﻿Annex: Disability Inclusive Agribusiness Case Studies
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CAMBODIA
BUNLY FISH FARM
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business 
Business Owner: Mr. Ya Bunly
Location: Takeo Province, Cambodia
Product: Fish, cattle, chicken, ducks, pigs, turtles, vegetables 

Permaculture is applied in “Bunly Fish Farm”. Sustainable ecological principles ensure that all activities are designed carefully to cooperate with natural ecosystems. All resources are fully utilized and it is possible to achieve greater productivity while using less input. By using permaculture, the farm will reap the benefits of a sustainable environment for generations to come.  
Summary
Mr. Ya Bunly, the farm owner, had an accident in 1990 at his neighbor’s house. He damaged his eyes, which led in him becoming blind.  In 1993, he received five chickens from his parents. Then in 2005, he borrowed KHR 519,234 (USD 130) from a relative to start a fish farm with 350 m2 of pond located in front of his house. Carp, catfish and tilapia are among the most profitable and easiest fish to farm in shallow waters due to their tolerance of most water conditions, dietary behavior and rapid growth. These fish are popular with consumers and considered a delicacy to be enjoyed on feast days and major holidays in Cambodia. Every year, the business sells all of its fish stock to the local community in a seven day period before the Khmer New Year, as it is the period in which the highest prices are paid. Annual profits for the business can be as high as KHR 2 million (USD 500). Every year, Mr. Ya Bunly spends KHR 99,705 (USD 50) to plough the fish pond to make it deeper and to clean out all of the waste products. The waste product is in turn used to make fertilizer for plants and vegetables. Initially, the water in the fish pond was drained manually but recently profits have enabled the purchase of a pump at a cost of KHR 798,822 (USD 200) to help stabilize and improve on work practices. Mr. Ya Bunly uses landmarks, such as trees, within his working environment to enable him to negotiate the day to day running of the business. Choosing to focus on permaculture as an approach to farming ensures greater sustainability for the business by providing food, energy and the recycling of wastes.   

Documented in partnership with the Cambodian Development Mission for Disability (CDMD)
DET CATTLE SHELTER
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Farm Owner: Ms. Dong Det
Location: Bati District, Takeo Province, Cambodia
Product:  Cattle

In 1997, the owner of the “Det Cattle Shelter”, Ms. Dong Det, bought one breeding cow with microfinance from the Cambodian Development Mission for Disability (CDMD). She returned the loan of KHR 403,487 (USD 100) within two years without having to pay interest. Recently she sold five animals to a wholesaler and kept four cows for breeding stock.
Summary
Ms. Dong Det is blind and works independently to look after her cattle using a stick and landmarks to navigate. Her children and the community help when she requires support. Her brother and local construction workers built a shelter for her cattle. She chose to raise cattle because she felt that her disability would not inhibit her ability to feed and care for them. Generally, she sells her cattle to the local villagers, but when she is in need of extra finances, she sells them through a wholesaler at market price. She takes the cattle to forage in the fields, and when they are heavily pregnant she 
keeps them in the shelter and hand feeds them. By supplementing the feed of cows in calf with a substance of palm fruit mixed with rice, she has discovered they yield a higher milk content to feed their young.  In the rainy season she is anxious about taking her cattle out to forage as she can’t hear the land in the same way as when it is dry; for example, she can’t hear snakes and other predators. Sometimes she has to buy food for her cattle or rely on her children for support. It takes one to three years before cattle are ready for market, with an adult animal selling for around KHR 1.2 million (USD 300) and a young animal for around KHR 806,975 (USD 200). In the last year she has bought another breeding cow with the intention of expanding her herd.

Documented in partnership with the CDMD


SAVATH CHICKEN FARM 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family business
Farm Owner: Mr. Pon Savath
Location: Boribo District, Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia
Product:  Chicken, buffalo, cattle

The “Savath Chicken Farm” currently has twenty chickens, four of which are breeding hens. The farm owner Mr. Pon Savath and his brother and sister have two cows and inherited three buffaloes from their father around ten years ago. 
Summary
Mr. Pon Savath received a bullet wound, which resulted in his leg having to be amputated above the knee. Now he uses crutches to facilitate his work on the farm. Support from the Cambodian Trust of KHR 201,150 (USD 50) enabled him to buy the chickens and he also received KHR 80,460 (USD 20) from World Vision Cambodia to purchase wire mesh to build a chicken shelter. His sister sells between twenty to thirty chickens to a wholesaler five times a year. The annual net profit for the sales is around KHR 603,450 (USD 150). Mr. Pon Savath made the roof for the chicken shelter, and regularly prepares the food and feeds the chickens. By dividing the shelter to separate the large chickens from the smaller ones he has reduced fights, which can result in injuries. Dividing the animals by size has also makes it easier to manage the stock. Mr. Pon Savath takes the buffaloes to and from the fields and prevents them from eating the rice. Other responsibilities also include cleaning the cattle with rice straw, maintaining the shelter and using smoke to protect them from mosquitoes and insects. Not only does he use his crutch for mobility purposes, but it is also useful to help control the cows, buffaloes and chicken.

Documented in partnership with the Cambodia Trust


SOKCHEA PIG FARM
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business 
Business Owner: Mr. Hong Sokchea
Location: Bati District, Takeo Province, Cambodia
Product: Pigs 

A Self-Help Group motivated Mr. Hong Sokchea to believe that he was capable of work. He started a pig farm with financial and technical support from the CDMD. “Sokchea Pig Farm” has expanded from two pigs to thirteen pigs in less than three years.

Summary
Mr. Hong Sokchea was a military officer who became physically disabled due to a landmine accident. After the accident, he was extremely disillusioned and he felt incapable of working. He received moral support from a local community Self-Help Group and started a business. The pig shelter was constructed with community support using local materials, making it an inexpensive operation to establish. Takeo Province is a suitable environment in which to raise pigs and there is a ready supply of water available throughout the year. Initially Mr. Hong Sokchea sold piglets to a wholesaler, but he found it was not profitable. The business now focuses on selling live pigs for meat to wholesalers as the returns are much higher. Meat from the farm is popular with the customers and sales have increased by 50 percent in the last three years. Every four months, ten pigs are fattened to reach marketable weight and are sold for KHR 159,324 (USD 40) per pig. Mr. Hong Sokchea has seven children and one of his sons, Mr. Hangphany Sokchea, has Down Syndrome. Supervised by his father, Mr. Hangphany Sokchea helps to take care of the current stock of three sows and ten piglets.

The primary cost incurred by the business is for feed. Every five days it cost KHR 199,155 (USD 50) to feed the stock. The animals are fed commercial feed with the sows’ diet being supplemented with rice bran, broken rice and kitchen waste. As a key figure in the local Self-Help Group and as a person with a successful business, Mr. Hong Sokchea has found that attitudes in the community have changed, and people are generally more accepting of people with disabilities being productive and successive workers and agribusiness owners. 

Documented in partnership with the CDMD


SOTHONNICE VEGETABLE AND RICE FIELD 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family business
Farm Owner: Mr. Nhem Sothonnice  
Location: Takeo Province, Cambodia
Product: Rice, pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon, bamboo shoot

Almost half of “Sothonnice Vegetable and Rice Field” is devoted to rice cultivation while the rest of the land is used to raise crops such as watermelon, bamboo shoots, pumpkin and cucumber. The agribusiness produces sales of around KHR 403, 487 (USD 100) per month, with the net profit being 30 percent of sales. Recently, however, the price of vegetables and rice has dropped as a result of the market economy, which has been heavily affected by imported vegetables and rice from Vietnam.  

Summary
The “Sothonnice Vegetable and Rice Field” is a typical rural agribusiness. The owner of the business, Mr. Nhem Sothonnice leant about agricultural farming from his father, whom originally owned the land. Since 1983, Mr. Nhem Sothonnice and his family have been engaged in cultivating the land. Mr. Nhem Sothonnice, who is fifty-two years of age, has a physical disability. The victim of a land mine accident, his arm is paralyzed which makes it difficult for him to work in the paddy fields. In his village, the community connections are very strong and many of his customers are local. Currently, the Commune Disability Committee (CDC), which is a pilot initiative of the CDMD, is working to encourage customers for local businesses. Mr. Nhem Sothonnice is the head of a Self-Help Group in the commune and helps fellow community members. There is also a wholesaler who buys much of the produce from the village.  

Mr. Nhem Sothonnice recognizes where he is best suited in the business and works on the management of several products, while his wife deals with distribution and sales. As organic fertilizers are cost effective and environmentally friendly, he has started making them from waste products and using them on his farm. In Cambodia, the rainy season runs from June to November during which time the rice paddies are cultivated, whereas pumpkin and watermelon which require much less water are grown in the dry season. Mr. Nhem Sothonnice also utilizes the four wells he has on his property for irrigation. 

Currently, “Sothonnice Vegetable and Rice Field” is not producing enough profits to sustain Mr. Nhem Sothonnice’s family and nor is he in position to expand the farm. As the owner, he is also uncertain about the farm’s future direction as there are some developers who wish to purchase his land for a favorable price.    

Documented in partnership with the CDMD


SITHA PALM ROOF
Key Details
Business Entity: Family business
Business Owner: Mr. Ben Sitha 
Location: Bati District, Takeo Province, Cambodia
Product: Palm roofing, cattle

“Sitha Palm Roof” business produces pieces of palm roofing, which are sold at the wholesale market in Kamdal province. On average, the owner Mr. Ben Sitha can make a thousand pieces of palm roofing within ten days, which he then sells for VND 520 thousand (USD 25). 

Summary
Forty-three year old Mr. Sitha has problems with mobility due to polio. He used to work in the paddy fields and while he can still remove the rice, he is no longer physically capable of planting. Unemployed, he began to look for an occupation that would allow him to work from home. His wife taught him how to make palm roofing and in 1994, using money that she had saved from working in the paddy fields, they set up a small business. Mr. Sitha finds it difficult to stay in the same siting position for extended periods of time, so working from home allows him greater flexibility to move around and adjust his working position. Due to his problems with mobility, his wife buys the raw products. Together they trim the palm leaves, soak them for three days and then allow them to dry in the open air for one day. Mr. Sitha sows the palm leaves into pieces of roofing. Every ten days, his wife hires a motorcycle to bring the roofing to Kamdal to sell. He makes a profit of VND 1.5 million (USD 360) per year, which is 10 percent of his sales. 

As the vice president of a local Self-Help Group, he has taught ten other people from his village how to make palm roofing. However, Mr. Sitha’s biggest challenge is the trend for using modern manufactured materials and competition from imported roofs from Vietnam and China. These new products are beginning to flood the market, making it difficult for the business to make a profit or consider expanding.

Documented in partnership with the CDMD


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INDONESIA
RUKIJAN FISH AND LIVESTOCK FARM 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family business
Business Owner - Mr. Rukijan
Location: Bantul District, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia
Product: Catfish fingerlings, chickens, coconut palm bags

Catfish fingerlings are the main agribusiness of the “Rukijan Fish and Livestock Farm”. Mr. Rukijan, who has a physical disability, runs this family business. He also sells chicks and hens to a wholesaler at a local market and at night he and his wife produce coconut palm bags, which are sold at local markets.

