IFAD in Viet Nam

IFAD works for and with the poorest people in Viet Nam, including ethnic minorities, small-scale farmers and households headed by women. Strategies to reduce poverty and improve living conditions include building partnerships, strengthening institutional capacity and promoting participation. IFAD works with the government and other partners to empower poor rural people so they can have a role in decision-making. To do this, IFAD finances programmes and projects that focus on developing and testing innovative approaches to poverty reduction that can be replicated and scaled up by the government and other agencies. Interventions are area-based and multi-sectoral. They target regions where poverty reduction is a priority.

IFAD programmes and projects in Viet Nam:

• increase access to human and social assets by building the capacity of poor rural people and their institutions, improving women’s status and improving food security by diversifying rural incomes and increasing rural employment

• increase access to productive assets, such as land, credit and forest resources, and promote access to technology, to help poor rural people improve resource management and infrastructure

• promote good governance, with emphasis on decentralized project management and grass-roots participation, and on promoting policy reforms

Rural development is the key objective of IFAD programmes and projects in Viet Nam. Participatory rural credit and Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRAs) have proved to be powerful tools for poverty reduction. PRA, for instance, is used successfully in classifying households by wealth and in determining research and training priorities. Another key strategy is building the capacity of self-help groups to enable rural poor people to participate in planning and managing activities. IFAD-initiated community development funds successfully promote participation and empowerment.

IFAD programmes and projects recognize the key role that women play in agriculture, livestock raising and rural marketing. They work to improve women’s status and give them a voice in the decisions that affect their lives and the lives of their families.

Country Opportunities Strategic Programme (2008)

Source: IFAD

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Ongoing IFAD operations Developing Business with the Rural Poor Programme Programme for Improving Market Participation of the Poor in Ha Tinh and Tra Vinh Provinces Decentralized Programme for Rural Poverty Reduction in Ha Giang and Quang Binh Provinces Rural Income Diversification Project in Tuyen Quang Province View closed operations map... Statistics Projects: 8 Total cost: US$237.3 million Total loan amount: US$168.3 million Directly benefiting: 496,600 households Contact information Ms Atsuko Toda Country programme manager IFAD Via Paolo Di Dono, 44 00142 Rome, Italy Tel: +39 0654592638 Fax: +39 0654593638 at.toda@ifad.org