Location

Vietnam and Viet Nam Farmers Union

In Vietnam, the Viet Nam Farmers Union existed and played an autonomous role in managing agriculture and forestry in the region. Agriculture and forestry sectors are also suffering from changing climate, especially the changing status of temperature and precipitation patterns. At the international level, financing for forests and land use by indigenous and local people was announced at COP26 by the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use. In this regard, it is necessary to design a mechanism to ensure that the loans reach indigenous and local people.

 

Issue

Lack of capacity to access climate finance for local needs

To promote adaptation and raise the resilience of Viet Nam farmers and forestry sectors, the Viet Nam Farmers Union plays a key role. However, the Viet Nam Farmers Union did not have sufficient capacity to do so. The most important is capacity building for access to climate finance. Climate finance is provided through various channels, and the complexity of how to access it has sometimes made it difficult for those in need to access it. In addition, there is a need for policy support to ensure that those accessing climate funds can adequately identify local needs and gaps and use the funds for better adaptation measures for the region. The challenge is that even if there is a funding pledge, without adequate arrangements the funds will not be used effectively.

 

Solution / Lesson learned

Forest and Farm Facility as a mechanism to use climate finance for local communities

One of the initiatives to address these challenges is FAO's Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), which provides financial support and technical assistance to strengthen forest and farm producer organizations representing smallholders, rural women's groups, local communities, and indigenous peoples' organizations. In Vietnam, FFF has promoted investment in productive agriculture by forest and farm producer organizations by supporting the Viet Nam Farmers' Union. It has also ensured that many indigenous and local people's groups have legal protection for their livelihoods by providing them with land use certifications for agriculture. The FFF program has also organized various capacity-building workshops for the population, providing them with the knowledge they need to implement sustainable and resilient agriculture. In this way, FFF's projects have ensured that climate funds, which should be utilized for the benefit of indigenous and local people, are used appropriately.