My name is Ma Thi Ninh from Vietnam. I am the director of Yen Duong Cooperative.
Seizing the opportunity to develop a start-up business from agriculture, I established a cooperative that attracted 45 members and 200 associated households, mainly ethnic minority women. In this locality, more than 70% are poor or near-poor households. Although there are many potentials and advantages available in the locality, I still face many difficulties in the process of starting a business from agriculture.
One is the fact that the knowledge to apply science and technology among the upland people is still very limited. And it is even more difficult in the context of increasingly degraded resources, harsh climates, and many diseases appearing. Therefore, convincing people to invest in agricultural production is not easy.
Another is the concept that men are the “pillars of the family” and thus have the right to decide everything. Women in the family have no voice, especially in ethnic minority families. There is still a long way to go in promoting a change in thinking and action. It is necessary to have support and encouragement from the authorities and policymakers, especially from the Minister.
To solve these difficulties and challenges, here are my suggestions:
- There should be policies to promote gender values in agriculture.
- Support the selection of building models of community livelihood development through production linkages in the value chain of indigenous products, creating conditions for farmers to get rich in their native land.
If these solutions are realized, I will develop operational plans, production, and business plans, deploy production linkage models, promote gender equality, and create favorable conditions for women, young people, ethnic people, the elderly, the disadvantaged, etc. to participate in the cooperative’s production activities.
I thank the Minister for this valuable opportunity to share my thoughts and aspirations and make suggestions to overcome the difficulties and challenges I faced for my start-up.
Ma Thi Ninh
Vietnam
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