+ The main income of the commune Doi (Cao Lan ethnic occupy?%) Came from the traditional harvest, cultivation of medicinal plants as medicine, poultices, massage, alcohol, drugs, ... treatment for the local and surrounding areas. The commune has 30 healers, of which 10 have more specific experience, serving as home remedies.
- 05 trainings for 4 household gardens and orchard-clinics on technology transfer modeling conservation of medicinal plants garden.
- Traditional-ethnic-style community workshop for 60 participants including Oriental medicine doctor & physician delegates from Tuyen Quang Province and their counterparts from Yen Son District and some neighboring communes, village to exchange experience on ethnic traditional remedies, the urgency to protect the medicinal plant resources are increasingly depleted, the sustainable use of medicinal plant resources of the ethnic Lan Cao.
- Organize a contest to find out the resources of medicinal plants of Cao Lan for student audience in Yen Son Secondary School (250 students).
- To organize 5 technical trainings on medicine crop income (200participants) tillage techniques, planting, fertilizing, harvesting and storage as well as consumption of medicinal plants, including Curcuma zeodaria, Rhizoma Kaempferiae galangae, Discorea, etc.
- 1 sightseeing (60 people) about the growing, processing, consumption of medicinal plants in Nghia Trai.
Policy Impact
- Farmers and proposed CREDEP should coordinate with the government and local authority departments, Assembly Oriental medicine & the Province's Health Care Department to facilitate additional support to improve the conservation garden model in which the first priority is the garden of the clinic, next to the garden of Ms. Loc, Ms. Tay. Completing the new gardens means completing the most important objectives of the project- conservation of genetic resources of medicinal plants of Cao Lan community.
Project sustainability
Project sustainability and replication
There was very limited chance for project sustainability and replication because the project was a failure. Especially the development of the models of home conservation garden and public gardens of the commune health clinic for conserving Cao Lan people?s medicinal plant gene pool did not achieve the project objective and anticipated results. The reasons for project failure included the followings.
- It was a new issue in terms of producing seedlings for these medicinal plants. The seedlings produced were of low quality and with low survival rate. The techniques for nursing seedlings were carried out mostly by project consultants and not by the garden owners. In addition, the project consultants lacked expertise in medicinal plants planting, especially the medicinal plants of Cao Lan ethnic people.
- There were insufficient investigation on the taxonomy and availability of medicinal plants, their suitability to the local climate, soil and customary conditions, the market demand and hence potential for consumption. The medicinal plant species which were chosen to demonstrate a livelihood model was not quite relevant. There was no market for some products.
There was a lack of commitment of the project partners. They were not fully active in seeking the market for the products of the medicinal plants. Efforts were not made to identify other species of higher economical value.
- Some other reasons included dry weather in harvest season, which made the harvest cost increased, and the local habit of natural collection in the forest, which made growing commodity medicinal herbs an unfamiliar practice for the local people.
- Partnership between project team and CREDEP (the organization provided technical assistance to the project) and the community was weak. Furthermore, involvement in the project had been largely confined to communal level and was not extended to district and provincial government and technical agencies, hence no support and assistance from local governments and relevant agencies.
- The Project Management Team failed to build an effective cooperation mechanism with CREDEP. Each of the two parties was not adequately performing their functions and authority that was regulated by GEF/SGP.
- Due to limited capacity and experiences, the Project Management Team was greatly dependent on CREDEP for implementing project activities and their oversight of the results and quality of CREDEP technical assistance was minimal.
Replication of project activities
Project sustainability and replication
There was very limited chance for project sustainability and replication because the project was a failure. Especially the development of the models of home conservation garden and public gardens of the commune health clinic for conserving Cao Lan people?s medicinal plant gene pool did not achieve the project objective and anticipated results. The reasons for project failure included the followings.
- It was a new issue in terms of producing seedlings for these medicinal plants. The seedlings produced were of low quality and with low survival rate. The techniques for nursing seedlings were carried out mostly by project consultants and not by the garden owners. In addition, the project consultants lacked expertise in medicinal plants planting, especially the medicinal plants of Cao Lan ethnic people.
- There were insufficient investigation on the taxonomy and availability of medicinal plants, their suitability to the local climate, soil and customary conditions, the market demand and hence potential for consumption. The medicinal plant species which were chosen to demonstrate a livelihood model was not quite relevant. There was no market for some products.
There was a lack of commitment of the project partners. They were not fully active in seeking the market for the products of the medicinal plants. Efforts were not made to identify other species of higher economical value.
- Some other reasons included dry weather in harvest season, which made the harvest cost increased, and the local habit of natural collection in the forest, which made growing commodity medicinal herbs an unfamiliar practice for the local people.
- Partnership between project team and CREDEP (the organization provided technical assistance to the project) and the community was weak. Furthermore, involvement in the project had been largely confined to communal level and was not extended to district and provincial government and technical agencies, hence no support and assistance from local governments and relevant agencies.
- The Project Management Team failed to build an effective cooperation mechanism with CREDEP. Each of the two parties was not adequately performing their functions and authority that was regulated by GEF/SGP.
