Agriculture and Forestry Research for
Improving Upland Livelihoods
Dr. Ｂｏｕｎｔｈｏｎｇ ＢOUAHOM，
Ｊ． Ｒａｉｎｔｒｅｅ．
Ｌ. Douangsavanh
Website: www.nafri.org.la, Email: nafri@nafri.org.la
National Agriculture and Forestry Research
Institute
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• Lao PDR is land-lock
country
• Population ５
million population.
17% urban and 83%
rural.
• Area 2３6,800 km2
2/3 is mountainous
areas
• Shifting cultivation
in the sloping land;
•Traditional
•Pioneering
•Transitional
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Institute
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Lowland – upland dichotomy
(from Agricultural vision, MAF, Lao PDR )
„
Flatland conditions
-good road access
-adequate agri. technologies
-domestic and regional market
-market information
- monetized rural economy
-free access to local and
foreign entrepreneurs
-agro-geographical conditions
favoring flatland FS
„
Uplands conditions
-poor and non-existent road
linkages
-limited agri. Technologies
-limited domestic and regional
market
-no market information mechanism
- non-monetized rural economy
with sussistence agriculture
-free access to local and foreign
entrepreneurs, but little
- require balanced sloping land FS
and integrated with environment
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Institute
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NAFRI Upland Agriculture and
Forestry Research
„
Integrated upland agriculture and forestry research
„
Agro-ecology research
„
Forages for livestock systems
„
Farming systems research
„
Socio-economic and livelihoods
„
Forestry and NTFP research
„
Livestock and Fisheries research
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Institute
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Integrated Upland Agricultural
Research Project (IUARP)
An alternative contributing to poverty reduction
We are incline
to agree with you sir!
We think
it’s the right approach
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Institute
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INTRODUCTION of IUARP
„
A NAFRI’s multidisciplinary integrated research Project
„
Strengthen the capacity of NAFRI and its local partners to
undertake research and provide effective research support
activities.
„
Provide information, feedback and methodologies for natural
resource planning/ management and policy development.
„
„
The project implementation started in 2001
Focuses activities on 7 target villages (230 farmers) with
different conditions (market access, ethnicity, availability of
lowland rice and importance of livestock)
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Institute
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GOAL & OUTCOMES
Goals:
„
participatory development of applied livelihood packages for
upland communities, and effective and efficient use of limited
research resources
Desired outcomes:
„
„
„
Improved food security,
Poverty alleviation (especially a reduction in the disparity
between rural and urban incomes), and
Stabilization of the environment.
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OBJECTIVES
„
„
„
„
Develop, test and refine the methodology for integrated
upland agricultural research and productive upland
technologies that are acceptable to farmers
Develop sustainable livelihood systems as alternatives to
slash and burn
Ensure current staff capacity in integrated upland
agricultural research within the NAFRI, PAFO and DAFO is
enhanced and sustained
Enhance community development, decision making and
leadership capacity within the target communities
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Institute
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BASIC PRINCIPLES
„
Conduct demand driven research
„
Apply Integrated research approach
„
Use participatory research
„
Focus on research for development
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RESEARCH CYCLE
Research with farmers is an on-going process
Action
Reflection and M&E
Developing solutions
with individual farmers
and community (Wet Season)
Meetings with villagers and DAFO’s
to evaluate progress and impacts
( beginning of Dry Season)
Annual activity cycle for
each village
More planning with
community about
what to do next year
Problem and Opportunity Analysis
PD with whole community and then with
common-interest groups (Dry Season)
Planning
Meetings with villagers to plan action
through the coming year (Dry Season)
FLSP Village Activity cycle (based on a concept by Hagman et al; 1998)
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Variety Improvement
of Upland Rice
Do you all agree
with me?
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Evaluation of soil conservation
techniques
I’m simple
technique, but
effective
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FALLOW
IMPROVEMENT:
Address the problems of
declining soil fertility and
weed pressure due to
shortening fallows
Rattan
Pigeon pea
Paper Mulberry
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Crotalaria
Leucaena
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If I had known it
before,
I wouldn’t be so poor!!!
