This case study is one in a series exploring how biotrade (often taken to be the trade in products certified as organic) can become aligned with the principles of BioTrade as elaborated by UNCTAD. UNCTAD defines BioTrade as being when a product or service sourced from biodiversity is commercialized and traded in a way that respects people and nature. The first four of the seven BioTrade principles are explored here in the context of Cao Bang Province, Northern Vietnam. The study was conducted on behalf of the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) Regional Biotrade Project phase II (RBTII); the collaborating companies in this case are the Vietnam based Developing Agriculture and Consulting Environment Co., Ltd, DACE and Germany-based Cha-Do.
It follows from an earlier other case study conducted on the production of Vietnamese cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) in Yen Bai and Lao Cai provinces