Improving capacity development on role of gender in pig research in Vietnam

Eight researchers and partners working in Vietnam under the ‘Market-based approaches to improving the safety of pork in Vietnam’ project which is known as SafePORK, were recently trained in integrating gender and social aspects in their project interventions.

The training took place in Hanoi on 13-15 September 2017. It was organized by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)-led Integrating gender and social inclusion into agricultural value chain research in Vietnam project which is working to ensure that gender issues are integrated in all ACIAR-funded projects in the country.

In Vietnam, most pork products are produced by smallholders, many of them women, and sold in traditional wet markets where women also predominate as retailers. However, value chain development interventions working in the pig sector have tended to favour men because they control the money from sales. Women who do much of the work are poorly recognized and receive fewer benefits. Integration of gender aspects in the SafePORK project is expected to help ensure that its interventions deliver benefits equitably to both men and women in the pig value chain.

At the training participants were introduced to social analysis and action (SAA) by staff from CARE International. SAA uses participatory approaches including games, storytelling and role plays to explore and challenge existing gender norms, beliefs and practices that shape the lives of project staff and influence their work.

Participants work in groups to discuss the gender integration in their projects (photo credit: ILRI/Chi Nguyen).

A workshop on gender research and the various approaches applied to collect, interpret and analyse data was held on the third day of the training. Participants shared personal experiences in dealing with challenges of implementing gender research. Staff of various ACIAR projects also worked on a proposed gender research work plan for integration in their respective projects.

SafePORK researchers from the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA), the Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH), the National Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) produced initial work plans for strengthening the pig value chain through market-based approaches, improving food safety through technical support at slaughterhouses, and accelerating risk communications. These will be presented and further discussed in a SafePORK planning and technical workshop in November this year.

SafePORK is an ACIAR-funded project that started in September 2017. One of its objectives is enhancing engagement and benefit sharing for men and women in the pig value chain. The project is led by ILRI in partnership with VNUA, HUPH, NIAS and the University of Sydney.

Click this video to see how participants feedback on this workshop