Forage
evaluation
Species evaluation with farmers
They’re good
for many kinds
of home
animals
It’s consistent with
my concept,
but it should be further
expanded!
Integrating forages
into farming systems
Farmer training
on forage use
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Institute
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Fish raising in
cages and ponds
Cage fish culture in
Nam Ou River
Wow, That’s
what I can
eat and make
money from !!!
Fish culture in the pond in
Pakchek Village
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Frog raising
We love to live in here.
It is good enough for us
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Integrated fruit tree
orchards
„
Paper Mulberry plantation
„
We look for short
and medium term benefits
„
Pineapple and banana
came into production
Evaluate agroforestry
systems
Evaluation of fruit
trees based on:
Integration of fruit
trees into livelihood
systems
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Institute
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Cash crops as alternatives to shifting cultivation
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Institute
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NTFP evaluation: Rattan
In forest
In teak plantation
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Institute
In paper mulberry
plantation
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NTFP
NTFP have better access to markets in China and less
steep terrain provide interesting opportunities for
farmers in Namo District
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Teak plantation management
Good management
provides much
better benefit!
Teak plantation after thinning and
pruning
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ENHANCE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:
„
Establishment of focus groups
„
Farmer training
– Cross visits
– Technical training
„
Involvement of farmers in research
– Responding to farmers needs
„
Field Days
„
Establishment of village nurseries
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PARTICIPATORY PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS
(PPD)
Is that what you call
Is that what you call
“Participatory”?
Farmers identified problems
during using a PPD
It’s really a fun
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Institute
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CROSS VISITS FOR FARMERS
To building awareness and
confidence for farmers
Well, It looks
promising, But ??
Hi Friends,
That’s what we
are looking for
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TECH. EVALUATION
Framers evaluate research
activities/ Technological
options
Yeh, That’s
what we want
Field day
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Development of village nurseries
No worry!
We can
follow you
Development of village
nurseries
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Livestock research
„
By planting forages we were able to fatten our working buffaloes
and earn enough money to stop shifting cultivation.
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A new livestock system…
With planted forages, the family
saves 2-3 hours of labour each
day and has been able to
intensify their livestock system.
Last year they fattened and sold
four buffalo (giving a profit of 1.8
million kip). They have also
stopped shifting cultivation and
now keep a draft buffalo beside
the house all year round. Other
farmers in the village have begun
to do the same.
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A new family livelihood
With 1 ha of forages Singh spends just 30 minutes to collect grass to feed
his expanded herd of 5 cows, while his wife collects ‘Stylo’ to fatten pigs
and goats. To make livestock the basis of the family’s livelihood, Singh is
establishing a new area of forages and is fencing it with barbed wire.
National Agriculture and Forestry Research
Institute
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More cattle and more
income…
With good feed for his cows while calving,
the herd has increased over the last six
years from 3 to 15 animals. This released
his wife from the endless cycle of field work
and she was able to earn some cash from
embroidery. With this extra money plus the
sale of 3 cows, they bought a motorcycle
and TV. Jong Gong Her now plans to
double their forage so he can
keep his cattle by the house where he can
watch over them. About half of the
farmers in the village are now beginning to
plant forages to get these benefits.
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CHALENGES, CONSTRAINTS, PROBLEMS
„
Issues related to scaling up
„
Limited human resources
„
„
Many institutions involved creates
coordination challenges
Participatory research ;methodology
was new for most research staff
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LESSONS LEARNT:
„
„
„
Participatory research approaches require a lot of
time and effort in the first couple of years, however,
the efforts pay off
– Increased trust of the farmer
– More rapid adoption.
A high level of local researcher and DAFO staff
involvement is key to provide adequate follow-up
Technologies that are most preferred by farmers
were those with a short-term economic benefit
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Institute
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Thank you for your attention
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Institute
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