Supporting women to improve sustainable livelihoods

The project has spread regenerative agriculture practices, promoting sustainable agricultural production.

After an unsuccessful period of pig farming, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy's family in the remote commune of Yang Mao, Dak Lak province switched to growing mulberry and raising silkworms. Due to lack of experience and lack of market access, the beginning was difficult. With the support of the project "I sow joy - She Feeds the World" (Project), Ms. Thuy gradually overcame the difficulties, did not have to travel outside the province to buy seeds, the connection of input and output for the product was done right in the village through group members who took charge of incubating seeds and purchasing cocoons.

With loans from the Project and the group's mutual fund, members invested in purchasing equipment and expanding production. Ms. Thuy bought a fish fertilizer irrigation machine and opened a factory near the mulberry field. With the initial 1 hectare, she has now expanded to 4 hectares, thanks to which her family's life has improved, and her four children of school age have better conditions. "Currently, each box of silkworms can earn about 8 million VND within 15 days after deducting expenses. Silkworm farming is helping my family and other households in the village overcome difficulties and improve their lives," Ms. Thuy shared.

Previously, after harvesting pineapples, people in Yang Mao commune often considered the plants and leaves, even the small unsold fruits, as agricultural waste. After being introduced to the processing of pineapple leaves into fibers and experiencing the processing of fibers from pineapple leaves at the production facility of ECOSOI Company, Ms. H'Chược, Yang Mao commune and members of the group confidently signed a contract with the enterprise and received the fiber separation machine from the project.

To help people make the most of pineapple plants, the project also provides instructions on how to use damaged or bruised fruits to make biological detergent. “This is a very meaningful activity because we do not waste anything and also generate additional income,” Ms. H'Chược shared. If operating at maximum capacity, the machine can process 250-300 kg of pineapple leaves per day with an average ratio of 55 kg of fresh leaves for 1 kg of raw fiber. Grade 1 pineapple fiber costs 200,000 VND/kg and is regularly purchased by businesses in unlimited quantities. Not only doing it for herself, Ms. H'Chược also called on other pineapple growers who do not have fiber separation machines to join in order to do more and faster. “Participating in the Project’s activities has helped my family rise up after many years of being poor. From my own practical experience, I want to share and spread the positive impact of the Project to other local households so that we can all have a better life,” said Ms. H’Chược.

After joining the Project's vegetable growing livelihood group in early 2024, Ms. Dam Thi Phuong, Ea Mdróh commune, completely abandoned the habit of using inorganic fertilizers and switched to using organic fertilizers and indigenous microbial preparations (IMO). Ms. Phuong boldly registered to be a pilot model and borrowed capital from the group's fund to invest in buying seeds, mist irrigation systems and materials. Through training sessions, she and the group members have created indigenous microbial preparations and organic fertilizers from simple locally available materials, helping to improve the soil, plants grow quickly and save 50% of costs compared to using chemical fertilizers, while protecting the environment and ensuring the health of consumers.

The “She Feeds the World” project in Vietnam has contributed to changing farming methods through important innovations such as applying soil health monitoring technology, water-saving drip irrigation systems and improved fertilization solutions using organic fertilizers... These changes help increase productivity by 20%, reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by up to 30% and reduce water consumption by 20%.

Director of the National Agricultural Extension Center Le Quoc Thanh shared: “The cooperation with PepsiCo Foundation and CARE has helped us realize our common goal of promoting sustainable agriculture in Vietnam. The project not only helps increase productivity but also helps farmers access markets, improve income, contribute to ensuring food security and a better future for families”. According to Director of the Dak Lak Community Development Center Bach Thanh Tuan, the “I sow joy - She Feeds the World” project has created a big change for farmers in Dak Lak, not only recording an increase in output but also improving the ability to adapt to new farming methods; helping local farmers, especially women, improve their sustainable livelihoods, especially ethnic minority women.