Greening our rice: gender-just low-carbon rice value chains in Vietnam

This project aims to enhance the well-being of small-scale producers and businesses in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta rice supply chain and to foster a more resilient and environmentally responsible rice sector by integrating gender equity sustainability and economic empowerment and promoting the transition to low-carbon practices. Project activities include: (1) training rice producers particularly women and ethnic minorities in climate-smart agriculture practices to improve productivity reduce emissions and strengthen climate resilience; (2) expanding capacity-building programs designed to equip rice producers particularly women and ethnic minorities with financial literacy leadership and entrepreneurship skills; (3) raising awareness through workshops training sessions and coaching to challenge gender norms and promote equal participation in decision-making on low-carbon rice farming and carbon market access; (4) equipping national and provincial stakeholders with guidelines on Canadian and other potential markets for rice carbon trading projects and equitable Climate-Smart Rice Production initiatives; and (5) developing mechanism for green financing investment and technology transfer with a focus on inclusive and sustainable practices. The project benefits approximately 20 500 rice producers including 50% of women and 20% of ethnic minorities by encouraging climate-smart practices in high-yield provinces such as Tra Vinh An Giang and Soc Trang.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased climate smart agriculture and improved access to carbon markets by targeted rice producers and enterprises including gender responsive practices; (2) increased leadership and decision-making power of women and ethnic minorities participating in the Climate-smart rice production; and (3) strengthened collaboration between national and provincial stakeholders and formulation of inclusive policy frameworks for a gender responsive Climate-smart rice production and fair carbon projects.