The number of poor people in Huaphan province is steadily declining, and with the government’s 2015 target for nationwide poverty alleviation fast approaching, provincial officials are hopeful they can meet their goal.
To this end, they are encouraging families to develop their skills in farming and animal husbandry and to seek out more markets.
Growing sweetcorn for consumption and sale is helping to improve living standards in remote areas.
The government is trying to improve the quality of life nationwide so that Laos can graduate from the UN’s “least developed” country category by 2020.
According to a 2009-10 report from Huaphan provincial officials, 43 percent of the population is still considered poor, meaning close to 281,000 people remain under the poverty line. However, this number is down from the 48 percent figure recorded in 2005
The province has a total 45,573 families in a total 720 villages. At present 20,050 of those families are living in poverty, according to the latest report.
Huaphan province has eight districts, of which five are on the list of poor districts nationwide as determined by the government.
Assistance from the government and international organisations plays an important role in improving the living standards of poor people on the way to achieving poverty alleviation in 2015.
Provincial Deputy Governor Dr Chanhseng Phimmavong said infrastructure development is a priority f or provincial officials, with the intention of linking all districts to make travel easier, improve access to markets, and boost employment and education, especially in remote areas.
In 2009, 27 villages had no road access out of a total of 720 villages in the province, but by the end of this year all villages will have road access.
Officials are also working to improve agricultural practices, which will benefit local development.
Because most poor people in the province are farmers, it is important to improve on and introduce new farming techniques, to boost crop yields in terms of both quality and quantity.
Dr Chanhseng said officials are encouraging villagers to plant rice, sweetcorn, soybeans and other commercial crops.
Average annual income in the district has risen from 1.4 million kip in 2005 to 2.5 million in 2008 and 3.4 million kip in 2010. This shows that people’s living standards are progressively improving year by year.
Viengxay is one of the five poor districts in Huaphan province, so officials are working to improve living standards in the community.
District officials are helping poor families to be more productive in farming, because this is the most effective way to improve living standards.
The fight against poverty has always focused on farming, especially rice and maize cultivation, and increasingly livestock breeding and the farming of vegetables.
Villagers are now growing maize, which they can sell in local markets and to Vietnam.
The Lao government defines poverty as not having enough food, lacking adequate clothing, not having permanent housing and lacking access to health, education and transportation services.
