Ecolink

Context

• Organic foods are currently not very popular in Vietnam because they are priced at a premium, and because local consumers are not fully-informed of the health benefits / valid accreditations, and have a preference for inorganic foods
• 49% of Vietnam’s employed population works in agriculture
• Organic farming’s more stringent techniques are time-consuming to follow, resulting in products priced 1.5-3 times higher than conventional products
• This makes it more difficult to convince farmers to make the switch to organic farmer in the short-run

Solution

• Ecolink promotes organic produce accreditation and sells Vietnamese-grown organic tea and other produce both domestically and abroad
• Ecolink sources its products through a network of ethnic minority farmers in remote regions of Vietnam to whom they provide training in globally accepted organic farming techniques with the aim of gaining official accreditation

Impact depth

• Ecolink aims to increase the awareness and therefore improve the long term health of consumers. Professional accreditation increases consumer awareness and trust in organic products
• Organic farming provides long term environmental benefits and sustainable livelihoods

Ecolink contributes to:

• Increased household income: Farmer families increase their income due to improved market access
• Improved farming knowledge: Farming groups are trained in organic farming techniques and earn accreditation
• Improving living standard of Base of Pyramid (BoP): Tea growing areas in the Northwest where ethnic minority farmers and large percentage of the BoP population lives