Date: 27 August 2024
Destinations: Soc Trang Province, Cu Lao Dung District, An Thanh Dong Commune, An Thanh Nam Commune
Participants: GS4 INFRA Research Team, The Department of Soc Trang Province Irrigation, The Soc Trang Provincial Women Union, The Department of Soc Trang Agriculture and Rural Development in Cu Lao Dung District, Two Commune People Committees in An Thanh Dong and An Thanh Nam Communes.
1. Introduction
On 27th August 2024, the GS4 INFRA research team visited and had official meetings with key local partners in Soc Trang Province to initiate discussions on the implementation of GS4Infra research project. The researh team introduced thoroughly about research objectives and the major activities at the local communities, establish collaborative ties, and gather crucial insights to align the project with local needs and priorities regionally and locally.
2. Meeting Highlights
2.1 Meeting with the Department of Soc Trang Province Irrigation
The project team engaged with Mr. Pham Tan Dao, Chief of the Sub-Department, and Mr. Lam The Vinh, Head of Administration. The main discussion focused on refining the project’s scope and objectives. Chief Pham Tan Dao suggested expanding the project title to include “Disaster Prevention Works in the Context of Climate Change in Soc Trang Province.” Additionally, based on local insights and wisdom, it was proposed to shift the research area from An Thanh Nhi to An Thanh Dong due to its suitability in terms of climate change impact and existing infrastructure. In detail, the local partner proposed changing the research area from An Thanh Nhi to An Thanh Dong. From practical experience, local officials said that An Thanh Nhi is a core area, less affected by climate change and has few irrigation works. (regional spatial planning map). It is also known that according to the Construction Planning of Cu Lao Dung District, An Thanh Dong is sub-region 2 (oriented to develop agriculture combined with garden eco-tourism due to the characteristics of freshwater ecosystem) and An Thanh Nam is sub-region 3 (oriented to develop trade services – marine eco-tourism due to the characteristics of saltwater ecosystem). Therefore, adjusting the research area from An Thanh Nhi and An Thanh Nam to An Thanh Dong and An Thanh Nam may facilitate the collection of diverse data on social aspects.
Livelihood Models and Sustainability
Local officials highlighted various livelihood models prevalent in the area, emphasizing the shift towards sustainable practices like snail farming under forest canopies. This model aims to provide stability amidst changing environmental conditions, supporting communities previously reliant on traditional fishing methods. The local government expressed interest in scaling up such sustainable models across the region. In recent years, the model of raising snails under the forest canopy has been implemented as a new livelihood model. (Sub-project on Investment in Infrastructure Construction to Serve Production Conversion in Accordance with Ecology, Improve Livelihoods, and Adapt to Climate Change in Cu Lao Dung Area (WB9)). This is considered a new and more sustainable livelihood model, allowing people working in traditional fishing to settle down and have a more stable source of income in the context of climate change. The local government said that the locality wants to multiply these sustainable livelihood models. According to the proposal from the meeting, Mr. Lam The Vinh attended the environmental forum in October in Bangkok.
2.2 Meeting with The Soc Trang Provincial Women Union
Following, the project team had a meeting and discussion with Ms. Nguyen Thi Dien – The Vice President of the Women’s Union and Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phuong – Propaganda and Legal Policy Department, Soc Trang Provincial Women’s Union. This meeting centered on gender mainstreaming and policy initiatives of the Women’s Union.
Through the discussion, Mr. Phuong introduced some policies that the Women’s Union is aiming to implement such as Project “1002”; “Three Clean Project: Clean House – Clean Kitchen – Clean Grass”; Resolution 76 of the Provincial People’s Committee. Currently, the Women’s Union only has gender mainstreaming programs in conjunction with other agencies and organizations. For example: When there are investment funds from Oxfarm, the Women’s Union will be invited to participate in training. Recently, the Vice President of the Soc Trang Provincial Women’s Union attended the Asian Women and Rivers Conference organized by Oxfam and International Rivers (IR) in Chiang Rai – Thailand. In fact, the Union said that there has not been any project or research focusing on gender issues in the works.
The Association also hopes that there will be more programs to raise awareness about gender in responding to natural disasters, mentioning environmental impact assessment and social impact. The Women’s Union of Soc Trang province is ready to be the focal point, creating conditions for the research project to be implemented locally. The Association also has instructions, proposes the project group to have an invitation letter for each activity, coordination documents, signed between the two parties, paying attention to clearly stating the interests of the parties involved, which items are non-projects, which items are projects. The In conclusion, The Women Union underscored the need for gender-sensitive approaches in disaster response and environmental assessments, highlighting their readiness to facilitate project implementation through clear coordination and documentation protocols.
2.3 Collaboration with The Department of Soc Trang Agriculture and Rural Development in Cu Lao Dung
The project team met and discussed with Mr. Nguyen Van Dac – Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cu Lao Dung district. Mr. Dac proposed that the project should make a list of project partners that are expected to be invited to the upcoming project introduction event (kick-off) and the needs of the stakeholders. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of stakeholder engagement and proposed collaboration with local communes to ensure effective project execution aligned with community needs and agricultural priorities.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will be the focal point to connect with the People’s Committees of An Thanh Nam and An Thanh Dong communes to implement activities according to the research project plan.
2.4 Engagement with The Commune People Committees
At the end of the trip, the project team met and discussed with Ms. Hang (The Vice Chairwoman of An Thanh Nam Commune People Committee), Ms. Bich Tuyen (The Commune Women Union) and Mr. Duong Thanh Trang (Agricultural and Environmental Land Officer). Ms. Hang said that Mr. Minh – Chairman of An Thanh Nam Commune People Committee will be in charge of the project later.
The local officials also said that the selection of 02 locations: An Thanh Nam and An Thanh Dong communes as proposed by the People Committee of An Thanh Dong Commune is quite suitable because these 02 locations have many irrigation works as well as urban upgrading projects. Furthermore, these areas have ethnic composition diversity, livelihood models and other social characteristics. Local officials also suggested choosing specific hamlets in the these two communes that are suitable for the objectives of the research project: Vo Thanh Van Hamlet – An Thanh Nam Commune; Le Minh Chau B Hamlet and Tan Long Hamlet – An Thanh Dong Commune. The locality also requested the project team to send the questionnaire to the locality early to understand the project’s needs in order to find suitable interviewees.
Meetings with An Thanh Dong and An Thanh Nam Commune People’s Committees explored local terrain specifics, infrastructure projects, and socio-economic diversity. Officials suggested specific hamlets within these communes for focused research, emphasizing the importance of early engagement through tailored questionnaires to ensure project relevance and community participation.
3. Conclusion
The meetings held on 27th August marked a pivotal step towards establishing a collaborative framework for the GS4 INFRA research project in Soc Trang Province, specifically at An Thanh Dong and An Thanh Nam in Cu Lao Dung District. Key outcomes include refined project objectives, enhanced stakeholder engagement strategies, and a clearer roadmap for integrating local insights into project activities.
This report serves as a foundational document guiding subsequent project phases, ensuring alignment with local priorities and fostering sustainable development practices in response to climate change challenges.
4. Additional documents
