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UN agriculture chief monitors project progress in Laos

A senior United Nations official is visiting Laos with the goal of enhancing the UN-Laos partnership in maintaining food security, generating employment in rural areas, and mitigating the effects of climate change in rural areas. 
As part of their mission, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo, and his delegation are in Xieng Khuang province this week to inspect UN interventions and identify what can be done to improve food security there.

According to a media release published on the IFAD website last week, this UN agency is operating the IFAD-managed Strategic Support for Food Security and Nutrition Project in Xieng Khuang province.
The project is designed to enhance the capacity of smallholder farmers to produce crops for which there is market demand. The project also aims to help strengthen the collaboration between farmers and traders so that they can do business together.
While in Xieng Khuang, Mr Houngbo will interact with project participants to learn how they benefit from the IFAD intervention and about the challenges they are facing. This information will be a useful reference for IFAD in improving its aid projects in Laos. 
Another item topping Mr Houngbo’s agenda during his visit from July 22 to 25 is discussions with Lao leaders on how IFAD and the Lao government should cooperate to mitigate the effects of climate change in rural areas.
“In Laos and Cambodia, the majority of smallholder farmers practise subsistence agriculture, but they have the potential to develop their farm businesses if they have access to finance, training, technology, and commercial markets,” said Mr Houngbo as quoted in the media release posted on the IFAD website.
“IFAD is an experienced development partner, working with governments to transform rural areas, reduce poverty and hunger, and increase livelihoods for rural smallholders in the region,” he added.
According to IFAD, this UN agency began operations in Laos in 1978 and has implemented 15 projects, investing US$156 million and directly benefitting 329,775 households. Currently three projects are ongoing.
IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience.
Since 1978, the agency has provided US$20.9 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects that have reached about 483 million people.  IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialised United Nations agency based in Rome, the United Nations’ food and agriculture hub.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update July 24, 2019)


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