Summary
Before Mr. Rukijan received training on catfish production from the Center for Improving Qualified Activity in Life of People with Disabilities (CIQAL), his main income source was selling chickens to a market wholesaler. Five times a month, he would travel to five different market places on their local “Market Day”. The markets open between 6am and 11am and he would sell more than 40 chickens per day, retaining 20 percent of the profits. The cost of making a shopping bag from coconut leaves is IDR 500 (USD 0.05) and the bags sell at market for IDR 5,000 IDR (USD 0.5). Mr. Rukijan still sells chickens and bags on “Market Days”, but catfish fingerlings are his main source of income.

Mr. Rukijan undertook his training on how to raise catfish fingerlings in 2010. He received IDR 963,499 (USD 100) from CIQAL as the initial capital, and IDR 481,749 (USD 50) to purchase the fingerlings, feed and other materials. The fingerlings are breed in a two month cycle, and sold at market for around IDR 120 (USD 0.01) per fingerling. When the production is going well, a maximum of 50,000 catfish fingerlings can be sold per cycle at a cost of IDR 6 million (USD 623). The business has around fifty female catfish for breeding, which live for around four to five years. 

One of the major challenges in the production of catfish fingerlings is to secure food for them. For the first ten days of production, Mr. Rukijan prefers to provide silk worm, which costs IDR 1.2 million (USD 120) in total. However, silk worms are not always available, particularly in the rainy season. After the initial ten days, Mr. Rukijan purchases fish food, which can cost up to IDR 1.6 million (USD 166). The cost of processed food sold by major agribusiness companies is IDR 16,000 (USD 16.60) per kg. To alleviate some of the costs of feeding the catfish fingerlings, the business is exploring the possibility of using local materials such as egg yolk, to supplement their feed.

Documented in partnership with the CIQAL


JULIANDIKA VEGATABLE FARM
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business 
Business Employee: Mr. I Gusti Ngurah Made Juliandika 
Location: Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia
Product: Cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, snake beans, bamboo woven baskets 

The “Juilandika Vegetable Farm”is a family business situated on .4 ha of land in the picturesque and fertile Kerambitan District, Tabanan in Bali.  The harvest period is every forty days, and sales total around IDR 2.5 million (USD 257).
Summary
While the family has always lived in the area, they are contract farmers and have only recently moved to this plot of land. They sell the vegetables they grow to a wholesaler who also sells them the pesticides and fertilizers they use on the land. There are six children and the oldest boy, Mr. I Gusti Ngurah Made Juliandika, who everyone calls Juli, had a motorbike accident when he was eighteen. Now twenty-two years of age, he uses a prosthetic leg and is extremely agile and fast in his work. His wife’s parents gave the family money to contract .2 ha of land which they rent yearly for IDR 1.3 million (USD 134). Caring for the crops is expensive with fertilizer costing around IDR 500,00 (USD 50) per harvest and pesticides around IDR 600,000 (USD 60). To pay for the rent of the land they spilt the sales with the land owner. Julie undertook computer training at YAKKUM Bali, but was unable to find employment, so he works on the vegetable farm. However, he finds making bamboo woven vegetable baskets a much faster and more profitable business. The baskets are used to carry the vegetables from the fields and to take them to market. They are in daily use and high demand, especially as the baskets are often destroyed by the end the day. Juli either collects the bamboo or buys it and he uses around 10m a day. He makes twenty baskets a day, seven days a week and each basket costs IDR 3,000 (USD .30). Per week, his sales for the baskets total around IDR 409,080 (USD 42) which supplements his income from the vegetable farm.

Documented in partnership with YAKKUM Bali and Inspirasia


TUGIYAT RICE FIELD 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family business
Business Owner: Mr. Tugiyat
Location: Bantal District, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia
Product: Rice

Mr. Tugiyat is a rice field farmer who has taken care of a rice field for forty years. The “Tugiyat Rice Field” is approximately 2 ha and Mr. Tugiyat harvests three seasons a year.


Summary
Through a relationship with the land owner, who is a neighbor and also the brother of the late Ex-President Suharto, Mr. Tugiyat works the land in exchange for 50 percent of each season’s crop, which he gives to the land owner. In total, it costs around IDR 5.3 million (USD 550) for one rice production cycle. Mr. Tugiyat purchases around 10 kg of rice seed per season, at a cost of IDR 1.4 million (USD 150). He buys commercial fertilizers for IDR 1.2 million (USD 125), and spends around IDR 1 million (USD 100) per season on agricultural chemicals. Last season, he sold 375 kg of rice at the market and his profit was IDR 1.7 million (USD 180). 

Mr. Tugiyat has had a deformed leg since he was three years old. This has affected his working style, which means he doesn’t wear shoes when he is in the rice field. In the field, there are rocks and stones, as well as insects and other pests. Thus far, there is no clear solution to reducing the possibility of hurting his feet while he is working.

Documented in partnership with the CIQAL 


I WAYAN MERTA CATTLE FARM
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Owner: I Wayan Merta 
Location: Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia
Product: Cattle, carving and weaving

Mr. I Wayan Merta leant from his father how to raise cattle and currently has four cows, which he uses for breeding stock. He also supplements his income through carving and weaving. 

Summary
Every morning Mr. I Wayan Merta arises at 4am and spends two hours working on traditional Balinese wood carving. At 6am he begins cutting elephant grass, which he has planted to feed his cattle. After he has feed and watered them, he returns home to again spend time working on his carving. His wife, who uses a crutch due to the effects of polio, cooks up the leaves of a local tree to further supplement the cattle’s diet and Mr. I Wayan Merta again feeds and waters them in the evening. Each cow has one calf a year, which is sold at six-month of age at the local market. One calf sells for around IDR 2 million (USD 206) and Mr. I Wayan Merta and his younger brother split the money. Mr. I Wayan Merta is physically disabled from birth and although he is not able to stand, he completes all the tasks required to care for the cattle. 

Mr. I Wayan Merta is thirty-five years of age and has primary school education. He leant how to carve at a training course held at YAKKUM Bali and works on orders every day. Either a middleman or the family who is requesting the carving brings him the wood. The wood used is from the local Cempaka tree and he carves around two small pieces a day, which he sells for around IDR 2000 (USD 0.20) each. Large, more intricate pieces sell for much higher prices. He has now been carving work around four years, and while he also tried weaving traditional baskets, he finds the carving faster and more profitable. The work is in high demand, but the market is highly competitive. Mr. I Wayan Merta has found carving to be a consistent supplement to the earnings of his cattle farm.

Documented in partnership with YAKKUM Bail and Inspirasia
 

UD PROTEINA
Key Details
Business Entity: Ud Proteina
Business Employee: Mr. I Nyoman Widastra
Location: Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia
Product: Chicken eggs 

The “Ud Proteina” business is situated on 1 ha of land, stocks eleven thousand chickens and employs five people. Established in 2005, the business is expanding with another larger site on the island of Bali. The business farms the eggs, packs them and transports them. The eggs are then sold to local, inter district and inter province outlets.  

Summary
Mr. I Nyoman Widastra is thirty-three years of age and has been working at “Ud Proteina” since it opened in 2005. He is responsible for the care of two out of eleven rows, totally around two thousand chickens. Responsibilities include cleaning, feeding, watering and collecting eggs. He lives locally and comes to the farm three times a day, seven days a week, and is very conscious that he is responsible for livestock. He collects twenty-five cartoons of thirty eggs from each strip every day. Mr. I Nyoman Widastra suffered polio when he was three months old. It left him physically disabled with lower back and leg problems. When he is tired he uses a pair of crutches, but otherwise he manages to do his job with extraordinary speed. Prior to working at “Ud Proteina”, he took on any piecemeal work he could find, including carving and weaving, but he never had anything permanent. The chicken farm was built close to where he lives and he used to visit the site regularly during its construction. He became familiar with the manager, who suggested he apply for work when the factory opened. The business considered it an advantage to have a local employee and felt proud to be employing a person with disabilities.  

However, there is no special treatment in this business. Mr. I Nyoman Widastra is expected to complete his work just like everyone else. The stock is replaced every two years, but if a chicken dies his wage is docked accordingly. He earns around IDR 400,000 (USD 40) and the workers all help each other out if need be. As he is home by 3.30pm most days, he helps his wife, who also had polio, care for four breeding sows and piglets that she raises and sells for meat and breeding stock. 

Documented in partnership with YAKKUM Bali and Inspirasia


FAJAR UKIR  
Key Details
Business Entity: Fajar Ukir
Business Owner: Mr. Nyoman D. Fajar Sudara; Employees: Mr. I Ketut Suartana and Mr. Ida Bagus Singarsa 
Location: Badung, Bali, Indonesia
Product: Traditional Balinese wood carvings 

“Farjar Ukir” is a carving workshop that produces the intricate decorative wooden trims for which Balinese homes and temple pavilions are renowned. Local woods such as suar (samanea saman) and teak (tectona grandis) are used to create a range of carvings depicting indigenous and epic Hindu-Javanese stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharta. 

Summary
“Fajar Ukir” opened in 2004 and runs on consignment. Due to high demands, orders are placed two to three months in advance. Teak is the most popular wood and the decorative ceremonial trims for a Temple pavilion can cost around IDR 25 million (USD 2,560). Many businesses were forced to close after the Bali Bombing in October 2002 as tourists stopped visiting the Island. However, as the customers for “Fajar Ukir” are local Balinese, those living on other islands, and overseas, the business have continued to thrive. 

There are twelve employees at “Fajar Ukir” and two of them are persons with disabilities. Both Mr. I Ketut Suartana and Mr. Ida Bagus Singarsa suffered from polio when they were young and both are now physically disabled. Mr. I Ketut Suartana had a brace fitted for his leg in 2001, which greatly enhanced his mobility. He can now drive a four wheeler bike, which has increased his ability to find employment. At YAKKUM Bali, he undertook a three month training course where he learnt traditional wood carving. He has now been working for four years and earns around IDR 1 million (USD100) in a good month. Mr. Ida Bagus Singarsa also had polio when he was young and now requires a brace on his leg. He was drawn to the work because he loves the artistic nature of carving. Carving is a suitable and rewarding occupation for both these men as they are able to sit as they work and there are no barriers to their participation in the workplace. This profitable workshop has a harmonious environment where school boys come of their own accord after class to practice their skills.

Documented in partnership with YAKKUM Bali and Inspirasia


MANDIRI CRAFT 
Key Details
Business Entity: Non-Government Organization
Director: Mr. Tarjono Slamet
Location: Bantul District, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Product: Handicrafts, furniture, toys

In April 2003, the Director Mr. Tarjono Slamet, together with five colleagues with physical disabilities launched “Mandiri Craft”. By producing educational toys and products ordered by private schools, such as tables and chairs, the business provides job opportunities for persons with disabilities as both employees and suppliers. 

Summary
“Mandiri Craft” was established with an initial investment of IDR 9.6 million (USD 1,000) of which Mr. Tarjonon Slamet supplied 70 percent and his colleagues supplied the other 30 percent. The 2006 earthquake in Java devastated the business. “That was one turning point”, said Mr. Tarjono Salamet. “But we didn’t give up since difficult situations are what “Mandiri Craft” has always worked to overcome.” In the same year, the Japanese Red Cross donated IDR 1 billion and 49 million (USD 400,000) to rebuild, refit and equip the craft workshops. The local government also agreed to provide the land on which the building is located for twenty years at minimal rent. Furthermore, the twenty year rental fee of IDR 14. 5 million (USD 15,000) was supplied by the Malaysian Red Cross.

