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International Partnerships

Improving the herbal medicine value chain in Vietnam

Northern provinces in Vietnam, such as Yen Bai, have great potential in precious herbs. However, due to excessive herb exploitation, various types of herbs have become endangered or even extinct. On top of that, connecting herb-planting farmers and companies has been difficult. To tackle this challenge, the Yen Bai Centre for Development of Science Technology and Community Health Care has implemented a project to improve governance in herbal medicine value chain in the Districts of Yen Binh and Van Yen.

Since joining the project our family has earned better income. The reason why we changed from planting rice to solanum procumbens is that the latter one provides higher income.

Mr Ha Manh Thang

As part of the project, training and experience-sharing sessions on business conduct and corporate social responsibility between officials, consultants from the Yen Bai Centre, cooperating stakeholders and the project managers have been held frequently. Participants have discussed planting and harvesting, food safety, purchase process and product quality. As a result, business practices and corporate social responsibility of the firms and members of herbal medicine value chain have improved.

We are planting liverleaf following the method we learned from the project’s consultants when they visited our area. At present, we have registered and planted 1 000 liverleaf trees.

Mr Hoang Ngoc Tu

“We are planting liverleaf following the method we learned from the project’s consultants when they visited our area. At present, we have registered and planted 1 000 liverleaf trees”, Mr Hoang Ngoc Tu explains. Mr Pham Van Hung says that liverleaf is planted under the forest canopy, and that no pesticides are used, only composted cattle manure, which is an organic fertiliser.

“It is a disadvantage for people when they are not trained or informed about planting techniques and standards. The project has made efforts to train the households all planting techniques to produce the best liverleaf products”, says Mr Sam Van Nua, Vice Director of Lung Lo Cooperative.

About the project

Improved Governance in Herbal Value Chain was a project promoting the contribution of civil society organisations to enhance governance in herbal medicine value chain in Yen Binh and Van Yen Districts in Vietnam. The project ran from 2017 to 2022 and received most of its funding from the European Union.