Assainment on Bolaven Farms
Bolaven Farms
Introduction
Bolaven Farms grows, mills and retails high quality coffee from the Bolaven Plateau in Southern Lao PDR. It defines itself as a ‘privately owned, biotic diversified, beyond Fair Trade Organic farming business. The enterprise is aiming for a ‘sustainable model that builds and manages the entire supply chain for premium coffee, offering consumers quality products that are beyond just paying fair prices and traceable produce of organic cultivation’1. This involves a resident farmers programme to build the skills and capacity of the local farmers and then ensure a fair price for what they produce. Bolaven Farms main market for wholesale and retail roasted coffee is Hong Kong.
1 Source: IBLF Inclusive Business Sourcebook
2 This case study is based on an in-depth interview with the founder and additional information from the Bolaven Farms marketing manager as well as online resources.
Lao PDR is rich in natural resources and has areas of highly fertile land yet it is one of the poorest countries in the Asia Pacific region and in the world. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Human Development Index (HDI), Lao PDR is currently ranked 131 out of 173 countries (up from 141 in 1993) and an estimated 32 percent live below the poverty line. Geographical constraints such as being landlocked and restricted agricultural land provide barriers to infrastructure, transport and trade. The majority of the population live in remote and rural areas and there is rich ethnic diversity (49 officially recognised groups). Decades of war (civil and involvement in wider Indochina conflicts) have left the landscape filled with unexploded ordnances (UXO), such as bombs and landmines, and it is estimated that 50 percent of the land is currently contaminated with UXO threatening lives and livelihoods.
Lao PDR has a high level of biodiversity and encompasses some of the most significant forest areas remaining in Southeast Asia.
Introduction
Bolaven Farms grows, mills and retails high quality coffee from the Bolaven Plateau in Southern Lao PDR. It defines itself as a ‘privately owned, biotic diversified, beyond Fair Trade Organic farming business. The enterprise is aiming for a ‘sustainable model that builds and manages the entire supply chain for premium coffee, offering consumers quality products that are beyond just paying fair prices and traceable produce of organic cultivation’1. This involves a resident farmers programme to build the skills and capacity of the local farmers and then ensure a fair price for what they produce. Bolaven Farms main market for wholesale and retail roasted coffee is Hong Kong.
1 Source: IBLF Inclusive Business Sourcebook
2 This case study is based on an in-depth interview with the founder and additional information from the Bolaven Farms marketing manager as well as online resources.
Lao PDR is rich in natural resources and has areas of highly fertile land yet it is one of the poorest countries in the Asia Pacific region and in the world. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Human Development Index (HDI), Lao PDR is currently ranked 131 out of 173 countries (up from 141 in 1993) and an estimated 32 percent live below the poverty line. Geographical constraints such as being landlocked and restricted agricultural land provide barriers to infrastructure, transport and trade. The majority of the population live in remote and rural areas and there is rich ethnic diversity (49 officially recognised groups). Decades of war (civil and involvement in wider Indochina conflicts) have left the landscape filled with unexploded ordnances (UXO), such as bombs and landmines, and it is estimated that 50 percent of the land is currently contaminated with UXO threatening lives and livelihoods.
Lao PDR has a high level of biodiversity and encompasses some of the most significant forest areas remaining in Southeast Asia.
Links: and where to go for more information: Bolaven Farms website at http://www.bolavenfarms.com/ Agricultural Biodiversity in Lao PDR http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai759e/ai759e00.htm Rubber Development in the Lao PDR: Ensuring Sustainability http://www.nafri.org.la/document/URDP/documents/06_posters/rubbber/rubberbookletfinal.pdf The Millennium Development Goals in Lao PDR http://www.undplao.org/mdgs/ IBLF Inclusive Business Sourcebook at http://www.iblf.org/en/Iblf_In_Action/latactivities/2010/~/media/1723C5A954E048C787ED5B12A42CE26E.ashx