Currently, the business employs fifty-three staff. Forty-seven of them have physical disabilities, two are deaf and two have intellectual disabilities. Of the staff with physical disabilities, 50 percent became disabled due to injuries sustained during the earthquake. “Mandiri Craft” is located in the Bantul District where 90 percent of the staff also reside.  Currently, there are eight staff members living in residential facilities at the business site. The different roles for the staff are: five administration roles (Director, Administrator, Marketing, Production, Public Relations); forty-six in production and distribution; and two staff members work as cleaners. In the business, quality control management has implemented working hours from 8am to 4 pm. 

As there are around two hundred and fifty persons with disabilities in Bantul district, the business hopes to hire more staff. In 2012, the average salary for an employee was IDR 635, 909 (USD 66) per month. With over seven thousand different products for sale, the net profit was IDR 819 million (USD 85,000), with 10 percent being paid in taxes to the government. The business thrives on local and international sales. The primary customers include a company in German and one in the United States and ten private schools, which purchase desks, chairs and toys. One of the business’s strategies is to utilize social media as a marketing tool. Nowadays, it is easy, convenient and cost effective to connect with new customers and buyers through social media. In this regard, “Mandiri Craft” promotes public relations online. 


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LAO PDR
BAJIANG FARM AND RESORT 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business 
Business Owner: Mr. Wimol Kijbamrung
Location: Champasak Province, Lao PDR 
Product: Organic farm, restaurant and resort

“Bajiang Farm and Resort” has earned a reputation for its healthy organic food and rustic bungalows. The organic farm, resort and restaurant were developed on land next to the Tad Pha Suam Waterfall in Southern Lao PDR’s Bolaven Plateau. The bungalows and restaurant are made of driftwood to harmonize with the environment and a variety of natural and organic food and beverages are served in the restaurant. Approximate eighty-five people from thirteen different ethic hill tribes live a harmonious and sustainable life within the resort.

Summary
The Government of Lao PDR invited Mr. Wimol Kijbumrung to promote tourism. He visited many places in Champasak province in 1996 and was most impressed by the beauty of the Pha Suam Waterfall. He spent two years mapping, planning and designing the resort and started the construction in 1999. Two hundred and eight ha of abandoned land were transformed to allow people to live closely with nature. Over twenty-five thousand indigenous trees were planted for the resort and restaurant. For seven years, Mr. Wimol Kijbamrung worked tirelessly and on the 5 December 2003, the organic farm, restaurant and resort were opened to the public. After the opening, however, tragedy struck, Mr. Wimol Kijbamrung contracted malaria and fell into an eight-day coma. He eventually recovered from the illness, but he lost his sight. Through the support of his staff, he continues to manage the resort and, as the landscape is imprinted in his memory, he navigates his way around the resort unaided.

Vegetables and fruits from Bajiang organic farm are supplied to the restaurant and natural materials from local forests are used throughout the restaurant and resort. The resort has fourteen bungalows decorated with vines and foliage, the bathrooms do not have roofs, but are shaded by trees. Of the eight-five people living and working at Bajiang farm and resort, seven are persons with disabilities. Ethnic villagers and persons with disabilities are both vulnerable communities. Working at Bajiang farm and resort is an opportunity for a better life for both groups. Lessons in local crafts and culture are offered for tourists, and employees work in all areas of the resort and are assigned tasks according to their abilities. 
BAAN TAAN MEE CHAI HANDICRAFT 
Key Details
Business Entity: Cooperative 
Business Owner/Founder: Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong
Location: Vientiane, Lao PDR 
Product:  Clothes, handicraft, furniture

“Baan Taan Mee Chai Handcraft” was established by Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong, the leader and founder of a Self-Help-Group. The business produces modern clothes, silk cloth, artificial flowers, crafts and furniture. Products are sold to local markets; however, Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong is currently in the process of negotiating sales to a local department store “Spring Mall” in Vientiane. 

Summary
“Baan Taan Mee Chai Handicraft” was started with an initial investment of LAK 50 million (USD 6,285). Over the last three years, the business’s annual profit has been approximately LAK 12.8 million (USD 1,600), but it expects to increase profits once sales have been expanded. Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong, who has a physical disability, is in charge of managing the business operation, strategies and expansion. There are ten employees who have a range of disabilities including physical disabilities and hearing impairment. The employees are responsible for a range of tasks in the production of clothes, handicrafts and furniture. There are six other employees who work on the marketing and international co-ordination of the business. Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong approached the “Spring Mall” department store about stocking “Baan Taan Mee Chai Handicraft” products. The department store agreed to offer a space for the stock free of charge. Selling products at the department store will greatly help increase the volume of sales and develop a profile for the “Baan Taan Mee Chai Handcraft” brand. However, it also means that the business needs to expand its production to fulfill increasing demand. 

One of the advantages of the business is that employees with disabilities can work either at the business, situated in Vientiane, or from home. This working condition helps facilitate those who have difficulties with mobility. Employees are paid on the basis of the work they produce. If having products sold through the department store increases sales, the Self Help Group hopes to further expand its production by investing in better machines, computers and equipment to further increase the efficiency and output of the business. “Baan Taan Mee Chai Handicraft” has a logo of persons with disabilities, which is used as a sales strategy to leverage the business through labeling it as an inclusive enterprise. Customers often buy products produced by an inclusive business to demonstrate their belief in and support of such practices. Ultimately, however, customers buy “Baan Taan Mee Chai Handicraft” products because of their quality. 

Documented in partnership with the Vientiane Capital Disabled People’s Association


GATE MEATBALL SHOP
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Shop Owner: Ms. Gate Lawan
Location: Vientiane, Lao PDR
Product: Meat balls, beverages

The “Gate Meatball Shop” was established approximately two years ago with an initial investment of LAK 2 million (USD 250) loaned from Ekphattana Microfinance Institution (EMI). The business is strategically situated near the Pakpasak Technical College, where there is a steady stream of hungry customers. 

Summary
The owner of the meatball shop, Ms. Gate Lawan makes a profit of LAK 100,000 (USD 13) per day; when sales are high, she can make up to LAK 200,000 (USD 16). Ms. Gate Lawan is thirty-nine years of age and has a physical disability, which restricts her movement. Her husband supports her in the business through buying the ingredients and stock she needs and driving her to and from the shop. 

Ms. Gate fries the meatballs, sells beverages and manages the shop’s finances. The “Gate Meatball Shop” has two tables for up to ten customers. The local college ensures she has regular customers except for the month of August when the students are on holidays. Ms. Gate hopes to expand her business through buying larger quantities of stock at cheaper prices. Challenges facing Ms. Gate due to her physical disability are that she relies on her husband and community as she requires assistance when moving. However, this is no way affects her ability to run a successful shop as customers buy her meatballs because of their taste and quality.

Documented in partnership with the Ekphatthana Microfinance Institution (EMI)



SOMSAAK PLANTATION 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Business Owner: Mr. Somsak and Ms. Joy   
Location: Pakchong, Champasak, Lao PDR
Product: Coffee beans

The “Somsak Plantation” is situated in the prime coffee growing region of the Champasak Province, Lao PDR. Mr. Somsak started his coffee plantation nineteen years ago. The plantation now covers seven ha, which he works with his wife Ms. Joy. The plantation makes a net profit of between LAK 70.5 and 80.5 million (USD 8,800-10,000) and frequently more when coffee prices are high. 
Summary
Ms. Joy became an amputee after she was in an accident four years ago. While her husband is the main borrower, she is also a co-borrower from the Acleda Bank. Together they loaned LAK 20 million (USD 2,514) to cover the running costs of their plantation. The couple proved to be reliable customers and the bank again loaned them money the following year. The Acleda Bank independently assessed the couple’s ability to pay back the loan. They did not perceive Ms. Joy’s physical disability as an obstacle to the plantation generating profits. In fact, the Bank views them as good clients. 

The coffee beans are sold to the Dao-Heuang Coffee Company, which was established in 1995 and is a subsidiary of the Dao-Heunag Group. Since 2004, Doa-Heuang Coffee has had the leading market share of coffee sales in Laos PDR. The fact that the couple is able to sell their product to this company is testimony to its quality. For Ms. Joy, mobility can be a challenge. Yet the greatest obstacle to the farm’s success is environmental, specifically dust caused by a lack of rain that reduces the quality of the beans and causes low productivity. 

Documented in partnership with the Acleda Bank


SEKGUEK FARM 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Farm Owner: Mr. Sekquek Bupak 
Location: Sekong Province, Lao PDR
Product: Goats

The “Sekguek Farm” has only been established for a year and its owner Mr. Sekquek Bupak has not yet begun to sell his livestock. 

Summary
Mr. Sekquek Bupak started his farm with five goats, which were provided to him by the global confederate Care International. Mr. Sekquek is deaf and thus far has managed to take excellent care of his goats. He constructed a shelter for them, where he locks them safely in at night. During the day he lets them out to wander and forage for grass and other food. 

Mr. Sekquek’s disability has not posed any barriers to him being able to care for his goats. He must, however, keep a close watch on them as sometimes they wander onto a nearby road where they could easily be hit by a passing car. Mr. Sekquek Bupak hopes to make a good profit from breeding and selling his livestock. 

Documented in partnership with Care International


BANG-ON PADDY FIELD
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business 
Business Owner: Ms. Bang-On Wongpakdee
Location: Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR
Product: Rice, chicken, duck, fish, Lao spaghetti

While the main income source of the “Bang-On Paddy Field” is rice, the farm has expanded to include fish for self-consumption and poultry for emergency cash. Ms. Bang-On Wongpakdee is a client of the Ekphatthana Microfinance Institution (EMI) and is considered a reliable customer. 

Summary
Ms. Bang-On Wongpakdee started making fermented rice flour noodles in 1987, but lost her right arm in an accident during the fermenting production in 1998. Fermented rice flour noodle production is seasonal, with the demand highest during Buddhist Lent, which runs from August to October. In 2004, she rented 2.7 ha of paddy field near her house. The annual profit from rice sales is approximately LAK 8 million (USD 100). The rental fee is paid with seventeen sacks of rice husks, valued at LAK 2.55 million (USD 321). 

In addition to rice, Ms. Bang-On Wongpakdee raises Nile Tilapia for self-consumption and to share with her neighbors and relatives. Chicken and ducks are raised and sold in emergency situations when cash is needed. Ms. Bang-On Wongpakdee applied for a loan from EMI of LAK 3 million (USD 377) under the “Farmers/Urban, Semi-urban and Rural Communities Scheme”. In general, clients of EMI’s microfinancing have to pay back loans at an interest rate of 4.5 percent per month and within one year. In order to motivate clients to make punctual payments, the EMI offers a special interest rate of 3.5 per month. Ms. Bang-On has been one of the EMI’s special clients since 2009.

Documented in partnership with the EMI



PHENGMANY PADDY FIELD AND FISH POND 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Farm Owner: Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong  
Location: Vientiane, Lao PDR 
Product:  Fish, rice 

Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong, who is the founder and manager of “Baan Taan Mee Chai Handcraft”, is also the owner of “Phengmany Paddy Field and Fish Pond”. In 2007, she started cultivating rice and fish on her family’s land using environmental organic methods.  The use of organic methods has seen a marked increase in the volume of the rice harvest, and profits from fish stocks are also increasing.

