The Lao government has received a US$23 million grant from the Asian Development Bank to carry out the Northern Rural Infrastructure Sector Project from 2011-2017.
The proposed poverty reduction and infrastructure project will be undertaken in 11 districts of the four northern provinces of Bokeo, Luang Namtha, Oudomxay, and Phongsaly, which have a combined population of 760,000 people, a third of whom are considered to be living in poverty.
The project will centre around developing repairing existing irrigation infrastructure and developing new systems where there are none, in order to expand agricultural production and boost rural incomes. It will also focus on upgrading rural access roads from district centres and village clusters to the more remote villages.
Road access and irrigation will not only boost agricultural productivity, but also allow for crop diversification which provides insurance against pests or unexpected weather conditions. This will help achieve the government's aim of commercialising crop production in low intensive northern agricultural communities .
The project's first national steering committee meeting was held in Vientiane on Friday, to discuss the planning and implementation of the project, and ensure there will be close collaboration between central and local authorities.
The project would not be effective without good coordination and cooperation from all the relevant sectors, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Dr Ty Phommasak said at the meeting.
The ministry will focus on constructing and rehabilitating irrigation systems as well as agricultural promotion activities, while the Ministry of Public Works and Transport will be responsible for road development, he said.
The project has great potential to boost economic development in the region, and provide a cash-based income for people living in the communities identified as in need, he stressed.
There are four main components to the administration of the project, which include rural infrastructure development, institutional capacity building, project implementation and management and associated initiatives.
Dr Ty said the committee should centre its focus on infrastructure improvements, such as road upgrades and irrigation schemes, in conjunction with agricultural promotion activities.
The agriculture extension sector should try to introduce new techniques to the targeted farming communities in order to increase agricultural productivity, Dr Ty said.
He advocated introducing the newly developed System of Rice Intensification (SRI), which involves planting single rice seedlings at increased spacings, as opposed to the traditional method of bunched plantings at closer intervals.
Planting single seedlings has been proven to increase the number of rice grains that each plant can yield, and also the harvest per hectare of plantation. Farmers who use this system can reduce the amount of seeds they have to purchase, which means both lower capital expenditure and higher yields.
Luang Prabang province is leading the way in using the innovative SRI method, and farmers there are very enthusiastic and supportive of the new technique after profiting from increased yields.
Some farmers who have used this system have produced six to seven tonnes of rice per hectare, while the traditional method only produces three to four tonnes. Some families who plant in fertile soil with good irrigation have harvested up to nine tonnes per hectare.