- Due to limited capacity and experiences, the Project Management Team was greatly dependent on CREDEP for implementing project activities and their oversight of the results and quality of CREDEP technical assistance was minimal.
The project failed. Therefore, there is no chance for replication, scaling up and policy link.
Linkages gef projects
The project failed. Therefore, there is no chance for replication, scaling up and policy link.
Planning gef grant
The project failed. Therefore, there is no chance for replication, scaling up and policy link.
Planning non gef grant
The project failed. Therefore, there is no chance for replication, scaling up and policy link.
Policy Influence
The project failed. Therefore, there is no chance for replication, scaling up and policy link.
Notable Community Participation
The project focused on traditional knowledge of Cao Lan communities.
Project Results
Project results:
As a result of the project survey, an inventory of 268 medicinal plant species used by Cao Lan community, of which 77 species were crucial to the community.
- The project managed to collect specimens and photographs of 200 medicinal plant species that were listed in the conservation list as rare and precious.
- Representatives of the project made an exchange visit to Nghia Trai ? Hung Yen Province with 60 participants to learn from a model of medicinal plants plantation, processing and sales of the products.
- An advocacy campaign was carried out to advocate for the Law of Forest Protection in general and for the protection of medicinal plants gene pool in particular.
- Five (5) training courses were conducted for 4 owners of home gardens and local health clinic gardens on techniques to develop a model of conservation garden of medicinal plants.
- A communal referendum was organized for exchanging and sharing information and experiences about traditional medications.
- A knowledge competition on medicinal plant resources of Cao Lan people was organized in Doi Can Commune.
- Five (5) training courses on techniques of planting medicinal plants for income generation were conducted with 200 participants.
- Activities of communal traditional medicine association: the association consisted of 30 members including local community doctors and nurses and traditional medicine practitioners (ong lang, ba me) of the villages. The association met quarterly and it was through these meetings that the members were provided with updates about traditional medicine development.
- The model of home conservation gardens:
o The garden of Ms. Luong Thi Loc at Khe Cua Village 1 had an area of 300 square meters. There were 127 medicinal plant species of which 100 were those used by Cao Lan people.
o The garden of Ms. Vuong Thi Lien also at Khe Cua Village 1 was 450 square meter in area. Ms. Lien grew 60 medicinal plant species of which 51 were used by Cao Lan people.
o Ms. Tran Thi Tay owned a 350 m2 garden accommodating 120 medicinal plant species of which 108 were used by Cao Lan people.
o Ms. Tran Thi Nghi?s garden is 300 m2 wide with 41 medicinal plant species of which 34 were used by Cao Lan people.
- Conservation Garden of the commune health clinic: The garden had an area of 450 m2 accommodating total 119 plant species of which 59 were medicinal plant species utilized by Cao Lan people.
- The model of growing medicinal plants for sale: The project developed a model of growing medicinal plants for sale. Due to market failure, the model did not succeed. In addition, the drought affected the crop. Total revolving loan for the model of growing medicinal plants for sale was VND 78,752,000. The loan disbursement rate was low at below 50%.
- The understanding and knowledge on environmental issues in general and on land degradation and desertification in particular, and capacity in project implementation and management and M&E of the project grantee organization staff were considerably enhanced thanks to the project implementation and management, and training activities, such as training workshops, study tour, exchange on project management, provided by GEF/SGP office.
Project sustainability and replication
There was very limited chance for project sustainability and replication because the project was a failure. Especially the development of the models of home conservation garden and public gardens of the commune health clinic for conserving Cao Lan people?s medicinal plant gene pool did not achieve the project objective and anticipated results. The reasons for project failure included the followings.
- It was a new issue in terms of producing seedlings for these medicinal plants. The seedlings produced were of low quality and with low survival rate. The techniques for nursing seedlings were carried out mostly by project consultants and not by the garden owners. In addition, the project consultants lacked expertise in medicinal plants planting, especially the medicinal plants of Cao Lan ethnic people.
- There were insufficient investigation on the taxonomy and availability of medicinal plants, their suitability to the local climate, soil and customary conditions, the market demand and hence potential for consumption. The medicinal plant species which were chosen to demonstrate a livelihood model was not quite relevant. There was no market for some products.
There was a lack of commitment of the project partners. They were not fully active in seeking the market for the products of the medicinal plants. Efforts were not made to identify other species of higher economical value.
- Some other reasons included dry weather in harvest season, which made the harvest cost increased, and the local habit of natural collection in the forest, which made growing commodity medicinal herbs an unfamiliar practice for the local people.
- Partnership between project team and CREDEP (the organization provided technical assistance to the project) and the community was weak. Furthermore, involvement in the project had been largely confined to communal level and was not extended to district and provincial government and technical agencies, hence no support and assistance from local governments and relevant agencies.
- The Project Management Team failed to build an effective cooperation mechanism with CREDEP. Each of the two parties was not adequately performing their functions and authority that was regulated by GEF/SGP.
- Due to limited capacity and experiences, the Project Management Team was greatly dependent on CREDEP for implementing project activities and their oversight of the results and quality of CREDEP technical assistance was minimal.
The project failed. Therefore, there is no chance for replication, scaling up and policy link.
