From September 15-18, two projects – “Sustainable Agriculture for Forest Ecosystems (SAFE)” in Vietnam and “Sustainability and Value Added in Agricultural Supply Chains in Ethiopia (SUVASE)” – jointly hosted an exposure visit to Vietnam for the Ethiopian delegation. Marking a key milestone in South-South cooperation, the visit brought together Vietnam – the world’s second-largest coffee exporter – and Ethiopia – the birthplace of Arabica coffee – share practical experiences in meeting requirements of the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR), with a focus on coffee value chain.
The Ethiopian delegation’s journey in Vietnam unfolded across two key locations: Son La and Hanoi. The visit commenced with a sharing and discussion session with the Son La Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment to understand the province’s strategic direction in developing a sustainable coffee sector aligned with the EUDR.
Following this, the delegation conducted site visits and held discussions with the Aratay Coffee Cooperative and Phuc Sinh Son La Coffee Joint Stock Company on their operational methods and EUDR-response practices.
Working with these provincial entities, the delegation gained insights into the assignment of GPS coordinating to each coffee plot for traceability, the application of sustainable farming practices (such as intercropping with shade trees and soil and water management), and the provision of EUDR training.
Furthermore, the delegation was introduced to a centralized data management system, the maintenance and expansion of international certifications (e.g. 4C, Rainforest Alliance), and a partnership model linking enterprises with smallholder farmers through offtake agreements, provision of seeds, technical support, and the promotion of regenerative agriculture.
All these practical experiences were synthesized and explored in further detail at the Dialogue Forum on the EUDR, hosted by the Department of International Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) in Hanoi on September 18.
More than just an occasion for knowledge sharing, the visit was a vibrant, bilateral exchange that embodied the spirit of South-South cooperation. The mutual understanding and learning fostered throughout the visit have laid a robust foundation for future collaboration, empowering both nations as they advance on their shared journey towards a sustainable, transparent, and EUDR-compliant coffee industry.
