When all local farmers harvest the same crops at the same time, the inevitable outcome is a glut of produce and a low profit.
This has been the situation in one Bac Giang village where we are working. YWAM Mercy provided Family Business Training to help farmers make plans to plant, market and sell for higher incomes. Because women often handle the family finances and are motivated to increase their income in order to better care for their children, we worked with the local Women’s Union to organize this training for 40 women from the 8th -10th of October.
The training focused on Household Income Generation and Financial Management. It helped open their thinking to new ways of earning income and stressed the important role of women in the family.
We presented many examples from other locations with similar conditions where farmers are able to make a good and stable income. This helped the women understand that if they want to be successful, they need to be different, applying innovation to their businesses. They could see the importance of understanding the market, efficient planting and producing, as well as selling only what the market needs.
Participants also learned how to manage, and track their household finances, keeping family and business funds separate. We placed emphasis on saving, and writing down all income and expenses daly so that they can better plan for their family and business needs.
This training is just the first step, providing basic information to get the women started. We will provide follow-up to ensure the participants are able to apply the training in their daily lives.
