers to work as groups.
Roundtable discussion at commune, district and provincial levels have become a typical forum for linking FUs, members, farmers, related agencies and local authorities. Through these activities, the authorities and related agencies can listen to the voices of farmer members, women, minority groups and timely solve their problems and difficulties, at the same time also help or link them closer to the policies of the Party and Government.
 He added that the program has achieved significant results. Hopefully, in the coming time, the related multi-stakeholders will together facilitate to implement the Program to have more impacts, associated with the Resolution on building farmer units, groups, union of professional farmers, proceeding to build collective groups and cooperatives from farmer units, groups.

 

 Chairman of Bac Kan Farmers’ Union, Mr. Luu Van Quang informed that the FFF II support to established 3 core group at commune level which members composed of FFPOs and all branches of the commune. In particular, 2 FU staff at provincial level, 2 FU staff at district level, 3 peopleFU staff at commune level were selected as local facilitators. Facilitators and FFPOs representatives have been trained to improve their working skills by trainers who have good transmission skills, so that they havebetter motivating ability and effective working in localities. 
Two small grants of FFPOs in BacKanon organic agricultural rice farming and community tourismhas been approved by VNFU-FFF. In the process of FFFimplementation we have support from different stakeholder, farmers are very interested in the Program. Now, they have knowledge about organic farming, forest and farm sustainable management, know how to produce composting, biological fertilizers.
 BacKanFFF II PMU has organized three commune roundtable discussion, two roundtablediscussion at district level and one roundtable discussion at provincial level. In those meetings, there were many difficulties and challenges of FFPOshave been addressed and supported by local authorities and related agencies. At the provincial roundtable discussion recently, FFF II linked Hoa Phat Company and related Departments to build timber production and processing value chains, FSC for acacia. More tasks will be done to implement this plan.
 Mr. Luu Van Quang also shared the difficulties in supporting the FFPOs in production and business such as weak management capacity of FFPOs. Only coop whose director is qualified and dynamic works well. If the coop directors are farmers, it’s hard for the cooperative to operate smoothly. He really wantsVNFU-FFF to continue training to improve the qualifications of the FFPOs leaders. At the same time, he proposed the program finds partners to help Bac Kan farmers to build potential value chains such as organic sorghum, local squash, yellow ginger.
 
Vice Chairman of Yen Bai FU, Mr. Hoang Xuan Long shared that at present, some acacia areas are being attached by diseases and dead after 3-4 years.  The scientists said that this could be due to the unsecured seed source. In order to avoid the disease, we would proposeVNFU-FFFto support to find secured seedling. He also proposed to continue to maintain and extend long rotation timber forest plantation which have been supporting in 2019 to extend the logging cycle from the current 6-7 years to 12-14 years for higher value addition.
 
Director of An Sinh multi-service Cooperative, Hoa Binh province, Ms. Đinh Thị Huệ in Lac Thuy district, Hoa Binh province shared that when starting a cooperative, it was very difficult because new cooperatives type operate differently, low knowledge and management skills, no regular meetings, not effective operation, etc. When we worked with buyer partners who provided input services and techniques, people found difficult to get used to because of traditional farming.
 Luckily, after one year supported by the FFF Program and local authority, my management capacity has been significantly improved so that I can convince farmers to work as groups and produce mushrooms together in the net house and under the forest canopy. By growing mushroom, my coop and farmers make use of available materials and manpower t reduce production costs. I would like to express my sincerely  thanks to theFFF program for capacity building, production techniques, market linkages and for income generation.
 
Ms. Dao Ngoc Hoang - Representative of FAO Vietnam, FFF Vietnam in charge shared that FAO highly appreciates what FFF Vietnam is doing and commits to accompany the FFFProgram and do hope the participants of the workshop and related agencies to work together for FFF II successful implementation. 

 

  For the coming time, the FFF Program will continue to carry out policy research activities and participate in policy formulation, monitoring, reviewing, implementing policies from the grassroots; organize forums/dialogues, enhance the cooperation and collaborationwith partners, related agencies, local authorities, businesses and other development projects and programs to support FFPOs and farmers; communication of groupwork benefits; improve the organization and management capacity of FFPOs, diversify products of colective groups and cooperatives; promote linkage and cooperation between colective groups and cooperatives with stakeholders, especially with enterprises to build timber and non-timber value chains, etc.
The objectives of the Workshop are to overview the implementation of the FFF Program in 2019; discuss the FFF Program work plan in 2020; shareinformation of related policy, projects, programs and the collaboration of multi-stakeholders, enterprises; propose solutions to implement the work plan; discuss and agree on how to effectivelyimplementFFF II Program in 2020, coordination mechanism of FFFPMU at all levels.
Attending the Workshop there were representatives of VNFOREST- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, FAO Vietnam, Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of FFFprovinces, buyer partners (HoaPhat company, Vineco, Bac Tom), technical consultants, Provincial Framers’ Union leaders and staff, representatives of forest and farm collective groups and cooperatives (FFPOs) of FFF II in4 provinces: Hoa Binh, Bac Kan, Yen Bai and Son La.
 
