The role that micro-finance plays in sustainable rural development was the highlight of a seminar held in the central province of Quang Binh from July 28-30.

Jointly held by the Sustainable Rural Development for the Poor Project (SRDP) and the Quang Binh Development Support Fund, the event attracted the participation of nearly 100 delegates from SRDP beneficiary localities, namely Quang Binh, Ben Tre, Tuyen Quang and Dak Nong.

Participants were introduced to micro-finance activities and their development in Vietnam, as well as relevant legal frameworks, together with process of setting up micro-finance institutions and making business strategies and plans for them.

They also shared micro-finance development plans in their localities and made a fact-finding tour to Quang Xuan commune in Quang Trach district.

The SRDP will be carried out in 40 communes in six districts of Quang Binh from 2014 to 2018, following a credit agreement between the Vietnamese Government and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) signed in Italy last year.

Its target is to sustainably improve the income and reduce the vulnerability of rural poor households.

The project will invest in climate-smart, socially equitable and profitable rural development models, focusing on market-led development planning, rural financial services and market and value chain investment.

Target groups for the projects include poor rural households with land and labour resources, unskilled and unemployed rural people, landless people, ethnic minority people who lack income and skill, and small and medium-sized rural trade enterprises and value-chain entrepreneurs.-VNA