A Report from the Field: Investigating Medicinal Plant Cultivation in Yen Bai Province

On a cool early winter morning, a team of SRD staff, local authorities, traditional medicine practitioners, and forestry experts traveled to a remote village nestled in the hills of Bao Ai commune. This trip marked the beginning of a week-long research project that will underpin SRD’s newest project in the Yen Bai province entitled, “Improving Livelihoods and Health Care for Ethnic Minority People via Conservation and Development of Traditional Remedies and Medicinal Plants.”  The research team is tasked with documenting which medicinal plants are presently being cultivated in Bao Ai as well as identifying potential market opportunities for farmers. This study is grounded in a participatory approach, gathering information from farmers and local experts about the needs and opportunities of medicinal plant cultivation in Yen Bai, incorporating these perspectives into future project activities.

Over the course of Dec. 4^th-11^th, this team is working side-by-side with experts from the Yen Bai Traditional Medicine Association to interview farmers, perform survey transects recording medicinal plant cultivation, prioritize medicinal plants based on potential use and market potential as well as to explore potential marketing sources. The findings of this study will be the foundation for SRD’s three year project supported by Caritas Australia. The overall goal of the project is to support poor ethnic minority farmers to sustain livelihoods and traditional health care through the conservation and development of traditional remedies and indigenous medicinal plants.

In the first two days of the study, SRD staff held a planning meeting at the Yen Bai Traditional Medicine Association with the research team, local authorities and project staff to discuss and clarify the research project. This discussion was immensely helpful in clearly defining goals and strategy for the study, building consensus among the group on how best to translate this research into project activities. Following this meeting, this diverse team journeyed to the countryside to begin field work, gathering information from farmers about their current cultivation of medicinal plants as well working with locals to identify plants and their medical use along selected transects. In coming days, the core research team will meet with pharmaceutical companies, local leaders, healers from the local Health Station and numerous farmers.

This first week of field work is a promising first step, forging relationships with local farmers, and authorities. Additionally, this research project is building on relationships formed during SRD’s initial three year medicinal plant  project in Yen Bai which focused on Cam An commune and laid the groundwork for this newest project. The initial results of this research will be shared for feedback at a project launch event in Yen Bai on Dec. 11^th. We are looking forward to seeing the results of this exciting research project and translating our findings into a project which works to not only support ethnic minority farmers but also address underlying issues such as value chain development, medicinal plant conservation, and the promotion of high-quality health care through the use of traditional remedies by healers.

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