1. VIETNAM
Enabling poor rural people
to overcome poverty
Programme for Improving Market
Participation of the Poor (IMPP)
Ha Tinh
A small business set up with credit in Ha Tinh province.
Programme Rationale
Ha Tinh province is located in the central region of Vietnam, with a population of 1.3 million
people. The majority of the population is Kinh (90%), with the remainder split between other
ethnic minorities. It’s common for family members in Ha Tinh to work outside the province
either permanently or in temporary jobs. Ha Tinh has the highest unemployment rate in the
country at 68.5%, with a high portion being unskilled (about 90%). Considered one of the
poorest provinces in the country, Ha Tinh’s main poverty causes are: limited access to land and
natural resources; lack of capital for production; poor infrastructure; few off-farm employment
opportunities; little knowledge of opportunities for income generating activities and markets;
and high vulnerability to natural disasters (floods, storms and droughts).
Programme Objectives
The goal of the programme is a sustainable improvement to the incomes of poor rural people
in Ha Tinh. The project objective aims to improve the participation of the rural poor in a range
of markets. Therefore the project focuses on a systematic removal of barriers that prevent the
rural poor from market participation.
International
Fund for
Agricultural
Development IFAD VIETNAM >> IMPP Ha Tinh >> 1

2. Programme Area and Target Group
Enabling poor rural people IMPP covers seven districts in Ha Tinh province and 225 000 people in 50 communes.
to overcome poverty
The main target groups are: (a) food insecure households below the poverty line; (b) vulnerable
households above the poverty line; (c) relatively better off households with secure food
production and above average assets. These poor households would potentially increase their
agricultural production if they had better access to the market, technical resources and finance.
IMPP has a particular focus on gender and ethnic minorities. In terms of gender, it would work
towards equal representation and job opportunities for women.
Programme Strategy
IMPP builds on the experience and approach of the DFID/ADB-funded programme, Making
Markets Work Better for the Poor (M4P). This focuses on understanding markets and how the
poor interact with them. IMPP promotes the following strategy:
• Supporting commune, district and provincial authorities in local development planning.
• Strengthening agricultural and non-agricultural producers in their organisation and
effectiveness as a sustainable collective economy.
• Promoting small scale producers toward market-oriented agriculture along with other actors of
respective value chains.
• Strengthening market linkages and business development services (BDS).
• Contributing to improving the provision of relevant job skill training especially for poor
unemployed people, based on job skill requirements by the private sector in the province.
• Fostering the local investment climate through facilitating public private dialogues.
Programme Components
(i) Commune Markets Opportunities Support
(ii) Job/Enterprise Facilitation and Market Development
(iii) Enterprise Financing
(iv) Project Management
Programme Cost and Financing
Total costs for the programme are USD 18 million.
This investment is funded from: an IFAD loan; a grant from the Federal Republic of Germany
and a government contribution estimated to be about 10% of programme costs.
Benefits and Impact
Poor rural people benefit from newly created jobs and enhanced access to markets. The
programme raises rural incomes for: (i) those who remain in farming, but intensify; (ii)
those who develop their own micro/household enterprises in rural areas; (iii) those who find
permanent jobs and become employees; and (iv) local entrepreneurs investing in employment-
creating SMEs.
Contact details
Atsuko Toda
Country Programme Manager
Asia and Pacific Division
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Unit 304, UN Apartment Building
2E Van Phuc, Kim Ma Str, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Tel: 0084- (4) 3823 7231; Fax: + 84 (4) 3823 3819
Email: at.toda@ifad.org
International Skype: atsuko.toda
Fund for Website: www.ifad.org.vn
Agricultural
Development IFAD VIETNAM >> IMPP Ha Tinh >> 2