With an aim to support and motivate people in the project site to balance economic value and environmental benefits in agricultural production activities, the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) organized 4 two-day training courses in "Production - Business Planning" for core members of 8 project villages in Bon Phang and Muoi Noi communes, Thuan Chau district, Son La province from February 26th to March 5th 2019.

        There were 104 members from 8 project villages participating in the trainings including 79 female members, 54 poor and near poor households. Nearly 90% of participants were between 20 and 35 years old, which created a youthful and exciting atmosphere during the trainings. Ms. Pham Thi Le, who had much experience in facilitating trainings and maintaining interest among trainees was the trainer.

       At each training course, participants were divided into small groups of 4 to 6 people to carry out many activities and exercises. They brainstormed, discussed and wrote down all sources of income from farming and livestock activities such as growing coffee, plum, poultry, waterfowl, fish farming, raising pigs and cows. Then, all group members were instructed to calculate the costs including production costs (tool/ machinery depreciation costs, material cost, labor cost and other production expenditure); cost of market survey planning; human resource planning (assignment of tasks; wages paid each positions in cooperative groups); Calculating profit, loss and production cost so that they know whether they are breakeven, make profit or loss when producing and trading agricultural products. Moreover, trainers also learned how to make a borrowing plan.

       According to feedback from participants and observation from SRD staff, almost all trainers felt excited, and enthusiastic during group discussions. Many participants said that thanks to these trainings, they had learnt how to do calculation, which showed that activities such as raising cows or growing coffee and plum easily result into loss since they waste too much effort and money buying chemical fertilizers and plant protection drugs ... It is also realized that, before implementing the cultivation and livestock activities, the detailed planning will help the family to control the costs, regulate the human resources as well as know how to find solutions to reduce costs of chemical fertilizers, industrial feed for animals, or which is the appropriate time to borrow and how long the borrowing will be...

       This activity was one among many activities of the project "Agro-biodiversity conservation and development for communities in response to Climate Change in Thuan Chau district, Son La province" under the sponsorship of the Bread for the World and Manos Unidas.

Below are some photos of the training course

The overview of a training course

The lecturer instructing and discussing with the students

Students of 4 training courses taking part in group discussion.

Students presenting the results of discussion about calculating costs, profit and product costs for models of growing coffee, plums, raising chickens and pigs ...

The lecturer summarizing and sharing about the structure of household income

The feedback of a group of participants on the training course