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LESSONS FROM HELVETAS
MORE THAN 12 YEARS OF PROMOTING ORGANIC FARMING IN LAO PDR
The starting point - PROFIL
Project Duration: 2004-2007 (Phase I) 2008-2011 (Phase II)
Project areas: Vientiane Capital, Champasak,
Bolikhamxay and Xiengkhouang Provinces
Project Title: Promotion of Organic Farming in Laos
Funded by: Helvetas (own funds)
Happel Foundation
Implementation agencies: HELVETAS Laos
Department of Agriculture (DoA)
Key activities: Establish organic standards for Laos
Develop certification capacity
Farmer training and group development
Establish organic farmer market
PROFIL - What worked
• Market became “place to be
seen” for elite
• Raised awareness of organic
and sustainable agriculture
issues by key decision makers
• Gave momentum to capacity
and institutional development
• Continued to function after
project support ended
• Expanded in size, frequency
and eventually to additional
locations
• Inspired similar initiatives in
other places
Sustainable Model
Influence on Policy makers
Latest efforts - LURAS
Project Duration: 2014-2017 (Phase I) 2017-2021 (Phase II)
Project Title: Lao Upland Rural Advisory Service
Activity OUD XK LFN
ICS certification training ✓
Establishing local market outlet ✓ ✓
Community managed small infrastructure ✓ ✓
Farmer-to Farmer (F2F) training and
exchanges
✓ ✓ ✓
Residue testing ✓ ✓
Business-matching / connections ✓ ✓
Facilitation of production planning ✓
Organic Vegetable activities supported by LURAS 2015- 2017
Implementation agencies: HELVETAS Laos
Dept of Agric Extension and Coops (DAEC),
PAFOs, Lao Farmer Network (LFN)
LURAS - What worked
• Greatly increased evidence of
contamination of the Lao food
system
• Links between agriculture,
health, education and
commerce now being explored
• PAFO Oudomxay has ability to
certify groups with ICS
• Two PAFOs are able to carry
out basic testing (eg. GT test
kits for pesticide residues)
• Establishment of organic outlet
within existing wet market
Local capacity building
Making food safety a cross
cutting issue
What are we learning?
A key issue is trust
• Trust between producers and consumers
• And trust between those two groups and value chain intermediaries
such as vegetable traders and retailers
• Without this trust organic farmers will not get premiums
A key question is how to create and sustain trust?
• In Helvetas experience, trust arose from direct interaction between
farmers and consumers, ie. ‘talk & touch’
• But it was assumed that certification was needed for scaling up
• Next question: does certification generate sufficient trust?
Some challenges
• Traders are mixing produce, so that the
benefits of certification are lost
• Even with a farmers market, premiums for
organic vegetables are not sufficient to
cover the cost of re-certification
• The lack of an independent certifying
body may create doubts about the
integrity of the system
• There is a lack of reliable testing facilities
in Laos
• Evidence from elsewhere in the region
suggests that proliferation of food
standards is confusing, and labels can’t
always be trusted
• Other systems of certification – eg Fair
Trade Laos – have failed. Why?
Something to consider
Maybe provenance is more important than certification
• Consumers want to know where a product came from, who produced
it, and what their affiliations are. This knowledge generates trust.
• The details are important. People and places can’t be reduced to an
abstract assessment of quality.
Maybe stories are more important than standards
• Helvetas is also working with coffee in Laos. When we look at the
experience of Sinouk, Jhai or Saffron, we see they have given more
attention to brand identity and customer relations than to any system
of certification.
• Also with coffee globally, we see a rise in single origin products.
• These companies don’t want to sell a standard product, they can
charge more by selling a unique product!
A final call for action
We need to save the flagship!
• The organic farmers market in Vientiane was the first in Laos and it
continues to have huge symbolic importance
• Some farmers have dropped out because it is not financially viable
• The authorities have allowed commercial traders to participate. Are
they organic?
• The issue of the venue is also unresolved after years of lobbying by
the farmers
If this market doesn’t survive...
• If farmers give up because they can’t get a decent premium...
• If consumers lose trust in what they are buying...
• ... it will be a major setback for the development of the organic
sector in Laos.