Summary
Approximately five years ago, Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong began farming her family land, which required no initial financial investment. The fish pond covers approximately 1 ha of land, while rice is cultivated on .32 ha. Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong applies organic farming methods in her fish raising and paddy field because it reduces costs, while also being a more sustainable and healthy practice. Waste products from the paddy field and the pig and poultry shelters are utilized as food for the fish pond and to fertilize the paddy field. Water from the fish pond is also used for the vegetable garden. Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong has a physical disability, which affects her mobility. Driving enables her to commute between the fish pond and the paddy field. She uses a small sand bag under one of her feet, to enable her to better control the car’s brake and the acceleration. However, in the wet season when it becomes too muddy, she travels with other community members in a local farmer’s truck.

Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong raises Nile tilapia, Cyprinus carpio, Pangasiidae and Mekong giant catfish. The fish are mainly used for self-consumption with around 80 kg per week being netted to feed her family and members of the “Baan Taan Mee Chai Handicraft” Self-Help-Group. Around four times a year, she also sells a variety of fish products such as dried, salted and prickled fish to a wholesaler. The annual profit for fish sales has increased yearly as market prices increase, with an average net profit of around LAK 8 million (USD 1,000).  

Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong takes care of fertilizing, weeding and selling the rice. She always cut a path in the grass to the paddy field, creating an accessible passage. She begins planting in May and harvests in December, selling the rice with its husks directly to a mill at the price of LAK 335,763 (USD 42) per 100 kg sack. The annual harvest of rice has increased since she began using organic fertilizer. Initially the farm produced forty-two sacks with sales of LAK 14.1 million (USD 1,764). Last year, the farm produced fifty-six sacks netting LAK 18.8 million (USD 2,352). In current markets, however, livestock is more profitable for the farm and Ms. Phengmany Phangphomkong has plans to expand her fish pond.

Documented in partnership with the Vientiane Capital Disabled People’s Association


##
MYANMAR
KO THAN OO CHICKEN FARM
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Farm Owner: Mr. Ko Than Oo
Location: Mon State, Myanmar
Product: Chicken eggs, betel leaf, rambutan, pomelo

Between 2011-2012 the “Ko Than Oo Farm” expanded and diversified its business by moving from traditional agricultural production of betel leaf, rambutan and pomelo to include a chicken farm.  The “Ko Than Oo Farm” now sells nine hundred eggs per day, supplies six outlets and has more than doubled its profits.

Summary
The “Ko Than Oo Farm” is an innovative and creative business case, which has developed from a subsistence farm to become a reliable supplier of fresh products to retail outlets. Mr. Ko Than Oo, the owner of the farm, has drawn significantly on his experience and expert knowledge to resolve problems and difficulties he has faced while expanding the business. The “Ko Than Oo Farm” is situated in the Kyaikmaraw Township in the Mon State of Myanmar. Mr. Ko Than Oo is now forty-two years of age. When he was in secondary school, he fell out of a rambutan tree and suffered nerve damage to his lower limbs. The accident left him physically disabled and on several occasions he became so disillusioned that he attempted to commit suicide. Ultimately his Buddhist faith encouraged him to overcome his difficulties. 

Initially, Mr. Ko Than Oo opened a grocery shop in his local community. The profits he made enabled him to buy one acre of land at a cost of MMK 300,000 (USD 353). He began his agribusiness with pomelo and rambutan, but soon expanded into betel leaf production with an initial investment of MMK 50 (USD 59). Based on savings from the betel leaf production, he then invested MMK 1 million (USD 1,176) in egg-laying chickens.
 
When Mr. Ko Than Oo was a child, his parents raised chickens, as do many local community members; he therefore had first-hand knowledge on which to draw. He also took the initiative of participating in a week of free training provided by the Daw Mi Supplier Shop, from whom he bought his first thousand chicks. The shop is a supplier for the retailer, CP Livestock, which is situated in Bangkok and is one of the biggest agribusinesses in the Asia-Pacific region. The supply shop provided training on designing a chicken shelter, feeding and time management, and how to properly clean and maintain the shelter. Based on the success of the diversification of his operation and increasing profits, Mr. Ko Than Oo has now invested a further MMK 700,000 (USD 824) to buy another thousand chicks. 

Documented in partnership with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Resettlement, Myanmar Independent Living Initiative (MILI)
THA KHO MAW FISH FARM
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Farm Owners: Mr. Tha Kho Maw and his son Mr. U Saw Tha Kho (Manager)
Location: Ayeryarwaddy Region, Myanmar
Product: Rohu, catla, mrigal

The “Tha Kho Maw Fish Farm”, which was established seven years ago with 24 ha of ponds, is now more than double its original size, breeds its own fish stock, and employs fourteen staff. The manager and co-owner, Mr. U Saw Tha Kho has taken a two-tiered approach to fish stocks. His tacit knowledge and expertise have helped maximize profits, while also safeguarding the survival of the farm after Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

Summary
Mr. Tha Kho Maw started the “Tha Kho Maw Fish Farm” when he retired, but it is his son Mr. U Saw Tha Kho who has overseen its expansion. The fish farm now has 60 ha. of ponds and is stocked with a carp polyculture that has increased profits and produced a more sustainable enterprise.  Fish is the primary source of protein for the Myanmar population. The farm is situated in the Ayeryarwaddy region, one of the country’s main areas for inland fresh water fisheries. When Mr. U Saw Tha Kho was eleven years of age his eyesight began to fail. He is now thirty years of age and has limited sight in his right eye and can only detect variations in light with his left eye. Mr. U Saw Tha Kho’s parents encouraged him to become involved in the family business and, while his father still owns the business, he will inherit the farm. Initially Mr. U Saw Tha Kho found his visual impairment meant he was well suited to the isolation and quietness of the farm; now, however, he is considered an expert in fish farming. 

While learning the business from his father and local community members, Mr. U Saw Tha Kho has also undertaken extensive self-education. With the support of his sister and friends who read aloud to him, he has accessed knowledge on fish farming from specialist books loaned from the Myanmar Fish Farmer Association and the Fishery Department of the Ministry of Agriculture in Yangoon. Mr. U Saw Tha Kho has a keen memory and retains much of the information he hears. His management of the farm has earned him the respect of the staff due to his skill and judgment. A member of the Myanmar Fish Farmer Association for four years, he is now considered an authority in the field.

To sustain the family and staff, the fish farm also raises livestock including fifty chickens, one hundred ducks, eleven goats and six pigs. Fish that is not sold at market are pickled and used for self-consumption, but most are commercially sold. Mr. U Saw Tha Kho has created a sustainable polyculture within the pond by stocking three different types of carp. Around 50% of his fish stock is rohu, which has a high growth rate, is ready for market sale at twelve months, and has a high consumer preference. The rohu fry are surface feeders but as they grow they prefer deeper water. About 10% of the stock is catla, which also have a high growth rate and is ready for market at twelve months. Catla is a surface feeder and is also popular with consumers. The other 30% of the stock is mrigal; a bottom dwelling fish, which has a much slower growth rate and takes up to two to three years before it is ready for market. While market demand for mrigal is not as high as the other two types of carp, the fish is still popular with consumers. The final 10% is made up of wild Nile tilipia and catfish which naturally find their way into the ponds and are also sold at market. By introducing a carp polyculture to the ponds, Mr. U Saw Tha Kho has maximized the capacity of the ponds, diversified food requirements and improved water quality by creating a synergy of fish stock. 

Documented in partnership with the MILI
KO PHO ZAW PIG FARM
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Farm Owner: Mr. Ko Pho Zaw
Location: Yangon North Province, Myanmar
Product: Pig, chicken, jasmine

The “Ko Pho Zaw Pig Farm” raises both livestock and crops and has a net profit of MMK 460,000 (USD 540). In the last three years, sales have increased markedly due to improved productivity. 

Summary
The owner, Mr. Ko Pho Zaw started farming livestock in 2009. Initially, he invested MMK 200,000 (USD 235) in the farm from money that his wife had saved while working in industry. He accessed microfinancing through the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) receiving a house, 0.14 ha of land and a loan of MMK 100,000 (USD 117) at an interest rate of 3% to be paid back every five months. The “Ko Pho Zaw Pig Farm” livestock include a breeding sow and thirteen piglets, thirteen hens and two roosters, three ducks and eleven ducklings. The farm also has plantations of guava, jasmine, and horse tamarind. The owner of the farm, Mr. Ko Pho Zaw is thirty-three years of age and since 2008 has suffered from leprosy. 

Initially Mr. Ko Pho Zaw raised pigs for meat, but he soon learned that breeding piglets greatly increased his profits. Now 70% of his profit comes from raising pigs and 10% comes from raising chickens. Jasmine and Eugenia flowers are in high demand by the Burmese people who use them in Buddhist offerings and for hotel flower arrangements. The demand and high profit led Mr. Ko Pho Zaw to plant one thousand and five hundred jasmine trees. He has increased his profit and further ensured the sustainability of his farm by using organic fertilizer made from beans and animal and food waste. The local community buys his products as well as a wholesaler who regularly visits his province. As a person with a physical disability, he is still able to complete all the necessary work on the farm. However, he finds he has difficulty in using his hands, as he has lost sensitivity to touch and temperature. Surprisingly, he has learned that his hands are improved by using them for massage, which for a fee he does for other community members. His access to full participation and community life has been enabled by change whereby people with disabilities, such as leprosy, are not isolated or stigmatized. The community buys his products and through his work in massage he has achieved attitudinal change.

Documented in partnership with the MILI


THEIN ZAW JASMINE FARM 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Farm Owner: Mr. Thein Zaw 
Location: Yangon North Province, Myanmar
Product: Guava, jasmine

Another causality of Cyclone Nargis, Mr. Thein Zaw lost his successful agribusiness. He owned plantations of betel leave, mango, guava and watermelon, which used to provide him with a profitable income.
Summary
In November 2010, Mr. Thein Zaw moved to the land where he is currently farming jasmine and guava. Microfinancing from The Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) provided him with land, a house and a loan of MMK 100,000 (USD 117) with 3% interest rate, to be paid back every five months. 

Mr. Thein Zaw has a congenital birth defect of his left hand and foot, but he is still able to manage most of the activities necessary to run the farm. Since 2010, the “Thein Zaw Jasmine Farm” has produce a net profit of MMK 50,000 (USD 58) and this year profits have slightly increased. 

Mr. Thein Zaw faces no attitudinal barriers within his community who buy his products because of the quality and price. Since the cyclone, Mr. Thein Zaw has become heavily involved with a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) program within his village, an area in which he hopes to continue to work.

Documented in partnership with the MILI


MYA LAY TUN GUAVA FARM 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Farm Owner: Mr. Mya Lay Tun
Location: Yangon North Province, Myanmar
Product: Guava, mango, pig

Like many agribusinesses in the area, “The Mya Lay Tun Farm” was severely affected by Cyclone Nargis. The farm used to make an annual profit of MMK 250,000 (USD 294) from the sale of pigs and the same amount again from the sale of guava and vegetables. The livestock was lost in the flooding caused by the cyclone, and it is only in the last two years that the farm profits have begun to regenerate.
Summary
The owner of the farm, Mr. Mya Lay Tun lost his leg in a landmine accident when he was twenty-seven years old. He is now forty-six years old and uses an artificial leg. As with many other low income earners and unemployed, microfinancing enabled him to access financial support. From the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) he received a house, .14 ha of land and a loan of MMK 100,000 (USD 117) at 3% interest rate, paid every five months. He bought piglets, feed and material to construct a pig shelter. In 2009 he started a guava plantation and he sells the fruit along with vegetables to the local community. As his mangos are currently too small to sell, he and his family use them for self-consumption. His physical disability has not inhibited him from caring for his plantations by preparing the land, fertilizing and harvesting; yet in the wet season when the ground is damp his artificial leg makes it difficult to manoeuver. 

