Govt, international bodies prepare agriculture alternatives for upland production systems 

The Lao government has partnered with the Global Environment Facility and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to implement the project “Climate Smart Agriculture Alternatives for Upland Production Systems in Lao PDR”. 
The project’s main objective is to enhance resilience of vulnerable upland communities to climate change impacts on upland production systems. 
In addition to work at the national level, the project aims to work in Luang Prabang and Huaphan provinces for a five-year project during 2020-25 to facilitate the adoption of policies and practices for climate-resilient livelihoods and land-use planning.
The inception workshop for the preparatory phase was held in Vientiane last week and it was co-chaired by the Deputy Director General of the Department of Planning and Finance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Savanh Hanphom, the Deputy Director General of the Department of Plaining and Cooperation under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr Virana Sonnasinh, who is also the Deputy Director General of Global Environment Facility (GEF) Operational Focal Point, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Representative to Laos, Mr Nasar Hayat.
The project will be coordinated via multiple departments within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, with extensive collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, which is the focal agency for GEF projects. 
The project will initially promote more integrated climate smart land use approaches that will improve the resilience of farmers in targeted areas and across Laos. 
Secondly, the project will work to integrate such approaches and practices into land-use planning. This will allow the building of a system of incentives for resilient commodity value chains in the northern areas. 
Finally, extension services to implement climate-change adaptation approaches will be reinforced and the capacity of northern upland farmers and local communities will be improved. 
An overview of the project’s primary technical interventions will be given during the workshop. In addition, an overview of the logical framework of the project will also be given, besides listing the relevant stakeholders, relevant initiatives, and potential co-financing. 
Finally, there will be a group discussion to allow the defining of processes and confirming all deadlines for the current phase.

By Phomphong Laoin
(Latest Update September 16, 2019)