Vang Vieng Organic Farm

who we are

Our farm, in Phoudindaeng village was founded in 1996 to introduce organic farming methods in an area where chemicals and deforestation were ruining the land. Leading by example, we aim to show that organic methods can be profitable as well as healthy. Our mission is to "preserve ecological diversity and provide locals with accessible and sustainable technologies to earn a living".

We are not just a farm, but a community development project that provides employment, information and training to preserve traditional Lao farming practices, through several projects: Our school bus project, initiated in conjunction with AVAN-Korea (Asian Volunteer Action Network), delivers students from 3 remote villages to the secondary school in Vang Vieng. The Phoudindaeng Community Library, provides information, lends books and provides a venue for the community to gather. During the day children meet here to read books, (a rare luxury for many children in Laos), and older English students practice their language skills.

what we do

While we harvest many fruits and vegetables, our main crop is mulberry leaves, used for making the famed mulberry green tea that is served at the farm. These are also fed to silkworms which produce silk, (woven by around 20 local women employed by the farm) and fed to goats that supply milk, cheese and yogurt. By weaving from home, they can continue family responsibilities, while earning an income. We buy each woman's finished work, and sell it to travelers who visit the farm.

Our farm is also home to a special group of French Pyrenees goats which provide income through sales of their milk, cheese and yogurt, and improve the nutrition of local school children. In Laos, where fresh dairy products are rare, children are often fed sweetened, condensed milk, high in sugar and lacking minerals such as calcium and protein. Some children who take our daily school bus go to school with only a small amount of sticky rice to eat, so we supplement this each morning with a cup of goat yogurt. This greatly increases their daily dose of essential vitamins and minerals.