For Mr. Mya Lay Tun, pig rearing is a much more manageable business as it doesn’t require him to work on wet and muddy ground. It is also much more profitable. When he has enough capital, Mr. Mya Lay Tun plans to buy a breeding pair of pigs. There are no social barriers for Mr. Mya Lay Tun within his community. In fact he is a member and the voluntary secretary of a Self-Help-Group. The barriers that prevent his full participation in agribusiness are the same as many Myanmar rural dwellers who lost crops, livestock and buildings in Cyclone Nargis. Without financial support, it has been extremely difficult for many of them to reestablish productive businesses.

Documented in partnership with MILI


AUNG THIKEWIM EGGPLANT FARM
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business
Farm Owner: Mr. Aung Thikewin 
Location: Ma U Bin Township, Yangon Region, Myanmar 
Product: Eggplants, guavas, Eugenia flowers, horse tamarind

Mr. Aung Thikewin’s main income is from his eggplant crop. The crop returns a high profit so there are few competitors as it requires a large investment to establish and is easy to damage or destroy. Building on his profit, Mr. Aung Thikewin has diversified and bought a drug store and a barber shop.

Summary
Mr. Aung Thikewin started his business on an area of family land totaling around a hectare in 1998. With family savings he bought seeds for eggplants, guavas, Eugenia flowers and horse tamarinds.  He now has three hundred and fifty eggplants, one hundred guavas trees, one hundred Eugenia trees and five hundred horse tamarind trees. Currently the market is very stable and his average yearly income is around MMK 1.5 million (USD 1,747). Eggplants take around 100 days to mature; they are extremely popular with consumers and make up 75 percent of Mr. Aung Thikewin sales. The crop can be very sensitive and farmers need to know how to manage fertilizer for this crop. Mr. Aung Thikewin uses a combination of organic and chemical fertilizer, depending on the season. The organic fertilizer is used to prepare the land before planting and chemical fertilizer is used one and a half months after planting. Mr. Aung Thikewin’s educated himself about growing eggplants and managing fertilizer by reading books and observing the work of other farmers in village.

As a one year old, Mr. Aung Thikewin’s suffered from polio. Now thirty years of age, he is required to use a crutch to support himself. He used to be responsible for planting, feeding and cleaning the farm. However, now he supervises family members to do the farming while he focuses on the management of the business. This involves the selection of products including seeds and fertilizer, the timing of planting and harvesting, and he is also responsible for selling to the wholesaler at the best price. He is the chairperson of a Self-Help Group, which consists of ninety-two members with disabilities. Currently he is using the profit he makes to fund his sister’s education and help support his parents who are elderly. However, with his excellent managerial skills and his selection of high profit producing, quality crops he hopes to expand his business in the near future.  

Documented in partnership with MILI

##
PHILIPPINES
SM CITY ROSALES PICK AND PAY GARDEN  
Key Details
Business Entity: Corporate Business 
Farm Owner: SM City Rosales
Location: Barangay Camen, Rosales City, Pangasinan, the Philippines
Product: Chicken eggs, chili, eggplants, papaya

In 2009, SM City Rosales launched their “pick and pay” marketing concept, which aims to develop an urban vegetable garden. After three years, it’s partnership with Harbest Agribusiness Corporation, SM Hypermart and Supermarket, and SM Foundation Inc. changed agriculture dramatically, offering a wide array of ideas and practices that constitute the concept of sustainable agriculture.

Summary
SM City Rosales is the first SM supermall in the Ilocos Region. After its opening on the 28 November 2008, the management thought of utilizing the eight thousand m2 vacant lot next to the mall. The idea of a “pick and pay” garden was discussed. With 
the help of Harbest Agribusiness Corporation, approximately two hundred local farmers were trained in a 10-week urban farming course. Due to the success of the program, it was decided to include farmers with disabilities in the training. Harbest Agribusiness supervises the operation of the garden together with the graduates of Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Farmer’s Training Program. Its design was formulated to develop an urban garden in the heart of Rosales city, with the main products grown being papaya, eggplant, chili, and chickens are raised for eggs. 

The produce is sold in three ways: through a weekend morning market which eliminates the wholesaler, keeps produce prices low and increases the farmers’ profits; a “pick and pay” option whereby customers are allowed to do their own harvesting with the cost paid directly to the farmer; direct sales to the SM Supermarket if the produce is of good quality. The SM Program on Disability Affairs (SMPDA) provided the initial materials needed to start up the person with disabilities farming program, such as pumps, hoses, plastics and other elements such as seeds and fertilizers. The farmers with disabilities provided their own farming equipment and the initial start-up cost did not exceed PHP 50,000 (USD 1225). 

SM City Rosales next challenge is to find available land to implement the farming program in SM Malls in other urban areas. SM City Rosales is currently in talks with Harbest to train farmers with disabilities in urban farming techniques such as growing vegetables in pots, along patios and on raisers.  

Documented in partnership with the SM Supermalls
COMMUNITY LIVELIHOOD ADVANCEMENT NETWORK MULTI-PURPOSE COOPERATIVE (CLAN MPC) 
Key Details
Business Chairperson: Mr. Jovencio “Nonoy” Concha
Business Entity: Cooperative
Location: Calamba, Cebu City 6000 Philippines 
Product: Waste management, recycling and fertilizer, crops

The “Community Livelihood Advancement Network Multi-Purpose Cooperative” is a waste management business that buys and sells recyclables, composts organic fertilizer, produces hand bikes to order, grows organic vegetable crops and encourages backyard container gardening. Much of the population in the Philippines now live in urban environments where space is an issue, but growing healthy produce without the use of chemicals and within the urban environment is one of the country’s great challenges. The Cooperative’s focus is to maximize the use of space with the use of constructions such as plant raisers, and to become a model for the other barangays of waste management and recycling processes.  

Summary
The chairperson, Mr. Concha is one of APCD’s trainees and he has since return to his community to run seminars and training on argribusiness for the Federation of Persons with Disabilities in Cebu. He trains organizations and communities of persons with disabilities to build raisers, make organic fertilizer and grow crops such as tomatoes, kangkong, peppers, garlic and chili. The Waste Management Center is supported by local government and a private partner. In 2006, the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) authorized capital of PHP 80,000 (USD 1, 950 ) divided into 1,600 issued shares and in 2012 they authorized PHP 560,000 (USD 13,560 ) divided into 11,200 shares. Currently the amount of capital that has gone into the cooperative is PHP 36,626 (USD 890) for 2800 shares issued at a discount of PHP 103,314 (USD 2,517). DSWS funding has enable the cooperative to lay concrete at the site to allow better access for people in wheel chairs and with mobility issues. Funding also paid for the shredder and composter to establish the organic fertilizer arm of the business. The idea is that the waste management facility will function as a role model for the other twenty-two barangays in Cebu. The Cooperative leases the land where the business is situated for one peso a year from a private sponsor, Mr. Mark Jarnanilla, the owner of the business Happy Soils.

The Waste Management Cooperative has a solid group of customers that includes local organizations and PWD groups, farmers and businesses. The facility is a hive of activity with children bringing in waste metal and plastic, which they are paid for by weight. There are nine people working at the co-operative, and five of them are persons with disabilities. The Chairperson, Mr. Concha, who is fifty-seven, suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident and uses an electric wheel chair. Thirty-seven year old, Mr Arnold Enad, a polio sufferer, also uses a wheel chair and works as the cashier. Mr. Anad had been house bound for thirty-three years until DSWS supplied him with a wheel chair, radically changing his life. He took up the position at the Cooperative and has been working there for six years. Another worker, thirty year old Mr. Abel Desamparado who is deaf, helps sort and categorize the waste materials and teaches other staff sign language. The work involves sorting the organic and hard waste, working the composting and shredding machines and planting. There are still some access issues which need to be addressed for people with wheel chairs in and around the crops. The positive factors are the local government’s identification of the facility as a model of sustainable waste management and recycling. The Cooperative intends expanding the operations in the future to include the introduction of permaculture.

CHARLIE DELITE VEGETABLE FARM 
Key Details
Business Entity: Family business
Business Owner: Mr. Charlie Delite
Location: Talisay City, Cebu, Philippines
Product: Chile, bitter gourd, garlic, kangkong, onion, string beans, tomatoes

Mr. Delite is the owner of a vegetable farm in a mountain barangay of Talissay City. It is a family business passed down from father to son. While Mr. Delite now manages the business, his father still helps him work the land. They grow a range of vegetables, which make up much of the staple diet of families in the Philippines. The most recent harvest of tomatoes produced eight hundred kilograms and when the produce is of a high quality, they save the seeds to plant for the next crop.

Summary
Now thirty-two years of age, Mr. Delite suffered a motorbike accident when he was eighteen, which damaged his hips and spine. While his upper body is strong, his lower limbs are weak and he can no longer plow. With the use of a small stool or by squatting he has adapted the work to his disability and plants, waters, fertilizers and harvests. He grew up in a farming environment and understands the crops and is open to new ideas. The farm is large but Mr. Delite only cultivates .2 ha, which is the average size in the Philippines. The farm is situated in a mountainous barangay in an area where there are approximately twenty other households. 

Through an informal arrangement, the landowning Garces family allows Mr. Delite to farm the land in exchange for 25 percent of the harvest. Mr Delite then sells the rest of the crop directly to local markets and consumers. The crops pay for the support of the family, the production of fertilizer and the collection of seeds for the next crop. His mother is also disabled, having suffered spinal paralysis since giving birth to her third child. Any profits are saved encase either of them require medical attention; therefore it is challenging to expand the farm. Mr. Delite has, however, begun to use organic fertilizer, having learnt about the process through his association with Mr Jovencio “Nonoy” Concha’s Waste Management project in Cebu.  

Documented in partnership with Community Livelihood Advancement Network Multi-Purpose Cooperative




AUTISM RESOURCE CENTER (ARC) 
Key Details
Business Entity: NGO Resource center; enterprise
Owner: Autism Society Philippines (ASP)-Laguna Chapter
Location: Los Baños, Laguna province, Philippines
Product: Paper briquette, basil, cilantro, dayap (local lemon), kamaria leaves, oregano, pandan, serpentina leaves

The main business of the Autism Resource Center (ARC) is the production of paper briquettes, which are an alternative to wood or charcoal for clay stoves or fireplaces. The briquettes are made out of recycled paper that has been soaked, pressed and dried.
Summary
ARC in the town of Los Baños in Laguna province is operated by the Laguna Chapter of Autism Society Philippines (ASP) as an enterprise that aims to offer livelihood training to young adults with autism. While the ARC was established in 1998 by parents of children and young adults with autism, the Autism Resource Center was opened in 2005. Mrs. Mercedes Palad, president of the senior citizens association of Batong Malake village, broached the idea that paper briquettes, which had given a livelihood to senior citizens and low-income residents of the village, could be replicated as a livelihood project for young persons with autism. In July 2009 paper briquette production was launched as part of the “Work, Live and Play Program”, funded by United Parcel Service (UPS). 

Currently twenty-five persons with autism, intellectual disabilities and cerebral palsy are working on paper briquette production. Many of them are also involved in growing of a range of vegetables and medicinal herbs.  There are also six staff members, four mothers and two professionals, who support the Resource Centre. While the group are currently not making profits from their sales of paper briquettes, the ASP Laguna Chapter have been identified by the Philippine’s Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as a good model of employment for persons with autism. While the initial funding for the project came from UPS, funding has also been received from the National Career Development Association and, more recently, from AUSAID. The Canadian International Development Agency has also confirmed that they will provide a fund for this same initiative. 

