Dien Bien Phu: A closer examination of the daily activities in the villages

Photo 1: Nath, Kat, Ms. Huong (Loan Officer from Women's Union), Ms. Dung (WU accountant)
Photo 2: Villagers during the Women's Union meeting

Nathalie (the Co-Director of Chi Em) and I asked questions from our poverty assessment survey while Phoung and Nhu helped to translate. We quickly learned that this commune lives off of sustenance farming. Farmers grow mainly to survive, rather than for commercial sale of their products. The main activity in this commune is rice production, which makes up 98% of economic activity. The other 2% is small trade. The commune head states that production has benefited in recent years from increased literature and educational campaigns to promote good animal husbandry and agricultural practices. Villagers voiced a need for capital to expand their market. Villagers also voiced a lack of business diversity and ideas for income-generating activities. Chi Em strongly feels that research and training focused on innovative community development ideas are crucial. The integrative strategy of offering both credit and community training on new income-generating activities would benefit target villages.

Many younger people (teenagers – twenties) rent themselves out temporarily for work in other parts of the district. This work is either road construction or agricultural during harvest season. Although mostly men rent themselves to work outside of the commune, women also participate in this activity.