Prosperity Initiative has begun a follow up survey to its 2007 assessment of the local bamboo industry's impact on poverty in Thanh Hoa, Viet Nam. The 2007 survey involved interviews with 210 farming households and 82 collectors and traders as well as subsequent in depth interviews with selected farmers, bamboo workshop owners and workers.

The follow up survey will follow a similar format and is visiting the same 210 farmers, plus the collectors and traders to whom they sell bamboo. In addition, households who have ‘split' off from the original 210 farmers will be tracked, a new commune (community) level questionnaire will be used, and the GPS coordinates of all farmers, collectors, traders and commune facilities will be collected.

Throughout March, Prosperity Initiative conducted the first phase of field work for the follow up survey, including the first round of interviews with 99 farmers, 33 collectors/traders and 13 communes in Quan Hoa and Ba Thuoc districts throughout Thanh Hoa. The remaining interviews will be carried out between mid-April and early May in the same two districts.

The survey questionnaires and instruments have been designed and tested by Prosperity Initiative's Impact Team. The seven member survey team led by Prosperity Initiative is drawn from our local partners, including staff from local organisations Hadeva and CRD.

The second phase of field work will begin in mid- April in Ba Thuoc and Lanh Chanh districts followed by in depth interviews with selected individuals. Prosperity Initiative expects to complete the follow up survey by the end of May 2009. Another series of in depth qualitative interviews with selected participants in the bamboo supply chain will also be carried out over the summer.