Documented in partnership with the Autism Society Philippines (ASP) and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), The Philippines


SURE CATCH FISHING PRODUCTS 
Key Details
Business Entity: Cooperative 
Manager: Mr. Mart Benedict Lerma; Mr. Dennis Drake (Founder of IDEA, International Deaf Education Association)
Location: Bool District, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines
Product: Fly fishing lures, squirrel tail treble hooks 

Located on the island of Bohol in the Philippines, “Sure Catch Fishing Products” produces highly specialized fly fishing lures, which are mostly used for catching trout. While the equipment needed to make the flies is inexpensive and simple, the intricate hand tying requires speed and dexterity. Skilled members of the cooperative can earn almost double what most Filipino colleague graduates earn working in shops in the numerous malls found on the islands of the archipelago. 

Summary
According to government statistics, there are around eleven million anglers in the United States and Canada and many of them fly fish for trout. America offers a much greater market than the British Isles, where trout water is mostly on private property. “Sure Catch Fishing Products” has been in business for nine years and sells its specialized products directly to America. There are three permanent employees and thirty-eight women working at the cooperative. Workers spend several weeks in training and, as the business is a cooperative, the women buy their materials in the morning and pay for what they use at the end of the day. The flies are made from a range of materials including feathers, fur, nylon, foam and fishing line. The women are paid by piece and while there is a production quota, it is up to each individual as to how much or how little work they do. Fly tying does not need expensive equipment; really just benches and chairs at which to work, tools including pliers, vice, scissors and bobbins, and the raw materials. What the work does require is concentration and attention to detail. 

The business is organized under the parent NGO Visayas Deaf Livelihood Projects, which is a sister NGO of IDEA Philippines (International Deaf Education Association Philippines). The business occupies the William J Shaw Livelihood Center”, which was donated to IDEA Philippines by the Shaw foundation. Many of the employees are graduates of the Bohol Deaf Academy, which was established in 1985 by Mr. Dennis Drake, an American who originally came to Bohul as part of the Peace Corp. Learning from an associate about an unsuccessful attempt to establish a similar business in Africa, Mr. Drake thought it would be an excellent business for the Deaf Community of Bohul. The factory sells two thousand dozen pieces a month to the American company Yellowstone Fly Goods in Billings, Montana. Three of the employees also work on making squirrel tail treble hooks. They produce ten thousand of these hooks per month for Mepps Lures, an American and French owned company located in Wisconsin, who then attach them to a range of different types of lure products. The packaging, which is made by one of the workers, is also done on the premises. All of the women use sign language to communication with each other, their manager and their trainer; the work place is also fitted with a system of flashing lights to ensure the safety of employees in case of an emergency or fire. While developing new markets is always difficult for businesses, the fish lure factory is currently looking for twelve more staff to fulfill its capacity of fifty positions. 

Documented in partnership with Visayas Deaf Livelihood Projects and IDEA Philippines


##
THAILAND
DISABLED’S AGRICULTURE PRODUCT TRADE ASSOCIATION (DAPT)
Key Details
Business Entity: Farmer’s Association 
Vice President: Mr. Sakorn Aim-Somboon
Location: Rayong Province, Thailand
Product:  Cattle, goats, fish, sheep, turkeys

“Disabled’s Agriculture Product Trade Association (DAPT)” was established by seven leaders with disabilities to demonstrate the “abilities” of persons with disabilities. The Association chose to raise goats and sheep to supply Muslim halal markets. Persons with disabilities and their families work in all areas of farming. Not only has the Association changed the mindset of people in the community, they have become role models for persons with disabilities. Initially, farmers with disabilities in Rayong province began clearing land and constructing animal shelters. They have now expanded their animal husbandry to include raising chickens, cows, fish, pigs and turkeys.

Summary
Research shows that the Asia-Pacific region is home to the largest population of Muslims with around 1,005 million people, representing 62 percent of the world’s Muslim population. The Asian Halal food market has expanded quickly over the past decade and in 2010 it was estimated to be worth USD 418 billion. “DAPT” was established in 2004 and through its Muslim connections exports live goats and sheep to five countries. Ultimately “DAPT” aims to be a model for farmers with disabilities. 
The Association was started with support from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Thailand to raise five hundred female and fifty male goats on approximately six ha. In addition, thirty-five female and four male sheep for a pilot project were provided to Association members. Issues of accessibility were considered by members with disabilities and their families in the design and construction of the animal shelters. The livestock holding has now expanded to 1,300 female and 100 male goats and 256 female and 44 male sheep. “DAPT” is not only a model farm for community people in the Rayong province, it has also been recognized by disabled people’s organizations and government offices from Thailand and other countries including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman and Vietnam. 

Documented in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Thailand

SANAE CHICKEN FARM 
Key Details
Business Entity: Contract Farming with Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group)
Business Owner: Mr. Sanae Thoobhom
Location: Amphoe Muang Phetchabun, Thailand
Product: Chicken eggs

Mr. Sanae Thoobhom began contract farming with the Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) eleven years ago. He has expanded his production to double the size within three and half years, which equates to three rounds of egg laying production.

Summary
Mr. Sanae Thoobhom was a mechanic until he had his right arm amputated after he was in a car accident twenty-five years ago. Initially, he started planting rice and other crops, but his plantation was damaged by a natural disaster. A friend of his started a contract chicken farm and became very successful, which encouraged Mr. Sanae Thoobhom to consider his own enterprise. He borrowed THB 1 million (USD 33 564) for land development to build the chicken shelter and to purchase 10,000 hens under contract with the Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group). He sells his eggs to the CP Group at a contracted price and they in turn provide him with technical support with farm management to ensure high levels of productivity and quality. After paying back his original loan, Mr. Sanae further expanded the farm’s livestock holdings to 20,000 hens purchased with a loan of THB 1.5 million (USD 50,347). Egg-laying hens have a production cycle of 14 months and it took only two rounds of production for Mr. Sanae to pay back the second loan. A laying hen costs THB 119 and CP Group pays THB per 2.25 per egg; the feed costs THB 12 per kilo.

An important element of any kind of chicken farming is sanitation, particularly as chickens are very susceptible to disease. CP has trained Mr. Sanae is a range of biosecurity preventative measures designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases. No one can enter the farm without first undergoing a sterilization process or enter the shelter without donning protective clothing. The CP officer, Mr. Taveekiat Chonphut, visits the farm every week and the farmer reports everyday on his schedule of feeding and vaccinations. The shelter is kept at 26-28 degrees Celsius and there is a built in cooling system that maintains the environment at the correct temperature. CP Group agreed to make a contract with Mr. Sanae due to three main criteria: (1) the isolated location of his farm from the local community; (2) the farm is accessible by road and serviced with water and electricity; (3) a farmer needs financial resources as it cost around THB 3 million (USD 100,700) to start a farm with 10,000 hens. As Mr. Sanae owns his own land and had savings, he had enough collateral to invest in a chicken farm. 

Mr. Sanae is married and has three daughters. With the profits from his farm, the family has opened a grocery store and bought a much larger house. His sister was inspired by his success and has now opened a chicken farm right next door to Mr. Sanae. 

Documented in partnership with the Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group)

KULARB FARM
Key Details
Business Entity: Family Business 
Business Owner: Ms. Kularb Poolkij
Location: Supanburi Province, Thailand
Product: Ducks, fish, pigs, rice, vegetables

While the sales from piglets generate the main income, “Kularb Farm” also produces a variety of other agricultural products such as rice, fish and duck. The most innovative activity, however, is the “pig care service”, which was started in 2011. The service targets persons with disabilities who frequently have funds, but are limited by space and mobility. 

The service works through a minimum purchase of fifty piglets at a price of THB 1,400 (USD 47) per piglet. The cost of feeding each piglet per month is THB 3,500 (USD 117) and there is a medical service cost of THB 500 (USD 17) per piglet per month. The pig investor can make a choice to have the farm raise the piglets for three and half months for slaughter or to raise sows for eight months, when they can then give birth to ten to fifteen  piglets. 

Summary
Ms. Kularb Poolkij grew up in a farming family. She contracted polio at the age of three. With support from her family, she completed primary school and learnt about agribusiness. She didn’t want to work in the city because living costs are too high so she started her own business as a pig wholesaler in 1992. She learnt the business processes and cycles and developed a strong network, which enabled her to realize her business plan. Ms. Kularb Poolkij motto is “I can do everything the same as everyone else”. Unable to secure a bank loan, she saved her profits and the “Kularb Farm” was established in 1996 with an initial investment of THB 4 million (USD 134,259). The investment was mainly used to buy sows and .16 ha of land and to build animal shelters. The farm has expanded to 3 ha of land and now has ducks and a fish pond. Annually, Ms. Kularb Poolkij earns between THB 1.2 million and 2.4 million (USD 40,277-80,555), which is between four to eight times the GDP of Thailand. 

Currently, Ms. Kularb Poolkij employs several workers with disabilities including intellectual disabilities and cerebral palsy. They are trained to work mainly in the production area such as feeding the pigs and cleaning the shelters. She trains her staff by repeatedly showing them how to do a task until they remember how to do it. In the future, she aims to use the farm as a learning center so that persons with disabilities will have an option to work and live at their home. Her hard work in agriculture and with persons with disabilities has been nationally recognized as she was awarded a prize for the “Best Person with Disabilities” in Thailand in 2010.

Documented in partnership with the MSDHS, Thailand


SUK CHICKEN FARM 
Key Details
Business Entity: Contract farming with Betagro Group
Business Owner: Mr. Suk Perasaen
Location: Amphoe Muang Lampang, Thailand
Product:  Broiler chickens

It has been eleven years since Mr. Suk Perasaen started his broiler chicken farm. Four times a year, he works on chicken production as a contract farmer with the Betagro Group. The profits from the farm have enabled him and his wife to educate their two sons in Bangkok, where they now both work.

Summary
After finishing work in the rice fields, Mr. Suk used to go into the forest and collect bamboo and mushrooms. Twenty years ago while out foraging, Mr. Suk picked up a can; it turn out to be a bomb and he lost his hand. After recovering from his injuries he went looking for work, taking any jobs he could find, yet none of them were sustainable. Through a friend who had a successful contract chicken farm with the Betagro Group, Mr. Suk became familiar with the idea of contract farming. Unlike pigs and cattle, he felt that chickens, due to their smaller size, were a manageable option. Twelve years ago, the friend gave Mr. Suk the number of a contact at Betagro, Mr. Prayad Chompoochai. For the Betagro officer, this was his first chicken farm case and his first farmer with disabilities. 

The Betagro Group has two types of contract farming; a business entrepreneur model or a supplier model. Mr. Suk decided to take the first option when running his own business. It takes Mr. Suk forty to forty-five days to complete one cycle of production. The role of the Betagro Group is to dispatch a technical expert to monitor the chicken production, so Mr. Prayad Chompoochai visits the farm every week to give advice on sanitation and vaccines, and to take orders for chicken feed. The minimum price the Betagro Group pays per chicken is TBT 10 (USD 0.34), but Mr. Suk’s stock is of very high quality and he receives between TBT 14-15 (USD 0.47-0.50). High cost, high returns means the farmer bares the cost of the inputs such as rice bran for feed, but he also receives a fixed price for his product in return. In 2004 when there was an outbreak of avian flu and market prices for chickens collapsed, the Betagro Group still paid Mr. Suk the contracted price for 100 percent of his stock.  

