Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development

Winrock has been working in Vietnam since 1991 on a natural resource management project in uplands development and a postgraduate training of Vietnamese academics program. In 2005, Winrock was awarded the USAID-funded Asia Regional Biodiversity Conservation Program (2005–2011) with sustainable finance, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood activities. Throughout the implementation of ARBCP, Winrock worked successfully with MARD as well as with the MONRE, provincial partners, and other stakeholders, including community members to conduct studies intended to strengthen adaptation of crop production to climate change. The PFES pilot project in Lam Dong served as a key example of the effectiveness of the PFES approach and the importance of science-based approaches, methodologies, and technologies. In its most significant achievement, ARBCP helped the GVN in expanding PFES pilot activities to more provinces. In September 2010 Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung signed the Decree on the Policy for Payment for Forest Environmental Services (99/2010/ND-CP). PFES continued through the Greater Annamites Sustainable Finance Project (GASFP, 2009–2012) funded by the MacArthur Foundation, and with activities in Vietnam and Cambodia. It institutionalized the ARBCP approach for developing finance mechanisms by setting up a PFES site in the Quang Nam province of Vietnam. Currently, Winrock leads the implementation of the USAID Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF, 2011–2016), Vietnam Forests and Deltas Program (2012-2017) and Vietnam Clean Energy Program (2012-2017).