Development of Eco-Fair Women-LED Businesses in Green and Circular Agriculture sector in Vietnam

The goal of the project is to support women-led enterprises, cooperatives, and household businesses, or those with a high proportion of female workers (WBEs), in enhancing their access to sustainable employment and expanding business opportunities in green and circular agriculture, while also promoting social welfare activities at the local level.

The specific objectives of the project include:

• Strengthening the capacity of WBEs to implement eco-fair (sustainable) agricultural models in green and circular agriculture;
• Promoting the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, contributing to emissions reduction and creating more employment opportunities for women;
• Improving access to finance for WBEs in the green and circular agriculture sector;
• Expanding market access for sustainable agricultural products of WBEs;
• Advocating policies to promote and sustainable employment opportunities for women in green and circular agriculture.

Main Activities:

• Develop materials and organize training and knowledge-sharing activities on sustainable agricultural practices to enhance the capacity of WBEs in production and business towards green, and circular approaches;
• Provide technical consultation and support the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices through on-site advisory services for WBEs, focusing on Resource- Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP), sustainability certification, and carbon credits, thereby contributing to emissions reduction and creating employment opportunities for women;
• Support the establishment and development of eco-agriculture models at the local level;
• Provide consultation on business plan de-velopment and facilitate financial linkages to support WBEs in expanding production and market access.

Results Achieved:

• Developed training materials and organized 3 out of 6 training courses on RECP, sustainability certification, and carbon credits for 150 representatives of WBEs across 4 target provinces. Results show that 94% of participants were satisfied with the courses, 88% acquired basic knowledge, and 75% (112/150) plan to apply the knowledge in their business activities;
• Conducted rapid assessments for 152 WBEs (exceeding the target by 2 enterprises) to identify the current status, potential, and readiness for adopting sustainable agricultural practices;
• Provided technical consulting and supported the development of 16 out of 30 eco-fair agriculture models for 16 selected WBEs across 4 target provinces (Tuyen Quang: 6; Bac Ninh: 2; Gia Lai: 3; An Giang: 5);
• Supported market access by designing eco-friendly product packaging for 8 out of 50 WBEs and organizing 1 domestic fair and 2 business matching events to expand sustainable market opportunities for participating WBEs;
• Published 8 out of 20 articles on mass media channels, and advocated and mobilised the participation of financial institutions and investment funds that offer credit programs aligned with gender, low-emission, and sustainable development criteria for WBEs.