Publications

 In Vietnam over two million families have piggeries that create a huge odour and waste problem. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has partnered with the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) to develop a nation wide biogas programme, which is turning Vietnam’s waste problem into a source of clean energy.

This case study from the Ashden Award recognises to MARD and SNV their successful partnership which has enabled the large scale dissemination of domestic biogas technology to improve the quality of life for farmers in Vietnam. Chapters include:

1. Background

• The organisation
• The technology
• The technology in more detail
• How does it work?
• How much does it cost and how do users pay?
• How is it manufactured, promoted and maintained?

2. Benefits

• Environmental benefits
• Social benefits
• Economic and employment benefits

3. Potential for growth and replication
4. Contact details

The Lao Biogas Pilot Programme gives Lao farmers the possibility to purchase a biogas digester. So far a number of 787 digesters have been built since the start of the pilot programme in 2007. Domestic biogas digesters, built under the “Lao Biogas Pilot Programme”, are reducing greenhouse gases from four different sources and can be eligible for carbon financing.

This case study first presents the context of the programme after which it describes the opportunities and barriers (institutional, financial and technical) of developing small bio energy programmes like biogas with a carbon component and the roles that various stakeholders could play in the process in Laos. The study finishes with lessons learned and four key factors are identified as main drivers for a successful development of a carbon project:

• the availability of resources;
• a thorough feasibility assessment;
• good planning and timing and;
• stakeholder coordination.

The document presents the summaries of the 12 case studies used to illustrate SNV practices which contributed to the writing of the practice brief N° 4 focusing on Gender and Agriculture (see: www.snvworld.org/en/sectors/agriculture/publications/gender-and-agriculture-practice-brief). The summaries provide an insight of the gender issue and what practices SNV implemented to address to this specific constraint. The document also offers you hyperlinks at the end of each summary to enable you read the full intervention.

Rice is the most important staple food in Lao PDR, and is produced in almost all regions of the country. In the past, improved rice production has been a key development task in the support provided to Lao PDR. While there has been a large increase in paddy rice production, less attention has been paid to improving the efficiency of handling and milling. This case highlights the ‘Enhanced Milling Rice Production in Lao PDR’ project (EMRIP) which is designed to address these issues. EMRIP recognizes that the private and public sector both have important roles to play in developing the country’s rice sector. Local rice mills offer the highest leverage in the rice value chain, which is why the project worked with (progressive and socially committed) millers who have strong and mutually respectful relationships with smallholder rice farmers.

The High Value Agriculture – Inclusive Business (IB) Pilot Project (HVA-IB Pilot Project) was initiated by IFAD and SNV in Nepal to test and learn how the Inclusive Business approach developed by SNV in Latin America could make a difference in linking remote farmers to markets in Nepal, a country with an economic climate and a business sector much less developed in most cases compared to Latin America.  These low-income communities have potential to enhance companies‘ profitability by filling one or more important roles: as employees (new labour markets), as producers (new sources of supply), as distributors (new distribution networks), or as consumers (new markets for affordable goods and services). In this pilot, the focus is on BoP as producers and suppliers of products required by companies. 

See also: Inclusive Business at SNV

The Vietnamese government has recognised the need for development of alternative energy to substitute its dependency on fossil fuels and has developed a vision and strategy on biofuels. Part of this is to recover so called waste lands (degraded or low-fertile) through the production of Jatropha oil seeds. This has the potential to bring a stable income for tens of thousands of rural farmers, especially in the coastal areas of central and southern Vietnam.

Green Energy Vietnam (GEV) started with the cultivation of Jatropha on infertile lands in Ninh Thuan, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces. GEV approached SNV to support them in the development and set-up of a new company business model through which they can secure feedstock production from smallholder farmers. Leading in this business model will be to adhere to international sustainability guidelines as they are currently being developed by the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels. Essential elements here: access to land for smallholders and social and environmental sustainability.

SNV provides direct advisory to the company, reviewing and commenting their farmer contract systems, improving their farmer extension materials etc. SNV, in collaboration with local capacity builders also provides training services on agricultural extension for company staff and group leaders.

The case study addresses that it's difficult to talk about impact at this stage, but potential impacts for smallholders who can produce Jatropha are mentioned as well as some lessons learned.

Cassava is a cash crop that grows predominantly in upland areas of Vietnam with low soil fertility and high poverty rates among farmers. SNV is implementing a project in the north-central region of Vietnam, in which some 10,000 farmers in a cassava growing area have successfully become business partners with starch factories. In this project, the factories are the anchor companies in inclusive business models, taking the lead in the formation of farmer groups and entering into long-term profitable business agreements for a regular input supply. Promotion of sustainable production such as intensive cultivation, soil  erosion prevention and staggered cropping is based on the development of know-how within the anchor company as well as with locally operating service providers. SNV leads the process, ensuring the replicability of sustainable services for farmers within and beyond the scope of the project. The inclusive business approach of the programme takes the medium and large enterprises as the entry point for engaging the poor. Investment, commitment and good governance is required from these enterprises to ensure the sustainability of the model.

In the remote area of Lhuentse in Eastern Bhutan, lack of access to improved sanitation and a high incidence of poverty continue to persist. SNV Bhutan, together with the Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Programme of the Ministry of Health, collaboratively engage in qualitative research to identify support mechanisms to assist people living in poverty to meet their aspirations for improved hygiene and sanitation.

This paper highlights an approach that employs a research methodology based on inclusion and participation, which allows communities to define their own access barriers and suggest possible solutions for improved sanitation. This community reflection results in raised awareness of the collective responsibility for sanitation,promotes the mobilisation of local leaders to source materials and labour for construction, and encourages transparency at a local level by enabling open discussion.

The paper is part of a new publication "Towards Inclusive WASH: Sharing evidence and experience from the field" supported by AusAID’s Innovations Fund. This publication is a record of the sector's efforts to achieve equity and inclusion in WASH programming around the world. It includes one keynote paper and 16 case studies from a wide range of organisations in 13 countries and with examples from urban, rural and school WASH programming. The case studies provide stories of policy, technology and process innovations through four lenses: Poorest of the poor, Living with HIV and AIDS, Disability and Gender.