It may sound strange, but changing the way chickens are raised is helping trees retain carbon in local communities in Viet Nam – which in turn is helping combat climate change.

This was one of many nuggets of good practice shared at a recent climate resilience workshop in Hanoi organised by the Viet Nam Farmers Union and the Forest and Farm Facility.

Forest and farm producers in the country are adopting a new approach to forestry: long rotation. This simply means allowing their trees to grow for longer before felling them for timber – for eight to ten years, instead of five, for example. In this way, the trees store their carbon for longer, which is essential in the fight against our changing climate. It is also a long-term investment for the producer as long-rotation timber is more valuable for pulp and paper and has a market value that is 150 to 200 percent more than short-rotation timber.

But this has a knock-on financial effect in the short term. No timber to sell means no money for the forest and farm producers. This is where the chickens come in. Necessity is the mother of invention, so they say, which is why forest and farm producers have sought ways to take advantage of the long-rotation practice.

Making money while trees grow

In the Tan Phu Cooperative in Thai Nguyen province in the north-east of the country, forest and farm producers are raising their free-range chickens under the cover of their acacia trees. Not only does the tree cover provide shade from extreme temperatures and shelter from the wind, it also protects the poultry from aerial predators swooping down. The chicken dung fertilises the soil, improving growing conditions for the trees. It also encourages soil insects to flourish which are a food supply for the chickens and saves money on chicken feed. All in all, this improves the health of the chickens and their feeding efficiency. It’s a win-win situation – the chickens roam freely under the protection of the trees and provide a more immediate revenue for local farmers, whilst the trees retain their carbon for longer, helping boost the farmers’ climate resilience and future profit.

At the same cooperative, as another way of diversifying their income streams, members are choosing to raise pigs, and grow mushrooms and herbs under the forest canopy.

Elsewhere, in the Tien Thanh Cooperative in Yen Bai province in northern-central Viet Nam, forest and farm producers have found other routes to making money while they delay logging their trees. They are embracing the demand for medicinal herbs, such as ginger, and keeping honey bees. Cultivating native medicinal plants beneath the forest canopy helps protect the trees from pests and creates a protective layer of vegetation on the soil surface, which reduces erosion on sloping land. Ginger in particular is shade-loving and mositure-loving and so growing it under the trees means the farmers use less water. The honey itself provides an additional source of income throughout the year – either on its own, or in combination with some of the medicinal plants, such as turmeric, to give health benefits.

Tailor-made microfinance makes a difference

Across Viet Nam, many of these practices have been made possible thanks to Green Funds. This is an innovative microfinance mechanism designed explicitly for forest and farm producer organisations. The funds allow its members to borrow without interest to put in place environmentally sustainable land management practices, including establishing long-rotation timber plantations, promoting agroforests and increasing the diversity of trees and crops within forest landscapes. The terms and repayment are tailored to the needs of the borrower. Designed to grow from an initial contribution of USD 500, FFF has supported 23 forest and farm producer organisations in the country to develop Green Funds.

Ms Ma Thị Ninh, of Yen Duong cooperative in Bac Kan province in north-east Viet Nam explains the impact Green Funds have had on her members.

"The Green Fund has supported and helped our coop members to establish and replicate forest and farm development models to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, develop sustainable livelihoods, and adapt to climate change. In the beginning, in 2020, FFF supported us with USD 500 – like a seed grant for the Fund. The cooperative mobilized contributions from members and deducted profits from the cooperative activities.

Up to now, our Fund has developed 113 VND million (USD 4,500) and has supported 9 members with loans to build models of fragrant zucchini, sticky rice, and vermicelli etc. for income generation. This Fund also helps some of our members are assured to keep long-rotation timber and agroforestry plantations".

Sharing knowledge and experience

These practices and others were shared at a two-day workshop on 21-22nd May 2024 in Hanoi, Viet Nam. The workshop was a fantastic opportunity for forest and farm producers from around the country to share their knowledge and experience of building climate resilience through long rotation forestry, forest management, and the development of agroforestry – all with the aim of building sustainable livelihoods.

The first day was largely case study led – learning from each other’s experiences of long rotation timber forest planting from a producer’s perspective and also from an industry perspective hearing from companies such as Hoa Phat, Woodland and IKEA.

The second day focused on training opportunities including a grounding in climate resilience assessment tools. There was also in-depth discussion around the roles of cooperatives, farmers' associations, and related organizations in promoting the development of collective brand products and marketing strategies.

Alongside forest and farm producers from over 20 provinces, there were representatives from Viet Nam’s Department of Forestry, the University of Agriculture and Forestry, the Forest Economics Research and Extension Center, the Institute of Forest Research, the Vietnam Forest Owners' Association, the Sustainable Forest Management Certification Office, the International Institute for Environment and Development, and others.