The model “Planting of indigenous sa sam tree on sandy soil in Hai Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh province” is one of five proposals to receive financial support from the “Establishing a funding foundation for biodiversity protection and environmental sustainability in Danang City, Vietnam” (in short, the “Conservation Fund” project) and Conservation Fund project is implemented by GreenViet (Vietnam), and Gustav-Stresemann-Institut (GSI, Germany).
It is known that Sa Sam is both a precious medicinal herb in nature and a clean vegetable with high nutritional value. In addition, the scientific name of the Sa Sam tree is Lacunae Sarmentosa (sand ginseng or spinach) which is a native tree that grows naturally on sandy coastal areas of Quang Binh. According to statistics, there have been more than 1,485 articles as well as scientific research on the value of the Vietnamese Sa Sam tree. In particular, the tree has medicinal ingredients such as sapiens, polyphenols, and flavonoids which have anti-cancer abilities, strengthen the cardiovascular system, reduce complications from diabetes and diseases related to the respiratory tract.
Through the process of surveying and assessing needs, the Project together with the Provincial Women’s Union established a cooperative group with female members in households, in order to help people form a model of conservation and development of Sa Sam. From here to have clean, organic products with local characteristics, develop along the value chain, increase income for people, contribute with the aim of improving the position and role of women in the sandy land Hai Ninh.
The project has established a cooperative group with 35 original members. After that, collect seeds locally to build a nursery with an area of 200m2, provide technical guidance, and pilot planting in households over 800m2. Up to now, the pilot gardens have had the first harvests, sold to the market along the value chain, bringing initial income for farmers, and at the same time ensuring a source of seedlings for local households to develop. and added new ginseng gardens.
The project has supported the registration of brand identity and product labels for people, and at the same time registered products according to VietGap standards to ensure the value of the product. The “Hai Ninh Sa Sam” brand has started to be introduced to consumers protected according to organic product standards by the cooperation group to monitor and support quality consulting, An Nong company, and other businesses. Then connecting to sell products to the market to introduce local specialties.
The project also organizes training courses to improve capacity and transfer technology to farmers to expand the planting area to over 1,500m2 and then to multiply it by 2,500m2 in the next crop. Besides, the project also incorporates instructions on harvesting and processing techniques to create sustainability of the model. The project targets at least 1,000 people to benefit, of which 70% are women, 30% are men.
To take a look at some activities of the Conservation Model of the indigenous Sa Sam tree since its “birth” on February 10th , 2023 to June 2023:
With a market price of about 50,000 VND/kg of leaves, 4-5 million VND/kg of tubers connecting and finding a stable output for the product is a very important factor for the development of Sa Sam. In the immediate future, the model connects with clean agricultural stores, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels in the province with the aim of expanding the market to other provinces, building a wholesale system,and diversifying into products such as tea bags, nutritional powders, etc.. These are effective, long-term solutions that meet the needs of consumers, help people feel secure to develop Sa Sam and create sustainability after the project ends.
.-Source: Quang Binh News
Value added from the Project:
In coastal communes, women mainly depend on their husband’s income from fishing. So in their spare time, some women have problems with social evils such as: gambling, … negatively affect the family and society. The Fund implements the project of growing Sa Sam here which is going to contribute to creating jobs, increase incomes, and develop the economy for women (who are one of the vulnerable groups, contributing to reducing social evils). raise the role and position of women in the family and society;
The Commune Women’s Union actively and actively participates in the planning, implementation of activities, monitoring and evaluation, and at the same time continues to maintain the results of the project in the future. Involving men in activities where women’s organizations play a leading role has contributed to improve the power relationship between women and men. Thereby promoting substantive gender equality.
People in Hai Ninh commune who put effort into growing Sa Sam will be the ones to enjoy the results and increase their income from Sa Sam. Conservation of native plant varieties, diversification of clean vegetables and medicinal plants, and change of crop structure contributing to the transformation of crop structure in sandy soils are among the policies of economic -society development.
Find more information about the Conservation Fund Project
The aim of the “Establishing a funding foundation for biodiversity protection and environmental sustainability in Danang City, Vietnam” project is to establish and operate a sustainable fund called “the Vietnam Wildlife Conservation Fund”. The project has been implemented by the GreenViet Centre (Vietnam) and Gustav-Stresemann-Institut (GSI, Germany), and was co-funded by the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam (EUD). During the procedure to establish the Fund, the GreenViet Centre used a temporary bank account to receive the funds from businesses and the community.
Up to now, the Conservation Fund Project has sponsored 09 small projects funded through the project’s budget (from the European Union Delegation to Vietnam as the sponsor); 09 projects of planting trees, picking up trash and raising awareness are funded through funds raised from businesses.
“The project” hopes that the best practice models and success stories of projects receiving small grants will motivate other regions in Vietnam to better replicate the Project’s model. The multiplier effect will be achieved by motivating all participants to share knowledge and experiences with other organizations/teams.
Thanks to the Project, financial resources for biodiversity conservation and environmental protection will be established. Expected to operate independently and effectively. Financing will continue to improve not only the financial capacity of local CSOs, but also their financial and project management skills.
In addition, the project will increase local ownership to encourage the initiatives of local CSOs in biodiversity conservation and environmental protection, and ultimately improve the sustainability of the project which is deployed.