Speaking at the opening of the Workshop, Director of VNFU International Cooperation Department, FFF II Director Mr. Mai Bac My affirmed thatin 2019, despite many difficulties and challenges, the Program has achieved positive signals: Nearly 3,000 forest and farm farmers and FU staff in 14 communes of 10 districts of 5 provinces have been benefiting from the Program (37.5% female, 51% ethnic minority) ; Farmers participating in colective groups and cooperatives have seen the real benefits of working in group, organic production, adapting to climate change, preserving social and cultural identities. A number of colective groups have developed to cooperatives and can participate in the value chain of production and processing of timber and non-timber products to bring into supermarkets and export.
Implementing the work plan of 2019, the FFF II Program has been contributing to achieve the set 4 outcomes of the Program: More inclusive governance and cross-sectorial processes leading to enabling policies; increased entrepreneurship, access to markets and finance through an equitable value chain and  business development services within FFPOs; improved delivery of landscape-scale mitigation, adaptation and resilience for climate change through improved environmental technical knowledge, direct engagement to FFPOs and integration with inclusive livelihood approaches; improved and equitable access to social and cultural services.
Sharing at the Workshop, Vice Chairman of HoaBinhFramers’ Union, Ms. Nguyen ThiHuongHai said after 1 year participating FFF II, 2 cooperatives and 3 collective groups and 3 farmer core groupswere established and reorganized. The capacity of the core groups, collective groups and cooperatives has been raised. They have capable of operating activities, links to consume products, actively facilitate farmer to participate in Program activities. Typically, An Sinhmulti-service Cooperative in Cho Dam Village, An Binh Commune, LacThuy district has mobilized itself to open more businesses to grow medicinal plants and produce mushrooms. At the same time, implementation small grants supported by FFF, the FFPOs and local FU staff have not only improve capacity but also actively involved farmer and FFPOs’ members into community social economic development, increase income and forest and farm sustainable management.
 Vice Chairman of Son La Farmers’ Union, Mr. Cam Van Minh said2 communesof the province has selected to participate in the FFFProgram with 5 cooperatives and 7 collective groups. Through the implementation of the project, the production and business capacity of the Management Board of the FFPOs have been raised. In addition, the staff of FUs at all levels have beenenhanced propaganda skills, better services support for farmers, including specific forest and farm models which have attracted and persuaded more membership and farmers to work as groups.
Roundtable discussion at commune, district and provincial levels have become a typical forum for linking FUs, members, farmers, related agencies and local authorities. Through these activities, the authorities and related agencies can listen to the voices of farmer members, women, minority groups and timely solve their problems and difficulties, at the same time also help or link them closer to the policies of the Party and Government.
 He added that the program has achieved significant results. Hopefully, in the coming time, the related multi-stakeholders will together facilitate to implement the Program to have more impacts, associated with the Resolution on building farmer units, groups, union of professional farmers, proceeding to build collective groups and cooperatives from farmer units, groups.

Two small grants of FFPOs in BacKanon organic agricultural rice farming and community tourismhas been approved by VNFU-FFF. In the process of FFFimplementation we have support from different stakeholder, farmers are very interested in the Program. Now, they have knowledge about organic farming, forest and farm sustainable management, know how to produce composting, biological fertilizers.
 BacKanFFF II PMU has organized three commune roundtable discussion, two roundtablediscussion at district level and one roundtable discussion at provincial level. In those meetings, there were many difficulties and challenges of FFPOshave been addressed and supported by local authorities and related agencies. At the provincial roundtable discussion recently, FFF II linked Hoa Phat Company and related Departments to build timber production and processing value chains, FSC for acacia. More tasks will be done to implement this plan.
 Mr. Luu Van Quang also shared the difficulties in supporting the FFPOs in production and business such as weak management capacity of FFPOs. Only coop whose director is qualified and dynamic works well. If the coop directors are farmers, it’s hard for the cooperative to operate smoothly. He really wantsVNFU-FFF to continue training to improve the qualifications of the FFPOs leaders. At the same time, he proposed the program finds partners to help Bac Kan farmers to build potential value chains such as organic sorghum, local squash, yellow ginger.
 
Vice Chairman of Yen Bai FU, Mr. Hoang Xuan Long shared that at present, some acacia areas are being attached by diseases and dead after 3-4 years.  The scientists said that this could be due to the unsecured seed source. In order to avoid the disease, we would proposeVNFU-FFFto support to find secured seedling. He also proposed to continue to maintain and extend long rotation timber forest plantation which have been supporting in 2019 to extend the logging cycle from the current 6-7 years to 12-14 years for higher value addition.
 
Director of An Sinh multi-service Cooperative, Hoa Binh province, Ms. Đinh Thị Huệ in Lac Thuy district, Hoa Binh province shared that when starting a cooperative, it was very difficult because new cooperatives type operate differently, low knowledge and management skills, no regular meetings, not effective operation, etc. When we worked with buyer partners who provided input services and techniques, people found difficult to get used to because of traditional farming.
 Luckily, after one year supported by the FFF Program and local authority, my management capacity has been significantly improved so that I can convince farmers to work as groups and produce mushrooms together in the net house and under the forest canopy. By growing mushroom, my coop and farmers make use of available materials and manpower t reduce production costs. I would like to express my sincerely  thanks to theFFF program for capacity building, production techniques, market linkages and for income generation.
 
Ms. Dao Ngoc Hoang - Representative of FAO Vietnam, FFF Vietnam in charge shared that FAO highly appreciates what FFF Vietnam is doing and commits to accompany the FFFProgram and do hope the participants of the workshop and related agencies to work together for FFF II successful implementation. 

 

  For the coming time, the FFF Program will continue to carry out policy research activities and participate in policy formulation, monitoring, reviewing, implementing policies from the grassroots; organize forums/dialogues, enhance the cooperation and collaborationwith partners, related agencies, local authorities, businesses and other development projects and programs to support FFPOs and farmers; communication of groupwork benefits; improve the organization and management capacity of FFPOs, diversify products of colective groups and cooperatives; promote linkage and cooperation between colective groups and cooperatives with stakeholders, especially with enterprises to build timber and non-timber value chains, etc.