Project Title

Developing a sustainable value chain of products from lotus silk in Vietnam to support the flood storage strategy for the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Location

An Giang Province, Long An Province, Dong Thap Province, Vietnam

Duration

February 2023 – January 2024

Project Background

In the upper Mekong Delta, the two natural flood plains are the Plain of Reeds (POR) to the east of the Tien branch, covering parts of Dong Thap, Long An, and Tien Giang Provinces, and the Long Xuyen Quadrangle (LXQ) to the west of the Hau Giang branch of the Mekong River, covering parts of An Giang and Kien Giang Provinces. Together, they cover about 1.3 million hectares.

Over the last 15 years, these two flood plains have undergone considerable human modification. In response to national food shortages and in order to grow first two and then three crops of rice a year, high dikes were built to displace floodwaters causing the loss of flood retention area in the upper Mekong Delta. Adopting financially low risk, flood-based livelihoods such as lotus-based models to replace unsustainable triple rice crops, thereby conserving or restoring flood retention capacity in some provinces of Mekong Delta.

Lotus is naturally occurring in Vietnam, and its distribution is particularly concentrated in the wetlands of the Mekong Delta. Products made from lotus are widely used and distributed; however, the main part of the lotus plant –the lotus stem–is rarely used. Lotus silk and products made from lotus silk have high economic value, contributing to the diversification of farmers’ livelihoods and the conservation of natural resources.

In other parts of Asia such as Myanmar, Cambodia and some East Asian countries, lotus fiber is used to make furniture and clothes, however in Viet Nam this occupation has not yet been developed. This is because Vietnamese people do not know how to extract fibers from lotus stems nor have experience in lotus planting and intensive farming techniques. Vietnam’s traditional weaving villages have never woven fabrics from lotus silk, and Vietnamese people have never used products woven from lotus silk.

Further, the current process of cultivating, spinning, weaving and producing etc. are all based on experience and traditional craft technology dating back hundreds of years, thus being outdated and inefficient, leading to high cost and low quality; outdated product designs.

This project aims to address this and develop new opportunities for livelihoods from lotus silk through successfully piloting lotus cultivation, drawing silk from lotus stems, weaving silk from improved looms, designing and commercializing several products made from lotus silk within the scope of the Eco-Eco and IUCN projects.

The project will support farmers to implement lotus cultivation as a flood-based model and pilot a model of sustainable value chain development of lotus fiber products in Viet Nam. The closed value chain model will be implemented in Thap Muoi District (Dong Thap Province), Tri Ton District (An Giang Province) and Tan Hung District (Long An Province), carrying out several stages including planting lotus, spinning and weaving, designing, displaying and trading products. This model can be expanded with the participation of companies in designing and trading of lotus products in Hanoi, HCMC and nationwide for local consumption and export.

Goal

The goal of the project is to promote flood-based livelihoods using lotus cultivation to support flood retention areas and restore some of the 4 billion m3 of water retention that was lost between 2000 and 2011 in the Mekong Delta. It will develop lotus silk making as a sustainable occupation for local people based on flood-based livelihood models.

Objectives

• Provide farmers with technical support/training to implement lotus cultivation to increase flood retention areas and provide them with implementation plans and strategies to manage drought and floods.
• Build a sustainable supply chain for lotus silk products by supporting livelihoods and improving economic conditions for lotus farmers and craftsmen in traditional weaving villages.

Components

• Component 1: Support local people in cultivating lotus-based models;
• Component 2: Building capacity for local farmers on lotus silk production through training;
• Component 3: Scientific study on biodiversity, carbon emission and water retention storage in lotus cultivation fields;
• Component 4: Building a sustainable supply chain for lotus silk products, trademarks and geographical indications for Vietnam’s lotus silk production industry.

Expected Outputs

• Material is produced and provided for lotus fiber production;
• Conducting 6 training courses on lotus fabric production for women and 2 training courses on weaving lotus cloth;
• Conducting database for the lotus cultivation ecosystem.
• Product designs meet the market’s requirements
• Building brand identities, geographical indications for Vietnamese products made from lotus fibers, a sustainable value chain model of products produced from lotus silk.
• Providing training materials; training courses for stakeholders of the value chain.

Partners

• Institute of Economics and Ecology (Eco-Eco);
• Thap Muoi District People’s Committee, Thap Muoi Farmers Association; Tan Kieu Agricultural Cooperative.
• People’s Committee of Tinh Bien district, An Giang; People’s Committee and Cooperative of Van Giao commune, Tinh Bien district; UNBN and Chau Phong craft village of Cham people in Tan Chau town;
• People’s Committee of Tan Hung district, Long An and Lang Sen Wetland Reserve.
• Xuan Thu fashion design company, Hanoi; Joint Stock Company – Hanh Silk Trading Company, Hanoi;
• Lien Hoa Group – Phu Tuc commune, Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre Orovince;
• Department of Textile and Fashion – Hanoi University of Science and Technology;
• Forest Resources and Environment Center, Forest Inventory and Planning Institute;
• Other relevant agencies