The She Thrives project aims to promote sustainable livelihoods among rural smallholders, particularly women and ethnic minorities in the target location. The project has three main objectives that will help to achieve two Areas of Change: Access to inclusive markets, and Access to productive resources and women’s agencies.

Background

Tay Nguyen – Central Highlands is a major agricultural hub, producing key national commodities, including coffee, rubber, pepper, vegetables, and fruits. However, agricultural development across the region has not met its potential. Agriculture is fragmented, with low production quality and value, and major agricultural products are mainly raw exports, leading to low incomes and missed opportunities for local farmers.

Smallholder farmers often sell their products to local collectors with low bargaining power. Few of them connect with processors or traders who could provide quality seeds, and technical advice in cultivation, storage, collection, and trading. A 2018 CARE study conducted in Dak Lak and Dak Nong provinces showed that most women and small-scale farmers do not have a culture of buying and selling in groups, and women prefer to buy and sell close to where they live because of their other roles as primary managers of household tasks.

Tay Nguyen is where Cargill has focused its corporate social responsibility efforts to support local communities. Under the flagship program on changing lives through education, Cargill has built over twelve Cares schools in this region. CARE aims to build on this program, going beyond schools to address needs faced by smallholder farmers at the household and community level in Dak Lak province.

Objective of She Thrives

The project aims to promote sustainable livelihoods among rural smallholders, particularly women and ethnic minorities in the target location. The project has three main objectives that will help to achieve two Areas of Change: Access to inclusive markets, and Access to productive resources and women’s agencies.

• Increased productive capacity of rural smallholders, particularly women and ethnic minorities to pursue sustainable livelihoods
• Improved access to finance and financial management capacity for rural smallholder women and ethnic minorities
• Enhanced access to input and output markets for rural smallholder women and ethnic minorities

How does She Thrives work?

• Supporting the establishment of livelihood/producer groups and Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA).
• Providing technical, financial, household economic management, and digital skills training for participants.
• Supporting small enterprises and entrepreneurs as off-farm livelihood options for participants, especially women.
• Connecting participants to seed funds, financial services, e-commerce, digital channels, and potential market opportunities and key actors.
• Organizing household dialogues and reflection events on social norms around workload sharing, Gender-based Violence, income control, and decision-making.

Participants of She Thrives

Location

Buon Ho town, Dak Lak province

Time

9/2022 – 8/2025

Donor