WEAVE is a joint project by CARE International in Vietnam, Oxfam Vietnam, and SNV Vietnam to enhance ethnic minority women’s position and voice in the banana, pork, and cinnamon value chains in Bac Kan and Lao Cai.

Background

In Bac Kan, banana farmers, many of whom are women, are vulnerable to price volatility because they depend on transporters, traders, and exporters, and have limited bargaining power. The challenges banana farmers face in production, handling, and market access have meant investment in their industry has been slow in coming. Cinnamon producers face similar challenges. In Lao Cai, women are heavily involved in cinnamon production but they are prevented from fully benefiting because many lack skills in processing, marketing, and trading.

Small-scale pork producers are responsible for most of the pork coming from Lao Cai, and most of those producers are women. These producers are struggling to adapt to the growing demand for sustainably-grown pork, competition from foreign producers, and government preference for large-scale pork production. They also lack technical skills in husbandry and disease control, lack access to financing, and face high costs and low productivity. Across each value chain, women producers’ potential is also restricted by a division of roles and responsibilities between women and men that exclude women from decision-making and lead to high domestic and income-generating workloads. Through activities and discussions targeting both women and men, the project will promote equality between women and men so that women can enjoy increased benefits from their work in the banana, cinnamon, and pork value chains.

Objective of WEAVE

WEAVE will support ethnic minority women’s economic empowerment in pork, cinnamon, and banana value chains. This will be achieved by promoting equality between women and men within households and producer groups, strengthening women and men producers’ skills and bargaining power, and working with business and government decision-makers to improve the policy environment to support producers.

WEAVE’s approach

WEAVE draws on the strengths and extensive experience of CARE, Oxfam, and SNV in helping women in the north-western region, one of the poorest parts of the country, achieve greater social and economic empowerment. On-theground training and mentoring will strengthen participants’ skills in marketing, financial literacy, business planning, and negotiation, and increase their legal awareness. Crucially, WEAVE’s approach will enable participants to explore and challenge the gender roles and responsibilities that prevent women from fully benefiting from their work in the targeted value chains.

The pork, cinnamon, and banana value chains have been selected for their social, ecological, and economic viability in the target communities, and the project’s approach is designed to realize new connections and efficiencies for producers and other business people in the value chain.

Participants of WEAVE

1800+ women and men, mainly ethnic minorities

Location of WEAVE

Lao Cai and Bac Kan.

Time

2016-2019

Donor