Lessons from Helvetas: more than 12 years of promoting organic farming in Lao PDR

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Lessons from Helvetas: more than 12 years of promoting organic farming in Lao PDR

  • 1. LESSONS FROM HELVETAS MORE THAN 12 YEARS OF PROMOTING ORGANIC FARMING IN LAO PDR
  • 2. The starting point - PROFIL Project Duration: 2004-2007 (Phase I) 2008-2011 (Phase II) Project areas: Vientiane Capital, Champasak, Bolikhamxay and Xiengkhouang Provinces Project Title: Promotion of Organic Farming in Laos Funded by: Helvetas (own funds) Happel Foundation Implementation agencies: HELVETAS Laos Department of Agriculture (DoA) Key activities: Establish organic standards for Laos Develop certification capacity Farmer training and group development Establish organic farmer market
  • 3. PROFIL - What worked • Market became “place to be seen” for elite • Raised awareness of organic and sustainable agriculture issues by key decision makers • Gave momentum to capacity and institutional development • Continued to function after project support ended • Expanded in size, frequency and eventually to additional locations • Inspired similar initiatives in other places Sustainable Model Influence on Policy makers
  • 4. Latest efforts - LURAS Project Duration: 2014-2017 (Phase I) 2017-2021 (Phase II) Project Title: Lao Upland Rural Advisory Service Activity OUD XK LFN ICS certification training ✓ Establishing local market outlet ✓ ✓ Community managed small infrastructure ✓ ✓ Farmer-to Farmer (F2F) training and exchanges ✓ ✓ ✓ Residue testing ✓ ✓ Business-matching / connections ✓ ✓ Facilitation of production planning ✓ Organic Vegetable activities supported by LURAS 2015- 2017 Implementation agencies: HELVETAS Laos Dept of Agric Extension and Coops (DAEC), PAFOs, Lao Farmer Network (LFN)
  • 5. LURAS - What worked • Greatly increased evidence of contamination of the Lao food system • Links between agriculture, health, education and commerce now being explored • PAFO Oudomxay has ability to certify groups with ICS • Two PAFOs are able to carry out basic testing (eg. GT test kits for pesticide residues) • Establishment of organic outlet within existing wet market Local capacity building Making food safety a cross cutting issue
  • 6. What are we learning? A key issue is trust • Trust between producers and consumers • And trust between those two groups and value chain intermediaries such as vegetable traders and retailers • Without this trust organic farmers will not get premiums A key question is how to create and sustain trust? • In Helvetas experience, trust arose from direct interaction between farmers and consumers, ie. ‘talk & touch’ • But it was assumed that certification was needed for scaling up • Next question: does certification generate sufficient trust?
  • 7. Some challenges • Traders are mixing produce, so that the benefits of certification are lost • Even with a farmers market, premiums for organic vegetables are not sufficient to cover the cost of re-certification • The lack of an independent certifying body may create doubts about the integrity of the system • There is a lack of reliable testing facilities in Laos • Evidence from elsewhere in the region suggests that proliferation of food standards is confusing, and labels can’t always be trusted • Other systems of certification – eg Fair Trade Laos – have failed. Why?
  • 8. Something to consider Maybe provenance is more important than certification • Consumers want to know where a product came from, who produced it, and what their affiliations are. This knowledge generates trust. • The details are important. People and places can’t be reduced to an abstract assessment of quality. Maybe stories are more important than standards • Helvetas is also working with coffee in Laos. When we look at the experience of Sinouk, Jhai or Saffron, we see they have given more attention to brand identity and customer relations than to any system of certification. • Also with coffee globally, we see a rise in single origin products. • These companies don’t want to sell a standard product, they can charge more by selling a unique product!
  • 9. A final call for action We need to save the flagship! • The organic farmers market in Vientiane was the first in Laos and it continues to have huge symbolic importance • Some farmers have dropped out because it is not financially viable • The authorities have allowed commercial traders to participate. Are they organic? • The issue of the venue is also unresolved after years of lobbying by the farmers If this market doesn’t survive... • If farmers give up because they can’t get a decent premium... • If consumers lose trust in what they are buying... • ... it will be a major setback for the development of the organic sector in Laos.