Links between Trade and Sustainability: Lessons from Global Value Chains in Ghana and Vietnam

Abstract

Within the EU-funded Trade4Sustainable Development (TRADE4SD) project, this study examines trade and sustainability linkages under Ghana's Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and Vietnam's EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Using a multi-country and multi-crop approach, the effects of trade on sustainability are assessed across five value chains – cocoa and cashew in Ghana, and rice, tea and dragon fruit in Vietnam – and the key issues they face are mapped to the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The case studies are analysed through desk research, interviews and questionnaires conducted with local stakeholders, including policymakers and farmers. Key insights for each value chain are reported, and outcomes are compared in terms of government support, value chain structures and socio-economic and environmental issues shaping trade-sustainability linkages. Finally, common and country-specific policy recommendations are presented, covering issues linked to the three pillars of sustainability and accounting for local challenges and needs.