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The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters, especially floods and droughts, which have severely affected the country’s agricultural production. Although its contribution to GDP has gradually declined in recent years, agriculture still plays an important role in the Lao economy. Kangphosay village and its surrounding farmland in Savannakhet province are located on the banks of a river, an area prone to flooding. Villagers have experienced four major floods since 1992, the most recent in 2015, when 106 hectares of farmland were inundated and more than a third of the cultivated land was destroyed. Four years ago, in 2011, a major flood that lasted for three months caused the village to lose all its crops. Every year, nearly 400 hectares of farmland are at risk of flood damage, and water levels can remain high for months. FAO and the European Union, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and provincial authorities, are conducting agricultural disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) training in Kangphosay village, aiming to build farmers’ resilience and diversify their livelihoods.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including extreme weather events that are increasing in frequency and intensity. Almost all agricultural systems in the country are vulnerable to floods, droughts and late rainy seasons. The impacts of such natural disasters can be more devastating due to the high reliance on traditional agricultural systems and the predominance of smallholder farmers.
Good practice operations
FAO’s DRRM training has not only helped smallholder farmers in Kangphosay adopt Good Practice Operations (GPOs) aimed at preventing flood damage, but has also helped them successfully adapt their fish farming methods. Malaythip Viengmany, a smallholder farmer in Kangphosay who mainly relies on fish farming for her livelihood, is now sharing her knowledge with others, and the community is also diversifying their livestock.
“Before, when floods hit, losses were unavoidable. One of the preventive measures provided by the project was to set up high net fences around the fish ponds so that the fish would not be washed away during floods. In addition to this, the project also introduced some new technologies for fish farming,” Malaythip explained. “Thanks to the support of the FAO project, we are able to raise more fish and minimize the losses caused by floods.” Today, Malaythip and her family not only have enough fish for their own consumption, but they can also supplement their income by selling any surplus they produce.
As an FAO project village, Kangphosay has 10 households participating in the GPO programme, including growing flood-tolerant rice, fish farming and organic fertilizer/soil improvement. Farmers have been trained in soil improvement and produce organic fertilizer, which has increased their overall agricultural production. In addition to improving their own livelihoods, they have shared these techniques with other farmers to promote the practice throughout the community. While the GPO as currently implemented offers important opportunities to reduce vulnerability in target areas, its selective implementation leaves significant room for expansion.
Providing resilient livelihood opportunities for women
Kangphosay villagers have implemented a range of activities to diversify their livelihoods, from growing a variety of crops to raising different types of livestock to generating additional income. Other farm and business-focused activities aim to limit the impact of disasters, particularly exploring resilient livelihood opportunities for women.
Traditionally, women have played an important agricultural role in Lao PDR communities, a role that should be strengthened. The success of the GPO program shows that increasing women’s participation in agricultural decision-making and training activities can improve the efficiency of the entire community agricultural system.
District agricultural officers regularly reach out to communities to provide additional support and resources, undertaken by citizens and local leaders. To achieve this goal, DRRM programs have proven to be most successful when local stakeholders own the process and organize regular meetings to oversee the implementation of activities.
Mainstreaming DRRM into agricultural planning
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has taken important steps to better address and mainstream DRRM in agricultural planning. With support from FAO, they have developed a sector-specific Plan of Action (PoA) for DRRM in Agriculture to raise awareness, strengthen sector capacity and promote proactive DRRM.
With FAO’s support, the government has been building resilience among farming communities and developed an Action Plan for Disaster Risk Management in Agriculture in 2014. FAO is currently supporting the implementation of the plan by developing guidelines for planners and technical officers and field testing and validating good practices. Assistance has also enabled the government to mount a rapid and coordinated multi-sectoral response to poultry disease outbreaks, including the detection and suppression of several outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
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