luras project highlights, may-oct '15

Project Highlights 1

Project HighlightsMay – October 2015


Overview• Oudomxay: Market development for organic

vegetable producers• Xieng Khuang: Study on pesticide availability

and use• National: Inaugural meeting of Mekong

Extension Learning Alliance• Lao Farmer Network: Strategic planning of

member organisations


Vegetable marketing in Oudomxay• The issue:

o In Ban Huay Oun, a system for organic vegetable production was introduced to 2 HH in 2009 under an OECD project.

o The production expanded from farmer to farmer, and now they have 53 HH.

o The income from veg is now 847 million kip per year, but there are constraints to further expansion.

o Marketing is dependant on informal connection with traders, and the variety of products is very limited.


Vegetable marketing in Oudomxay• What we did:

o Business matching was carried out, bringing together farmers and potential customers in Oudomxay.

o Production and marketing plans have been prepared by 4 farmer groups. o Options for starting an organic retail outlet have also been explored.

Meetings have also been organised with local Commerce Office, and owners of the fresh market

o Vegetable markets in Luang Prabang and Xieng Khuang have been visited, to gain more knowledge about opportunities and constraints associated with managing an organic outlet.


Vegetable marketing in Oudomxay• Results:

o Demand for 34 vegetable items has been identified.

o 4 farmer groups have agreed to supply 21 items to 5 restaurants and 1 hotel.

o Direct sales have started, with farmers getting a premium of 10-20% above the price in the local market.

o After one month, direct sales were already more than 2 million kip.


Vegetable marketing in Oudomxay• Next steps:

o Options for scaling up organic vegetable marketing in Oudomxay will be developed, including plans for a retail outlet.

o Stakeholder meeting will be carried out to agree on strategy for the Province

o Training on organic certification will be carried out in collaboration with DoA. A programme for 3 x 5 day workshops has been prepared by DoA.

o Business matching will be organised for other organic products. This has already started with Cardamom.

o Visitors are welcome!


Pesticide study in Xieng Khuang• The issue:

o High levels of pesticide are being used on commercial crops

o There is a particular problem with herbicides on maize, including banned products such as paraquat

o This is a serious concern for human health and biodiversity

o Many projects have carried out education activities, with limited impact

o Better regulation of distribution and sales is needed, but decisions need to be based on accurate information


Pesticide study in Xieng Khuang• What we did:

o A survey was designed, forms were tested, and revised tools were agreed in Jul-Aug.

o Data was collected in 20 villages in Sep-Oct, under the guidance of the PAFO Crop Division

o Pesticide shop keepers were also interviewed in two Districts

o Results were presented at workshops in Kham and Nonghed, attended by more than 50 people, incl. 6 Govt departments, village heads, & pesticide shop keepers


Pesticide study in Xieng Khuang• Results :

o 20 shops in Nonghet report sales of 95 t of herbicide per year with retail value of nearly 0.5 million US$

o The average HH in Nonghet is buying 81 kg of herbicide. When diluted this could produce 16,000 litres of toxic spray.

o The amount of Paraquat reportedly sold in Kham alone is enough to kill the entire population of Xieng Khuang and Oudomxay

o Based on HH data, the Crop Division estimates that actual use in Kham is 10x what is reportedly sold.

o Application rates in both Districts are 4-5 times the recommended levels.


Pesticide study in Xieng Khuang• Next steps:

o District authorities and PAFO have made a number of proposals.

o Education activities at village level should be improved & expanded, including schools

o Stricter regulation of pesticide sales at District is also needed, including inspection of shopso Action at National level would also help, including possible intervention from National Assembly, because wholesalers in VTE play a key role in supplying banned products


Mekong Extension Learning Alliance

• The issue:o Agricultural investment, trade and

labour is flowing throughout the region

o Economic integration will increase with the AEC, but there are risks for small farmers

o Rural service providers need better access to information, but few regional opportunities exist



• What we did:o The idea of MELA was proposed at an

SDC meeting in Hanoi, in March ‘15o DAEC agreed to host the first meeting,

with the support of LURASo A concept note, logo and facebook

page were created to establish a clear purpose and identity for the new network



• The results:o The meeting was held 26-28 August,

with 26 participants from 5 countrieso The agenda included presentations,

field visits, and group discussionso A draft mission statement was

prepared, in addition to tentative plans for the future

o The participant’s evaluation of the event was very positive



• Next steps:o The meeting in Vientiane concluded with

the appointment of a working groupo Members of the WG have created a

workplan for themselves, and are coordinating via email.

o It has been proposed that the next meeting will be held in Myanmar in Februaryo Discussions have also been held with the Mekong Institute about the possibility of MI acting as a Secretariat for MELA


LFN Strategic Planning• The issue:

o LFN was formed in 2014, consisting of 16 organisations with 2,600 members in 10 Provinces.

o Some new organisations (eg. sugar-cane group) did not have a chance to discuss their vision, agree on goals and priorities, and decide a strategy.

o Other members are well-established. They have a clear vision (eg FASAP and OFA in Xieng Khouang) but have not been monitoring progress.

o And some organisations are facing urgent issues regarding production and marketing which, if unresolved, could lead to loss of members (eg. The pig producer group in VTE).


LFN Strategic Planning• What we did:

o In May 2015, with support of LURAS, representatives of all 16 organisations attended a training workshop on strategic planning.

o Each organisation developed a plan for their own workshop, which was approved by the LFN committee.

o So far, 14 out of 16 FOs have conducted their own 2-day strategic planning events.o 475 farmers have participated in these workshops (incl. 129 women), which were all conducted by farmer leaders.


LFN Strategic Planning• The results:

o Each of the LFN members now have a clearer vision and roadmap for the next 5 years.

o The process also helped to build solidarity both within and between the member organisations, and provided encouragement to those who are facing problems.

o Some of the budget for the planning workshops was saved by the member FOs and has been invested in simple assets, such as meeting tables and equipment.


LFN Strategic Planning• Next steps:

o Different FOs have different plans for the future, including: • expanding membership, • improving quality of products• establishing a market• training members• creating their own fund

o These plans are important for the member organisations and for the management of LFN, which can now coordinate and monitor more effectively.

o These plans also allow LFN to be more pro-active in negotiating with LURAS and other projects about requirements for external support. They now know what they need!


Thank You!

luras project highlights, may-oct '15

Government & Nonprofit