1. VIETNAM
Enabling poor rural people
to overcome poverty
Pro-Poor Partnerships for
Agro-Forestry Development (3PAD)
Bac Kan
A community meeting of Dao ethnic group in Bac Kan. IFAD President, Kanayo F Nwanze (centre) attended.
Project Rationale
Bac Kan province has one of the highest concentrations of ethnic minorities and poverty in
Viet Nam. Poor infrastructure, lack of access (due to mountainous terrain) and a shortage of
irrigated farmland are some of the reasons for its poverty. There is some forestry production,
but few opportunities for crop farming and payment for conserving forests is low. The three
upland ethnic minorities (Mong, Dao and Nung) are experiencing very high rates of poverty.
Project Objectives
The proposed objective of the Project is to achieve sustainable and equitable poverty reduction
and improved livelihoods of the rural poor in Bac Kan. The purpose of the project is to establish
a framework for sustainable and profitable agro-forestry development in Bac Kan province
targeting rural poor households.
Project Area and Target Group
The project covers the Pac Nam, Ba Be and Na Ri districts due to their high levels of household
poverty, their ecological risk and their potential for forestry, livestock and ecotourism.
The target group are poor upland farmers (particularly women) who provide most of the
agricultural labor. Communities of mostly Nung, Dao, Mong and Tay minority people, are
heavily dependent on agriculture, forestry and livestock production on sloping land, and limited
rice production.
International
Fund for
Agricultural
Development IFAD VIETNAM >> 3PAD Bac Kan >> 1

2. Project Strategy
Enabling poor rural people 3PAD promotes the utilization of production and protection of forest land, ensuring that income
to overcome poverty and benefits from forestry resources are accrued by poor households and women. It also seeks
to improve services and technologies through pluralistic, pro-poor, demand driven transfer
mechanisms. For new high-value chains are to be created or existing chains upgraded, farmers
need to have a more commercial approach to their farming operation. The project seeks to
develop public-private partnerships and community managed investment funds to enhance pro-
poor agro-forestry investment.
Ethnic minority groups
• Fairer forest land allocation and establishment of legal forest land use rights
• Help poor households expand their agro-forestry investments
• Empower poor upland farmers to choose investments that meet their needs
• Develop more sustainable hillside farming systems that benefit the upland poor.
Gender mainstream
• Empower women to participate in community-based resource allocation
• Ensure women’s representation on decision-making bodies
• Reduce women’s labor hours
• Create new income opportunities for men and women
Project Components
• Sustainable and equitable forest land management
• Generating income opportunities for the rural poor
• Promote improved services and technologies
• Promote a more commercial approach to farming operations
• Innovative environmental opportunities
• Forage based conservation, bio-fuels and reduced deforestation emissions
• Promote pro-poor ecotourism
Project Cost and Financing
Total costs for the project are estimated at USD 25.27 million (VND 409.39 million).
Costs are spread as follows: foreign exchange: 13.7%, generating income opportunities for
the poor (community investments): 69.4%, sustainable and equitable forest land management:
11.8%, project management 12.2%.
The Government of Vietnam (GoVN) would commit USD2.44 million. After duties and taxes this
equals USD 1.1 million (VND 17.8 billion). IFAD would provide a USD 21.0 million loan.
Benefits and Impact
It is expected poor farmers will benefit from the chance to use largely under-utilized forestry
and slope-land. This expansion would be closely combined with their existing farming systems
such as livestock (mainly buffaloes and cows). These will offer relatively quick returns, while
forestry production provides a medium/long-term income. It is highly likely this project will
generate substantial additional income for the poorest rural households in the project’s three
districts. Even extremely poor households stand a good chance of escaping poverty.
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
International Website: www.ifad.org.vn
Fund for
Agricultural
Development IFAD VIETNAM >> 3PAD Bac Kan >> 2