USAID Vietnam Forests and Deltas Program FY2019 Annual Progress Report

The program aimed to accelerate Vietnam's transition to climate-resilient, low-emission, sustainable development by improving forest and natural resource management and engaging communities in the development of action plans to address climate risks and vulnerabilities. The program was implemented through three components: Component 1, Sustainable Landscapes, focused on Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces; Component 2, Adaptation, focused on Long An and Nam Dinh provinces; and Component 3, National Policy and Coordination. In June 2018, USAID approved the extension of the program through May 2021, with a technical focus on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Vietnam's payment for forest environmental services (PFES) mechanism. The PFES mechanism was a key innovation area, with three main objectives: developing e-payment solutions for PFES payments to reduce transaction costs, security issues, and opportunities for corruption; strengthening monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems for PFES to build an evidence base for measuring success and informing policy improvements; and expanding PFES to other sectors. The program focused on Son La and Lam Dong provinces for e-payment solutions, and Son La, Lam Dong, and Thanh Hoa provinces for M&E systems. In FY 2019, the program achieved several key milestones. E-payment solutions were implemented in Son La and Lam Dong provinces, reducing transaction costs and security issues. PFES M&E systems were strengthened in Son La, Lam Dong, and Thanh Hoa provinces, providing an evidence base for measuring success and informing policy improvements. The program also expanded PFES to underutilized sectors, with a focus on carbon PFES. The program's qualitative impact was significant, with e-payment solutions reducing transaction costs and security issues. PFES M&E systems provided an evidence base for measuring success and informing policy improvements. The program also expanded PFES to underutilized sectors, with a focus on carbon PFES. The program's quantitative impact was also notable, with a 27% increase in household income among program participants compared to the control group. The program's cross-cutting components included capacity building, gender, and communications. Capacity building was a key area of focus, with training programs for farmers and community leaders. Gender was also a key area of focus, with a focus on empowering women-headed households. Communications was also an important area, with a focus on raising awareness about the program's activities and impact. The program's lessons learned highlighted the importance of e-payment solutions, PFES M&E systems, and expanding PFES to underutilized sectors. The program also emphasized the need for capacity building, gender, and communications to ensure the program's success. The program's next quarter's work plan focused on PFES e-payment, PFES M&E, and expanding PFES to underutilized sectors.