Responding to the needs of TIF members and in collaboration with the VAFS, APFNet arranged the Trainers in Forestry (TIF) network study tour on community forestry (CF) in Hanoi, Viet Nam from 7 to 13 January 2019.
Comprising 11 participants from the Asia-Pacific region, this study tour provided an opportunity to better understand effective CF models and practices in Viet Nam conducted over time. The indoor session focused on the legal framework and institutional arrangements of Vietnamese CF. Participants also shared in-service training policies and outreach in their own economies.
The three-day field visit to several villages in neighbouring provinces of Hanoi resulted in the following key findings:
• Community forestry development has faced some common challenges in developing economies in the region, such as limited access to resources, insufficient technical support and relevant training, uneven information on production and marketing of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and so forth.
• Poor quality of forest allocated to communities has limited CF impact on livelihood improvement; households only receive very few direct benefits from their forests.
• In some cases, focusing on timber production has limited the potential of CF to make a major contribution to community development; NTFPs have played an important role in this respect.
• More efforts are required to empower local communities to manage and protect their natural resources; for example, training for staff working at community extension centres and for local people.
On the last day, participants discussed 2019 TIF activities. Important issues were:
• Nomination of a contact department or contact person through the APFNet Council channel to ensure continuity of TIF activities;
• Drafting of a policy brief on in-service training based on submitted reports for circulation within the TIF network to promote information sharing & exchange;
• Seeking potential resources or funding from APFNet to support member economies on domestic in-service training and capacity development activities by submitting a training concept paper or proposal; and
• The 2019 TIF annual meeting will be held in September in China.
Participants visiting a community forest located in Khoe Village, Hoa Binh Province
