Gender Training in Aquaculture in Northern Vietnam: A Report

Abstract

the Vietnamese Women's Union (VWU), in collaboration with the Dutch development organization, ProFound, implemented the pilot project 'Training of Trainers to Promote Women's Small-scale Aquaculture Enterprises in Rural Areas of Northern Vietnam.' The pilot project provided knowledge and experience to poor rural women on small-scale aquaculture enterprise management through training, and collected data on integrated fish farming, training needs and methodologies through on-farm research. The focus of the project was on the aquaculture component in the typical Vietnamese integrated farming system, VAC (vuong/ ao/chuong = garden/pond/animal husbandry). The immediate target group of this pilot project consisted of poor women in rural areas in two northern provinces of Vietnam. In general, the training teams observed that through their contribution to food security and income generation, women were allowed to take more decisions in the management of VAC aquaculture as a result of their acquired knowledge. According to the rural women, their husbands encouraged them to take more decisions in aquaculture management and this strengthened their position in the family.

Gender action plans in the aquaculture value chain: what's missing?

“…Therefore, increasing the number of women in decision‐making roles is important (Lentisco & Lee ). Raising awareness and participation of both men and women, and engaging the leaders, will help increase the contribution of women to the sector, simultaneously, husbands and youth can willingly take more responsibility for looking after children at home and getting them off to school, and assisting in housekeeping so that women can have time to participate in trainings (Voeten & Ottens ; Kibria ; Lentisco ). In Cambodia, the organisation of women was an effective tool to reduce gender bias resulting from power relations as an expression of a persisting dominant attitude (Kusakabe ).…”

“…However, the type of work needs to be suitable; heavy physical work and night‐watching of ponds typically remain suited for male. Because the tasks for men and women who engage in aquaculture differ, both sexes need to be involved in training (Voeten & Ottens ) and policy making (Trần ). The sustained involvement of women may depend on the active participation in the trainings of (i) men from the local power structures (leaders) and (ii) the women's husbands (Lentisco ).…”

“…The sustained involvement of women may depend on the active participation in the trainings of (i) men from the local power structures (leaders) and (ii) the women's husbands (Lentisco ). Nevertheless, participation in training takes time and there might be a trade‐off on household welfare of knowing more and being more involved in decision‐making and management (Voeten & Ottens ).…”

“…Although every Vietnamese ministry and its departments as well as all government bodies from commune to national level were required to formulate a GAP, no specific financial resources were allocated, legal frameworks to enforce the GAPs were absent, and the collaboration among government agencies was weak. At most hierarchical levels there is a Woman Union that can be supportive (Voeten & Ottens ; Veliu et al . ), but has not much countervailing power and whose activities need to be approved by the People Committee.…”

“…). Vietnamese women's active participation in trainings organised by the ProFound project was enabled by the involvement of local power structures (leaders = men) and of the women's husbands (Voeten & Ottens ). Men's involvement dispelled the impression that gender was ‘women's business’ and led to far more useful discussions on gender roles (Lentisco ).…”