The success of the farm is due to Mr. Suk’s excellent farm management skills, including his feeding techniques and diligent attention to the temperature control of the chicken’s environment and to sanitation. It costs him around THB 700,000 (USD 23,530) per production cycle and sales return THB 800,000 (USD 26,891), so he makes a gross profit of THB 100,000 (USD 3,361) per cycle. Mr. Suk’s wife supports him in this endeavor as the chicken farm enables him to work at home and have sustainable employment. His wife and his wife’s sister work with him on the farm where they also breed cat fish and grow onions and garlic for subsistence. They have a rice field, but as they do not own a mill the rice is sold and rice bran is bought from the Betagro Group to feed the chickens.

Documented in partnership with Betagro Group


SUAN NAM RIN SHOP and FARM
Key Details
Business Owner: Mr. Cherawat Laowan
Business Entity: Family Business 
Location: Hangdong, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Product:  Banana, casava, longan, lychee, rice

Mr. Cherawat Laowan runs his own shop and has been farming since 1992. With support from the Community Enterprise organization, he receives information on agriculture products and the state of the market. This relevant information enables him to decide what crops to plant, so as to ensure a good market return.

Summary
Mr. Cherawat Laowan, who is blind, manages to his own supply shop as well as running a farm. The shop sells farm supplies including fertilizer, pesticide, seeds and agriculture equipment. His farm occupies 5.6 ha and currently he is cultivating a rice field, as well as banana, casava, longan and lychee crops. The market situation is extremely important when making decisions about particular crops to plant. The height of a crop, particularly when it comes to fruit bearing crops, is also a key factor for Mr. Cherawat Laowan. As he is his blind, his sense of touch is extremely important. He needs to be able to touch the leaves and trunks of the trees to check their health, and he also needs to be able to reach the fruit to harvest. He is one of the founders of Community Enterprise, and the organization plays an important role in the expansion of his business.  

Documented in partnership with Community Enterprise



EAST-WEST SEED GROUP / HORTIGENETICS RESEARCH (S.E.ASIA) LIMITED
Key Details
Business Entity: Corporate Business 
Business Owner: East-West Seed Group/Hortigenetics Research (S.E.Asia) Ltd.
Location: Mae Faek, San Sai, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Product: Tropical vegetable seeds

With more than thirty years of experiences, East-West Seed Group/Hortigenetics Research (S. E. Asia) Ltd. focuses on productive tropical vegetable crops such as solananceous (tomato, pepper, eggplant) and cucurbits (cucumber, bitter gourd, pumpkin). The business research activities include plant breeding, plant pathology, biotechnology-molecular genetics, cell biology, foundation seed and farm operations.


Summary
As the country base of East-West Seed Group, the business has three key functions: marketing, seed supply and research and development (R & D). There are seed dealers in almost all provinces in Thailand, which the company has as their primary customer. The dealers then sell to small and individual farmers and to professionals who have the correct technologies. There are two-hundred and fifty employees, among whom there are two staff members with disabilities. Thirty-nine year old, Ms. Sompech Piyabutr works in the Plant Breeding Department. She has more than twenty years of experience and her job includes pollination and seed selection. When she was around two years of age, she fell from a ladder and damaging her leg. She has since been unable to balance on her leg and has mobility issue. Mr. Kamon Khankhai, who is fifty years old, works in the Farm Operation Department, and has had a physical disability since he was five years old. He has been working for fourteen years and he is in charge of spraying, fertilizing and growing plants.

There is no clear difference in the recruitment cost regarding the employment of staff with disabilities. All employees receive equitable wages and a health program is provided once a year to ensure they are informed about health management.


##
VIETNAM
OANH PIG FARM 
Key Details
Business Entity:  Family business
Business Owner: Ms. Nguyen Thi Kin Oanh 
Location: Bao Loc City, Lam VND Province, Vietnam
Product:  Pigs, dry mushroom, orchid, artificial trees,

The “Oanh Pig Farm” used to have one hundred pigs until two years ago when only one sow survived an illness that killed the animals within a week. Determined to survive this economic tragedy, the owner of the farm, Ms. Oanh bought two more sows with her savings. The local pharmacist taught her how to artificially insemination them and she now breeding and sells piglets for meat and stock.

Summary
As a four year old, Ms.Oanh suffered from polio, which left her lower body disabled. She is now fifty-six years of age and began raising pigs fifteen years ago. As a member of a women’s association, she received credit from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) to start her business. She invested VDN 200 million (USD 9,600) to build a shelter and VDN 120 million (USD 5,800) to buy twenty sows. A sow can be impregnated at around eight months, the pregnancy lasts two months and twenty-four days and a sow will give birth to ten to fifteen piglets at a time. Ms. Oanh kept her surviving sow and the two she bought with her savings for breeding purposes. Currently, she also has eight piglets. She sells the piglets at six weeks for stock, and at three and half months for meat. For two small piglets she receives around VDN 1.6 million (USD 77), whereas a large pig will fetch anywhere between VDN 3-4 million (USD 145-190). She buys food and medicines and her work includes feeding the pigs, cleaning their shelter, giving them medicine and delivering the piglets. 

Ms. Oanh used to have to crawl on the floor due to her physical disability, but she was determined to find a device to help her walk. The usual crutches, walking sticks or small chairs used by many persons with disabilities did not fulfill her needs, so four years ago she asked a local carpenter to make her a personalized walking stick, which would enable her to easily and quickly move forward and backward. The device is made of wood and costs around VND 100,000 (USD 48). Initially, she found the device broke easily so she requested that the carpenter secure a metal pipe at the bottom of the device, padded with car tire rubber to protect the wood and reduce sound and a tendency to slip. She also has a second hand, three wheeled motorbike to drive close to home, but she has to be careful as the roads are very rough. She acquired a motorbike, which cost VDN 12 million (USD 575) and had an extra wheel added which brought the total outlay to VDN 22million (USD 1050). She sells her piglets to a wholesaler who gives her a good price and who affectionately calls her “The Lady with Three Legs”. These days her greatest concern is ensuring her stock remains healthy as pigs are susceptible to disease, so she is meticulous in her care and cleaning of the animals, their shelter and feeding area.

Documented in partnership with 
Center for Research and Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CED)
TINH TRUC GIA (TTG), PEACEFUL BAMBOO FAMILY
Key Details
Business Entity:  Private Non-Profit Organization 
Contact: Mr. Pham Van Tu, Director of TTG (Vietnam)
Location: Hue City, Vietnam 
Product: Arts and crafts, organic and biodynamic agriculture, food processing

“TTG” is a vocational training center, a community, and a workplace for youths with intellectual disabilities. The Center has vegetable and fruit gardens where students learn about organic and biodynamic agriculture as they work. The produce partially serves the community, as well as being processed into preserves, jam, juice, tea and ice cream, which are then sold to hotels and customers. Workshops have a dual purpose insuring the youth receive training, while also producing arts and crafts for sale.

Summary
While “TTG” began as a vocational training center for youth with intellectual disabilities, the Foundation wanted to strive towards financial autonomy for the Centre and decided to develop income generating projects within the training set up. The foundation had some land and invested further in order to develop an organic agricultural project. “TTG” then began running a pilot project for local authorities interested in biodynamic agriculture for the province. The initial investment required to buy the land, build the training center and sponsor the youth was VND 10.4 billion (USD 500,000). As the only grower of organic products in Hue City, “TTG” has a niche market and is attracting more and more customers including the tourist industry. In the last three years, however, the Center has only managed to generate enough income to cover its running costs. In fact, every month parents contribute between VND 31,250 and VND 1 million (USD 15-50) to support the training center. Therefore “TTG” is unable to advance the financial situation of its youth, although it does greatly enhance their life experience through training and life skills programs. 

“TTG” considers the biodynamic garden a pioneering project viewing itself as a model for others who are environmentally conscious and who wish to create an ecological environment. To continue to expand, however, the foundation needs to develop more work opportunities and attract more sales. 

Documented in partnership with Eurasia Foundation


PHU HOA COOPERATIVE (PIGEON FARM) 
Key Details
Business Entity: Phu Hoa Cooperative
Manager of the Pigeon Farm: Mr. Nguyen Khac Quy
Location: Ap Hoe Hopa, Xa Bao Hoa, Xuan Loc City, Dong Nai Province 
Product: Pigeons, fish, melon and rabbits

The “Phu Hoa Cooperative” runs a range of agribusinesses including a fish farm, a melon crop and a pigeon farm. It is the only Cooperative in Vietnam established and run by persons with disabilities. Each member has a share in the Cooperative and chooses to work on businesses which are suitable to their specific situation. One innovative choice of the Cooperative was to farm pigeons, which are far less susceptible to disease than chickens and pigs. 
Summary
The “Phu Hoa Cooperative” is situated in the Dong Nai Province in the eastern part of South Vietnam. There are forty-two members and 90 percent of them are physically disabled. The President Mr. Pham Trung Toan says that each member pays Cooperative membership fees, which then allows them to buy materials from the Cooperative to use in their businesses. They are paid at the end of each day and reimbursed for their outlays in exchange for a receipt. A system of motivation exists for shareholders whereby everyone shares the risks and problems, but also the benefits. At the end of each financial year, the profits are shared amongst the members. The Cooperative maintains all record keeping for each business, which can then be used to analyze and assess performance. The pigeon farm has now been running for a year. Building the pigeon shelter cost VND 10 million (USD 480) and stocking it with forty pigeons cost VND 6 million (USD 288). Another Cooperative business is the fish farm, which has only been running for three months. The fish pond was already available on the land and the Cooperative supplied funds to stock the pond with surface feeding catla at a cost of VDN 5 million (USD 240). 

Generally the Cooperative initiates a business and then transfers the required knowledge to individual members to run it. Sixty-one year old Mr. Nguyen Khac Quy, who has a VDN 2 million (USD 96) share in the Cooperative, was trained to manage the pigeon farm and the everyday care of the stock. When he was twenty-six he had his leg’s amputated due to a blood disease. He manages all his daily work activities with the use of two small chairs and he uses a tricycle to move around outside the farm. The pigeons are either sold when they are a month old as squab to restaurants or at five to six months old for breeding stock. Pigeon farming has proved to be one of the most profitable and successful business that the Cooperative runs. The stock is less susceptible to disease than chickens and easy to care for, which makes pigeon farming an excellent agribusiness in which people with disabilities can work.

Documented in partnership with the CED and Handicap International Vietnam


CONG TY TNHH NTRUNG COMPANY (LTD.) 
Key Details
Business Entity: Company (Ltd.) 
Manager: Mr. Nghiem
Location: Danang, Vietnam
Product: Advertisement products, banners, leaflets, silk screen printing 


By providing high quality products and efficient service, the “Cong Ty Tnhh Ntrung Company” has built a solid group of customers including the Danang Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA), Dacotex Company and local farmers. The company’s monthly revenue is between VND 50 million and 60 million (USD 2,500- 3,000), half of which is profit.

Summary
In 2005, Mr. Nghiem established his printing business with three other people. He now employs eleven staff, five of whom have physical disabilities, three others are deaf and one has intellectual disabilities. The employees are involved in a range of activities including design, frame-making and stenciling. Some of the challenges faced by the company are the difficulties involved in training people with disabilities for their particular jobs, an increasingly competitive market and the cost of quality equipment. The company would like to buy a color printer machine, but currently the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies is the only bank in the area willing to loan money to persons with disabilities. However, loans are only given when the applicant has an existing mortgage or collateral. The company’s reputation is based on “word of mouth”, yet Mr. Nghiem would like to expand the operation. One of the most positive outcomes of the business is the way in which working for the company inspires people with disabilities to develop independent living skills and self-sufficiency.

