The ‘A Rieu chili’ is a tiny, spicy, aromatic, and high-value pepper indigenous to the mountainous region of Dong Giang district in Quang Nam province. While cultivation of this chili pepper can provide a reliable livelihood for Co Tu ethnic minority communities in Dong Giang, until recently, they lacked the technical knowledge and necessary capital to do so. In 2018, the USAID Green Annamites project collaborated with the Ma Cooih Agriculture and Forestry Cooperative (Ma Cooih Coop) to help Co Tu ethnic minority communities living in seven villages in Dong Giang district to grow this valuable pepper.
On June 30, USAID and the Ma Cooih Coop organized a final workshop with local leaders and 120 households to evaluate the notable results of this small grant. As a result of the partnership, over 24 acres of A Rieu chili were grown; the Co Tu communities’ capacity was built with training of more than 170 people (over 75 percent of whom were female) on topics like chili cultivation, harvesting, processing, and marketing; and the Coop’s management board attracted more members and developed a five-year business plan. USAID Green Annamites also supported the Coop’s participation in three trade fairs, helping members sell approximately 1500 packages of processed chilis with revenues of more than 45 million VND (nearly $2,000). These efforts have already raised incomes and incomes are expected to further increase as this chili becomes more popular.
So What? USAID’s capacity building and enterprise development support to the Co Tu ethnic minority communities is contributing to improved economic opportunities for these forest-dependent people.