In March 2025, the Centre for Rural Development in Central Vietnam (CRD), University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, convened a progress review meeting for the project “Promoting the Conservation of Indigenous Medicinal Plants Associated with Livelihood Improvement for Ethnic Minority Women in Mountainous Areas” covering the period from October 2024 to February 2025. The project was funded by the Environmental Resources Management Foundation (ERM Foundation), it aims to conserve and develop native medicinal resources while creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for local communities, particularly ethnic minority women. The meeting served as a platform to present achieved milestones, address implementation challenges, and outline action plans for the upcoming phase.
Key attendees included Mr. Ho Van Ngum, Vice Chairman of A Luoi District People’s Committee; Mr. Truong Quang Hoang, Director of CRD; and Mr. Le Van Nam, Project Coordinator, alongside representatives from line agencies and project communes. Participants conducted a comprehensive evaluation of past activities, sharing management and operational approaches to resolve field challenges.
Key Achievements (October 2024 – February 2025)
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Capacity Building & Nursery Operations: Developed 3 viable business plans for community nurseries. Seedling prices were set at VND 3,000–5,000 per unit, generating daily labor wages of VND 150,000–200,000 for participants, with projected initial earnings of VND 11–45 million per nursery.
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Propagation Support: Produced 12,500 seedlings, of which 1,200 met standard specifications for forest planting (including Myrica rubra, Sarcandra glabra, Telosma cordata, and Homalomena occulta).
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Awareness Raising & Community Engagement: Hosted 1 communication event on “Women’s Active Role in Natural Resource Management” attracting over 100 residents and performance teams. Conducted 6 community awareness sessions on identifying and utilizing medicinal plants for 240 residents. Organized 7 forest patrols to identify wild medicinal species and collect propagation stock.
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Product Development: Organized 2 technical training workshops on processing wild tea (Chè dây) and Ar Lang tea for 30 trainees. Lab testing confirmed both dried tea products met quality standards.
Challenges & Bottlenecks
The report candidly identified several constraints: limited wild seed/propagation sources from natural forests, low survival rates for certain species (under 30% for Telosma cordata), heavy rainfall impacting nursery output, and scheduling passivity in integrated communication and patrol activities.
Action Plan for 2025
To scale up impact, the project outlined key targets for 2025:
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Awareness & Stewardship: Conduct 60 seminars on climate change, sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, and gender equality; execute 45 forest monitoring and patrol trips.
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Processing & Commercialization: Provide processing machinery, train 30 members across 2 workshops, prepare 1 dossier for One Commune One Product (OCOP) certification (targeting 3 stars minimum), establish at least 1 online sales channel, and participate in trade fairs twice a year.
Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Framework
To achieve these goals, explicit roles have been defined:
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District Agriculture and Rural Development Department: Advise on potential OCOP products and assist registration procedures.
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District Agricultural Service Centre: Provide technical advisory to 3 nursery groups to maintain target survival rates above 70%.
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A Luoi Protection Forest Management Board & Phong Dien Nature Reserve: Consult on planting locations and support monitoring.
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Commune People’s Committees: Assist household selection, support seedling distribution, and connect market outlets.
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15 Forest Protection Communities: Directly participate in patrolling and managing 40,000 medicinal plants across 3 project communes.
The review meeting concluded successfully, reinforcing strong multi-stakeholder collaboration and demonstrating solid progress toward conserving indigenous medicinal heritage while empowering ethnic minority women in A Luoi district.
