Empowering women and promoting sustainable livelihoods

In March 2025, the CDP Tra Vinh project, in collaboration with local authorities, organised a series of project activities to promote gender equality in household decision-making and enhance sustainable horticulture and aquaculture practices among farming communities in Tra Vinh province, Vietnam.

The events included an International Women’s Day event addressing gender equality in household decision-making, field visits to sustainable black tiger shrimp and peanut farming models to share new technologies, and a study tour of nature-based farming and community tourism in Tra Vinh province. These initiatives enhanced farmers’ skills in sustainable techniques and encouraged greater involvement of women in decision-making processes.

Gender equality is both a human rights concern and a crucial factor in economic and social development. When women have the opportunity to participate in family and production decisions, they can help foster an equal sharing of responsibilities, enhance happiness within the family, and contribute to building a more equal society. The CDP Tra Vinh project encourages women’s participation in capacity-building activities, meetings, farmer study tours, and simultaneously accelerates women’s economic development through the “revolving fund.”

In collaboration with local Women’s Unions, the project organised the “International Women’s Day” event with the theme “Joining hands to raise awareness of gender equality”. The event aimed to honour women, raise awareness of women’s roles in economic development, and strengthen their decision-making rights within households and the community. The country director of SNV Vietnam, Mrs. Christie Getman, delivered inspiring speeches about the essential roles of women and the challenges they face in their families and society.

Over 120 men and women from Ngu Lac, Truong Long Hoa, and Long Toan communes participated in the event, which included interactive activities such as inspirational speeches, folk dance performances, and flower arrangement competitions. A GESI expert provided a short training session to enhance women’s capacity for decision-making in the household, production, and local communities. The local stakeholders appreciated the event.

Horticultural and aquaculture production in Tra Vinh is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, mainly due to saltwater intrusion caused by sea-level rise during the dry season. These abnormal changes in climatic conditions expose farmers to an ever-increasing risk of losing their primary source of income and livelihood—as they are largely dependent on agriculture and aquaculture. Thus, by adopting sustainable and climate-smart horticulture and nature-based aquaculture production practices, local farmers adapt better to the projected changes in climate and get the opportunity to improve their livelihoods in the long term.

The delegation from SNV Vietnam participated in field visits to disseminate knowledge and engage in discussions regarding the challenges farmers face in achieving sustainable and climate-smart practices in peanut production and black tiger shrimp farming. The project affirmed its commitment to continue assisting farmers in enhancing their production skills and practices through minimising input costs and utilising environmentally friendly and sustainable materials, thereby increasing their productivity and income.

At the end of March 2025, shrimp farmer groups in the project area also visited nature-based farming models in Cu Lao Hoa Minh and the Con Chim community-based tourism site. In Cu Lao Hoa Minh, local farmers shared how they successfully implemented the shrimp-rice farming model—a nature-based solution suited for the Mekong Delta region—and established sustainable value chain linkages with private companies. Community officers and farmers in the project area had the chance to observe the successful farming model and exchange efficient collaboration methods. Afterwards, the shrimp farmers experienced the community-based tourism models operated by people in Con Chim islet.

These visits strengthened collaboration between project stakeholders and facilitated knowledge sharing between local government officers and farmers in Tra Vinh about nature-based farming techniques to increase production value further.

The International Women’s Day event and study tour reflected the comprehensive approach of the CDP Tra Vinh project: improving sustainable livelihoods while promoting gender equality in horticulture and aquaculture value chains.

With our support, local partners will continue to facilitate farmers’ implementation of sustainable models, strengthen stakeholder collaboration, and foster an enabling environment for women to increase their potential, thus building a more prosperous future for the whole community.