Project description

Title: Rural Development in Poverty Regions in Laos
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) 
Overall term: 2010 to 2013

Context

The population of the northern provinces of Laos has so far only received limited benefit from the country’s economic and social development. The region is characterised by poor infrastructure, difficult access to markets, and very low agricultural productivity. The need to protect forest areas, and the allocation by the state of concessions for plantations, reservoirs and mining, have led to insecure land tenure. A series of associated secondary problems include internal migration and displacement, land use practices that are illegal and have a detrimental impact on the environment, land disputes, and low levels of investment in agriculture and forestry.

The country is facing a series of challenges. The use of available land must be intensified in order to protect the remaining forest areas and natural resources. People’s living conditions will not improve unless the population is intensively involved in the planning and implementation of development measures. Currently, local institutions do not have sufficient capacity to fully take on their coordinating role, and they lack the required staff and funding. With support from GIZ, the Lao ‘Northern Uplands Development Programme’ (NUDP) focuses on reducing poverty levels in the northern uplands regions through targeted development measures and by increasing incomes in rural areas.

Objective

General conditions are conducive to participatory poverty-oriented development in the northern uplands region of Laos. Local participatory land use and development planning processes are improved and local people’s nutrition and their rights to use land and other local resources are secured.

Approach

GIZ helps the participating institutions improve their capacity to plan, coordinate and deliver services. This applies at the national level, and in three provinces, nine districts, 27 local authorities and 231 villages. The programme includes the participation of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the National Leading Committee for Rural Development and Poverty Eradication, under the guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at all administrative levels. The European Union, France and Switzerland also provide financial support for the NUDP.

Village development and land use plans are drafted together with the people. This provides a basis for decisions on the priorities for development measures, and for strengthening traditional rights to land ownership and use by issuing land titles.

In the first two years, financial support from the European Union’s Food Facility Programme was also used to implement a number of infrastructure projects, to provide training on nutritional issues, and to introduce biological rodent control procedures.

All of the donors are helping Laos work towards its sustainable social and environmental development. They are also systematically building the capacity of participating state institutions to steer and implement large and complex programmes.

Results achieved so far

The Lao partners have taken the opportunity to draft land use and development plans in cooperation with villagers. Advisory support provided to the ministries has helped strengthen cooperation and build institutional capacities.

Within the context of the infrastructural activities, the construction of streets, drinking water supply lines and irrigation plants has improved rural people’s access to markets and institutions. In combination with training on nutrition and the introduction of biological rodent control processes, the measures have contributed to improving the food security of the rural population.