Project News

SUSFORM-NOW team observed former RENFODA Project (The Project for Rehabilitation of Natural Forest in Degraded Watershed Area in the North of Vietnam, JICA's technical cooperation project implemented from 2003 to 2008) spending 3 days from 6 to 8 Spt. 2010. Totally 7 members, including Mr. Chua, Vice Project Director, and Mr. GOSEKI, Chief Advisor, departed from Dien Bien Phu at 6:00 a.m. then arrived in Hoa Binh province 10 hours later.   Actually, it takes only 2 or 3 hours from Hanoi capital to Hoa Binh province by car, but it is far away from the remote Dien Bien province.

The team observed demonstration forest on natural forest rehabilitation technology, and sustainable implementation of participatory "On-Farm Trial" (OFT, an indispensable tool for developing and validating technology applied by local people, aiming at evaluating the biological, technical, socio-economic, institutional, policy-related feasibility of improved technology on farmers' fields), and exchanged opinions with key-informants in the project sites, guided by Mr. Cuc, Head of Hoa Binh Sub-DOF (Sub-Department of Forestry), and Mr. SHIRASAWA, JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer of JICA) dispatched to Sub-DOF.

Seeing is believing: SUSFORM-NOW counterparts became to be able to illustrate clear image of their own project activities by seeing well growing forest plantations, and income generation through "animal revolving system" and bamboo production, etc. even though the JICA's assistances had completed 2 years ago.   They were very much encouraged not only through the observation but also hart warming welcome party in the night.

We'll continue to study from lessons learned of RENFODA for successful implementation of SUSFORM-NOW.

Active discussions with RENFODA participants

Well grown demonstration forest making it difficult to see the sign-board!

Mr. SHIRASAWA, JOCV, on the right with SUSFORM-NOW members in the participatory plantation site

Sustainable "Pig Revolving System", continuously generating incomes even though after the completion of RENFODA Project