Forest conservation / Promoting sustainable agriculture

¥

Program Background

The livelihoods of villagers in Laos are dependent upon the natural blessings of the forest. From May to August each year, in the period before the harvest when rice is at its most scarce, the people compensate for the rice short age by relying on the blessings of the forest. That time of year is a bountiful period for the products of the forests and the rivers such as shell fish, fish and tree roots. In Laos there is an interdependent relationship between farming and nature, and the local people build their livelihoods upon that harmony.

However, in recent years the environment that supports the local people has begun to deteriorate. The government has been strongly promoting economic development as a means of poverty reduction, and hence there has been an expansion of commercial forestry, industrial production and the development of mines. This wave of development is taking away the villagers' market place for agricultural produce and the products of the forest. As a result, it is becoming even harder to make a living. As the local people consider the future of their villages, we are providing support for a movement to protect the use of the forest and we are conducting a project to improve agricultural production and the livelihoods of farmers.

Summary of activities

1. Forest conservation by local people

In order that local people themselves may manage and use the forest, we are supporting the implementation of the "land and forest allocation program" where by the forest that supports villagers' livelihoods is formally registered with the government authorities as "community forest". The rights of the villages to manage and use their forests are being formally established by the government. And this helps to lead to the stoppage of chaotic forest cultivation and development work that has been promoted even without the will of the villagers.

We are also providing training and strengthening the role of "forest volunteers" who monitor the observance of forest regulations, manage the village forest by conducting research and so on, and who act as a focal point in the resolu-tion of problems.

2006 Annual Report
We carried out the formal registration of community forest in four villages: villages near to the Vietnam border and villages along the main trunk roads numbers 12 and 13 where development has been proceeding rapidly. In recent years, in cases where a disagreement arises between nearby villages over the joint use of the forest or its resources, we have aimed to resolve the conflict through holding dialogues to establish the parameters of the joint use of the forest. Also, we are testing methods of sustainable natural resource management through self sufficient harvesting of forest produce. We provided rattan seedlings for four villages. We also carried out several new activities: we conducted a survey of forest volunteers; we organised a session for previously trained forest volunteers and newly established forest volunteers in seven villages to share experiences with each other; and we visited the northern region to observe forestry management systems there.

2007 Annual Plan
We will continue to carry out the demarcation of joint forests focusing on the villages along the major trunk roads numbers 12 and 13, where development is proceeding rapidly. Also we will train "forest volunteers" on forest management so that problems relating to joint use of village forest can be resolved and also so that the volunteers can grasp the situation of decreasing forest resources and carry out conservation work. We will present a handbook that clearly spells out the rights of local people. Regarding the cultivation of rattan, we will provide training on the cultivation of seeds and seedlings, and in future we will work to expand the project beyond the provision of seedlings.

2. Improving livelihoods and the promotion of sustainable Agriculture

We are aiming to find sustainable and secure ways to improve the livelihoods of villagers, making use of local resources. As such, we are testing ways to increase the yield of rice and vegetables by introducing ways of making compost and liquid fertiliser using local resources.

In order to maintain safe food supplies and to improve incomes, we are providing support for the cultivation of vegetable gardens and orchards.

The lack of water during the dry season is a serious problem for local people. As a result, we are providing support to improve existing wells and water supplies so that people can access water throughout the year.

2006 Annual Report
In many villages there is a shortage of rice for almost half of the year, and so we are carrying out the improvement of seed cultivation techniques. We have implemented a System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in ten villages whereby young seedlings are planted one by one. In six of these villages we have been able to increase the majority of yields. Furthermore, we have established rice banks within villages in order to create a secure supply of rice. In addi-tion, we have provided species of fruit tree that provide a yield in a relatively shorter period of time, and we have provided training on harvesting techniques that would allow good quality seeds to remain in the village. Regarding water wells, we continue to construct wells in four villages and in the villages where we completed construction last year, we have put cement around the wells and we are implementing systems to prevent dirty water from contami-nating the supply.

2007 Annual Plan
We are continuing to focus our work in three areas that are feeling the impact of development. We are concentrat-ing on "food preservation". We will conduct tests for SRI seedling cultivation in both the rainy season and the dry season. Regarding the wet season cultivation, we will expand the program into villages that are near to those vil-lages where we implemented the project last year. Regarding the dry season cultivation, we will present the program to the Laos government as an example of how it is possible to harvest using organic fertilisers and not chemical fertilisers, and furthermore of how it is possible to obtain a large yield from each seedling.

As for the rice bank, we will improve the regulations so that a greater range of people will be able to borrow from it. Also, we will organise new tests of beekeeping and rainy season vegetable cultivation. Furthermore, we will continue to provide support for fruit tree cultivation and water provision in line with the situation in each village.