Documented in partnership with the Disabled Person Organization of Danang City (DPO-DA NANG)




HUNG COFFEE AND TEA FARM
Key Details
Business Entity:  Family business
Farm Owner: Mr. Ngo Tai Hung
Location: Bao Loc City, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam
Product:  Coffee, green tea, fish, vegetables, betel leave, chicken

“Hung Coffee and Tea Farm” is situated in the famous tea growing area of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. In 1980, Mr. Ngo Tai Hung cleared 1.2 ha of mountainous land to develop a green tea plantation. Approximately six years ago, persuaded by the high profits gained from coffee bean sales, Mr. Ngo Tai Hung decided to develop a plantation. Unlike many other farmers who cut down their tea bushes to plant coffee, he kept his green tea plantation. This strategy has ensured that through diversification he has a sustainable operation, with increasing profits. 

Summary
Approximately 50% of Mr. Ngo Tai Hung’s land is dedicated to coffee and the rest to tea production. He also has a fish pond, raises chickens, and grows betel leaf and vegetables to sustain his family. Previously a driver for a road construction company, he was shot in 1978 and had his right arm amputated. His right leg received a gunshot wound, which also caused him problems with mobility. Since becoming disabled, Mr. Ngo Tai Hung’s, who is fifty-one years of ages, has had some difficulties working in his plantation, especially during harvest. Using a range of tools and with support from his community, he has overcome these barriers. Mr. Ngo Tai Hung learnt about growing coffee from other local farmers, and he now employs people to help cut the tree branches and lift heavy objects, when he is unable to manage. 

In 1981, he married and his energetic and enthusiastic approach to life has enabled him be a successful ‘bread winner’ for his family. While green tea is sold to a wholesaler all year round, Mr. Ngo Tai Hung harvests his coffee beans in October and sells them to a wholesaler in December. The “Hung Coffee and Tea Farm” annual income is VND 200 million (USD 9600) for coffee sales and VDN 72 million (USD 3455) for green tea. Outgoing costs include VND 500,000 (USD 25) for fertilizer per year and VND 10 million (USD 480 ) for wages for two to three people to work for two months during the coffee harvest period. While Mr. Ngo Tai Hung has no plans to expand his property as all the land around him is occupied, he is always looking for ways to improve his business. The price of fertilizer has increased so he supplements his plantation with organic fertilizer. He learnt how to make organic fertilizer through listening to a radio program on agribusiness and now produces his own using the waste products from the coffee bean harvest and chicken dung.

Documented in partnership with CED


BAMBOO BANA LTD.
Key Details
Business Entity: Ltd Company owned by the Blind Assembly Danang
Director: Mr. Tran Viet Linh
Location: Hoa Cuong Bac Ward, Hai Chau, Da Nang, Viet Nam 
Product: Chopsticks, toothpicks, skewers 

The “Bamboo Danang Ltd. Company” was established in 2012 and produces a limited range of high demand bamboo products. This successful business cornered the wholesale market for bamboo products in the seven provinces surrounding Danang, and it also exports products to Malaysia and Taiwan.

Summary
The Northern and Highland regions of Central Vietnam are major areas for one of the country’s traditional agribusinesses—bamboo production. “Bamboo Danang Ltd. Company” purchases around three hundred metric tons of bamboo per month from the Quảng Nam and the Kon Tum Province. Bamboo is extremely economical for the bulk production of chopsticks, skewers and toothpicks. Seventy percent of the bamboo the company purchases is used to make chopsticks, 20 percent goes to making toothpicks and the rest is used to make skewers resulting in monthly sales of VDN 1.2 billion (approximately USD 60,000). 

As a business “Bamboo Danang Ltd. Company” has an interesting evolution. In the Danang Province of Vietnam there are around seven hundred persons with disabilities and four hundred of them are blind. The Blind Assembly Danang was established more than twenty years ago to support persons with disabilities, particularly those living in the area. In 1997, the Assembly created a vocational center focused on training persons with disabilities, specifically for employment. In 2000, the bamboo stationary business was developed with an initial investment of VDN 80 million (USD 4,000). In 2012, based on the success of the business, the Assembly decided to set up the “Bamboo Danang Ltd Company”, with an investment of VDN 300 million (USD 14,500). Currently the business employs sixty-nine staff members, twenty-four of whom have disabilities. Fifteen of the employees are blind, and the other nine have a range of physical disabilities. The director, Mr. Tran Viet Linh, who is also blind, notes that the needs of the market and the strategy of producing high demand products at a competitive price has helped to ensure the company’s success. 

One of the challenges to finding employment for persons with disabilities is to find suitable materials, environments and tasks. Bamboo is an excellent choice of material to work with, as it is light and easy to manage for those with physical disabilities and it is has a clear, crisp sound for people who are blind. While the work is hard, the material is cheap to buy and the high levels of production result in good dividends. The company’s decision to team people who are blind with those who have physical disabilities enabled the elimination of many obstructions within the working environment. This mutually advantageous working relationship has created a harmonious environment that produces large quantities of products at low costs, while still ensuring quality control. 

Documented in partnership with the Blind Assembly Danang and the DPO-DA NANG


ANHKIM FARM 
Key Details
Business Entity:  Family business
Business Owner - Ms. Vu Thi Nguyet Anh
Location: Bao Loc City, Lam VND Province, Vietnam
Product:  Butterfly farm, , butterfly art, handicraft

Ms. Vu Thi Nguyet Anh raises butterflies; she uses whole specimens for collections and butterfly wings to create art. Vietnamese butterfly art is well known, but the work done at “AnhKim farm” is unique in that it only uses butterflies and no other materials.  
Summary
Ms. Vu Thi Nguyet Anh, who is thirty-three years of age, studied veterinary science, but is unable to practice due to physical disabilities caused by her having suffered polio. Initially inspired by her father, who has a silk business and breeds silk worms for weaving, she decided that butterflies would be easier to manage. In 1999, she caught butterflies in the family’s garden and began raising them using plastic to contain them. The plastic was cheap but broke easily, so she started gradually building more secure enclosures. The “AnhKim Farm” currently employs six staff members who work on butterfly art and other handicrafts. 

The business’s uniqueness is part of its economic value and low production costs further enhance its success. The butterfly art and collections are available for sale at “AnhKim Farm”, local shops and at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Through networking with friends, family and teachers from local schools and colleges and the communities, Ms. Vu Thi Nguyet Anh has created a solid market for her products. She has received media coverage and tourists seek out her arts and handicrafts. Through Ebay, she has also sold works to Europe, but she found the transport costs were prohibitive. 

Ms. Vu Thi Nguyet Anh has little competition due to the uniqueness of her product and “AnhKim Farm” has an average income of between about VND 300 and 400 million (USD 14,450- 20,000). Butterfly collections are more popular than butterfly art, yet in the last couple of years demands for handicrafts have decreased due to the worsening economic situation.

Documented in partnership with the CED

HOPE CENTER
Key Details
Business Entity:  Business for Social Purposes
Vice Director - Nguyen Thi Hong 
Location: Hue City, Vietnam 
Product:  Garments, handicraft products

Established in 1999, the mission of the “Hope Center” is to create a better life for adults and children with disabilities and for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Supplying top quality uniforms to schools and hospitals for over twelve years has been the mainstay of the organization. In the last six years, creative artisans have added handmade baskets, bowls, picture frames, hand mirrors and a range of merchandise made from traditional hand-woven A Luoi fabric to the production line. Every year, the revenue increases between 20-25%. In 2010, the Center’s net profit was VDN 900 million (USD 43,200), by 2012 it had increased to VND 1.35 billion (USD 64,825).

Summary
The hard working tailors and artisans have made the Center a success through sales and vocational training programs aimed at both persons with disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Some of the students the Centre has trained now work in the best tailor and handicraft shops in the Hue area. At the Center, fifty children with a range of disabilities are also involved in making environmentally friendly products using recycled materials including phone line wire, bamboo wrapping and recycled paper. The Center is astutely managed with a comprehensive three year strategic plan and an annual action plan which includes promotion and marketing. The Center considers the continued production of quality products as well as competitive pricing a priority, and has developed solid customer relations with its clientele including the non-government organizations Craft Link and Mai Handicraft. 

The initial investment required to start the Center was VND 200 million (USD 10,000), loaned from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies with a mortgage from the provincial authority. While profits have increased, some issues that have affected the Center’s financial situation in recent years are the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), fluctuations in the prices of raw materials and increasing competition from similar enterprises. One of the main objectives of the “Hope Center” is to develop life skills, careers and independence for people with disabilities; however, the Center faces challenges in finding suitable work for teenagers and young adults with disabilities after they have attended vocational training. As the majority of persons with physical disabilities wish to work from home, they need to be extremely well-trained. The Center’s current success lies in the quality of its products, and its environmentally friendly profile; however to continue to thrive, the business needs to expand and seek out new markets and job opportunities for its trainees.  
LUAT COFFEE FARM 
Key Details  
Business Entity:  Family business
Farm Owner - Mr. Vu Van Luat
Location: Loc Phat District, Bao Loc City, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam 
Product:  Coffee, tea, avocado, durian

“Luat Coffee Farm” is taking a progressive and sustainable approach to agribusiness by introducing organic fertilizer and applying grafting techniques to increase productivity. The business owner Mr. Vu Van Luat learnt about grafting from government experts and implemented the technique on his plantation as grafted trees can produce six tons per hectare, a third more than a standard harvest.  

Summary
As a young man, Mr. Vu Van Luat worked for his family in their tea factory in the famous tea growing area of Lam Dong Province. Now sixty years of age, Mr.Vu Van Luat has a paralyzed leg having been shot in 1972 during the war. Thirty years ago, he started a tea farm with 4 ha of land but then sold it to buy 2 ha of a coffee plantation hoping to increase profits. It takes three years before you can begin harvesting coffee and during this period Mr. Vu Van Luat educated himself through speaking to other plantation owners in his community and to experts at the local government office. Initially he worked alone on the coffee plantation and built his home there, managing well despite his physical disability. Later, he expanded his operations and rented another 6 ha of coffee plantation. Finding it too much to handle, Mr. Vu Van Luat decided to engaged the support of his five sons and employed five community people to help with the harvest. 

The “Luat Coffee Farm” now consists of 8 ha of land with one third devoted to tea and the rest devoted to three types of coffee beans. A small section of the land is also used for growing avocado and durian for self-consumption. Harvesting and selecting the coffee beans is done by hand and the beans are then dried by machine. The quality of fertilizer is important and it can be very expensive as it is an imported product. Half of the sales revenue goes towards paying for fertilizer and this is one of the reasons why Mr. Vu Van Luat has begun making and using organic fertilizer. Labor costs during the harvest period from October to mid-December are approximately VDN 200,000 (USD 9.50) per person a month. Tea which is regularly harvested produces revenue of VDN 1.5 million (USD 72 ) every two weeks, while the annual coffee profits total VDN 3 billion (USD 145,150). Currently the price of coffee beans is relatively stable and the stability of prices means a regular livelihood, so Mr. Vu Van Luat plans to expand the plantation in the near future. 

Documented in partnership with the CED



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