International Fund for Agricultural Development

VIETNAM

Decentralised Programme for Poverty Reduction (DPPR)Ha Giang

Dzao women clear a hillside for the construction of a new road in Hoang Su Phi. © IFAD/Alexandra Boulat

Programme RationalePoverty in Ha Giang province closely correlates with its local ethnic minority communities. Some areas have considerable levels of environmental degradation, including parts of the upland northern districts. Women are often particularly disadvantaged with higher workloads and little participation in family and community decision-making processes. The programme design incorporates specific strategies to ensure that women have equitable access to programme resources and appropriate representation in decision-making processes.

Programme Objectives

The goal is to improve the socio-economic status of the poorest households in the programme area, with particular emphasis on community-driven development approaches. Programme purposes are to: (i) improve food security and living standards for the poorest households; (ii) develop strong grassroots institutions that manage community resources better; (iii) improve decentralised development approaches; (iv) improve the socio-economic status of women; (v) improve village-level infrastructure; and (vi) improve management of natural resources.

Programme Area and Target GroupThe programme covers five rural districts: Dong Van, Meo Vac, Yenh Minh, Xin Man and Quang Binh. Within these districts there are 45 communes encompassing 494 administrative villages. The programme primarily benefits hungry and poor households although women and ethnic minorities are targeted due to their relatively disadvantaged positions.

IFAD VIETNAM >> DPPR Ha Giang >> 1

Enabling poor rural peopleto overcome poverty

International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD VIETNAM >> DPPR Ha Giang >> 2

Programme StrategyAreas with the highest incidence of poverty will be targeted, ensuring the poorest households are benefited. The main beneficiaries of DPPR are the poor, especially poor women and ethnic minorities. Production support and small scale infrastructure are most beneficial for this target group.

Programme Components • Capacity building for decentralized development • Production support • Small-scale infrastructure development • Programme management

Programme Cost and FinancingTotal costs for the programme are USD 20.5 million.

The proposed financiers of the programme are IFAD (62.2%), the Government of Norway (13.6%), the Government of Vietnam GoVN (15.6%), and the beneficiaries (7.0%). The Government will finance 100% of all land purchase costs and salaries/allowances, 40% of operating costs (excluding village infrastructure maintenance costs), and the tax and duty element of all project expenditures.

For both Ha Giang and Quang Binh provinces: Besides the IFAD loan, IFAD will provided a grant of USD 0.63 million for the Policy and Programme Development subcomponent.

Benefits and Impact

With support, the food security situation of households in the project areas has been improving and progress has been moderately satisfactory. The latest annual survey showed that 1,240 households reduced their number of food deficient months. In addition, the area of cultivation has increased by over 320 ha in the project area. Food deficiency is prevalent in the project areas, especially from December to March, when the weather is cold. During these months, the government provides rice to households.

Contact details Atsuko Toda Country Programme Manager Asia and Pacific Division International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Unit 304, UN Apartment Building 2E Van Phuc, Kim Ma Str, Ha Noi, Vietnam Tel: 0084- (4) 3823 7231; Fax: + 84 (4) 3823 3819 Email: at.toda@ifad.org Skype: atsuko.toda Website: www.ifad.org.vn

Enabling poor rural peopleto overcome poverty