Almost half of the ethnic women in Xuan Nha and Chieng Xuan communities have never had formal\u00a0education and are illiterate. However, by enhancing their capacity and knowledge, women\u2019s confidence\u00a0to influence and contribute towards their families\u2019 decisions and communities may be strengthened.<\/p>\n
Using the PDC approach, the project\u2019s first step was to conduct a needs assessment and consultation with local women to assess their capacity and involvement in community forest management,\u00a0particularly their use of NTFPs. The self-assessment was conducted through focus group discussions and qualitative interviews with WU representatives, where they scored their levels of capacity and\u00a0participation in forest management. The results showed the women ranked low in most aspects\u00a0of management such as financial planning and meeting skills including presentation skills, asking\u00a0questions, providing feedback and organizing meetings. Their lack of confidence resulted in them\u00a0being underrepresented in forest management planning processes, leading to decisions that put\u00a0them at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n
Identifying these areas for improvements, the women from the two WUs requested the project to support them in a capacity building programme that focused on (i) sustainable development of\u00a0NTFPs, (ii) improving participation in forest management and (iii) better community communication\u00a0strategies. It was agreed that the programme would be delivered through a series of trainings\u00a0and women-led events that would ultimately enable the women to share information with their\u00a0communities and improve collaboration with Xuan Nha Nature Reserve authorities.<\/p>\n In responding to their needs on NTFP production, the project offered two training courses that\u00a0helped the women to identify potential forest products for market development. Through\u00a0drawings and discussions, the participants identified types and parts of plants, sustainable methods of collection, sustainable yields, collection periods and sites. The women chose to focus on and\u00a0explore the potential of three products – bamboo, forest vegetables and wild honey.<\/p>\n Although most participants had little education, their vast knowledge and familiarity with forests resources enabled them, for example, to develop a chain supply scheme for bamboo weaving\u00a0production by identifying the source of the bamboo, how and where to procure them, weaving\u00a0production and target consumer groups for the final products.<\/p>\n The WU members also wanted to be more involved in community forest management to be able to negotiate their rights and access to the forest resources. Using participatory communication\u00a0approaches and tools, the women discussed issues related to the forest management regulations.<\/p>\n They learned about the different categories of forests, how the mapping system worked and\u00a0discussed past experiences where conflicts have occurred. Similarly, using role plays, the \u00a0omen\u00a0explored the different types of stakeholders involved in forest management. More importantly\u00a0the women were introduced to concepts of equity and benefit sharing which helped them to\u00a0understand the different needs and situations that should be considered when managing forest\u00a0resources. Through the training, the women improved their understanding of the importance of\u00a0inclusive and balanced management and protection of forest resources.<\/p>\n Lessons learned<\/strong><\/p>\n Post-training, the women became more confident to undertake more proactive roles within their\u00a0communities for forest management and protection. For example, the WUs approached the Xuan\u00a0Nha NR Management Board and held two dialogue seminars to discuss access to and extraction\u00a0of NTFPs from the nature reserve. Both the WUs and the management board agreed to have more\u00a0women\u2019s participation in the villages\u2019 forest management groups. They also agreed to collaborate\u00a0on activities related to forest protection such as volunteering as members of forest patrol groups,\u00a0raising awareness and disseminating information on illegal forest activities in their communities.<\/p>\n In terms of personal empowerment, these women had influenced the power balance within their family circle. As they became involved in the project activities, they gained more confidence to take\u00a0important responsibilities within their families and to advocate for equal opportunities in education and work, e.g. travelling to other districts to attend a training without their husbands.<\/p>\n They also wanted to share their new knowledge of the potential of NTFPs to their families and\u00a0communities and organized a small trade fair of forest products that were harvested and produced\u00a0by two communities. A wide range of NTFPs were exhibited including forest vegetables, weaved\u00a0bamboo and rattans, wild honey, dried and salted bamboo shoots and traditional herbal medicines. \u00a0<\/p>\n The WU members were able to practice marketing their NTFPs and communicate effectively with\u00a0their communities on the potential of forests resources and why they should manage it sustainably.<\/p>\n The women also organized cultural activities to gain more attention from other community\u00a0members and ethnic groups. They organized a cooking competition between different districts to\u00a0cook traditional meals using ingredients from the local forests. A cultural performance was also\u00a0part of the activities and featured traditional dances and costume shows of different ethnic groups,\u00a0gaining interest from neighboring communities and local media.\u00a0<\/p>\n By using the PDC approach, the project could strategically identify key stakeholders and empower them to design and implement solutions. The project demonstrated that any intervention program\u00a0could apply to any stakeholder group regardless of their social status and capacity levels. More\u00a0importantly, contextualizing the strategies to respond to the stakeholders\u2019 unique needs and\u00a0situation is key to ensuring sustainable and lasting changes.<\/p>\n Nguyen Duc To Luu, People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.nature.org.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170817_xuannha1.jpg\")
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