Laos: Expanding Agricultural Options in Laos
"Being a woman in the Agricultural Promotion Division means that we rarely do field work. The women in our Division usually stay at the office
and take care of paper work. Only male officials have a chance to work in the field. In a year, I sometimes went to the field only once. It was
frustrating being an extension worker but not being able to go to the field."
"When the Laos Economic Acceleration Program for the Silk Sector (LEAPSS) started in 2001, my director asked if I would like to work with the
project. Since LEAPSS has a strong gender orientation, my division decided to give me this chance. I was very excited and very happy. Working with
the project means that I could do more of what I was trained to do-the extension work."
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Khamphao visiting a farmer in Nasee village in Khouang
District.
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For the villagers, sericulture (silk production) provides an additional income sources. Villagers who participate in the project learn new skills and
new ways to make money. In some villages such as Mee village, the increase in income is immediate. At the beginning of the project, the 44 families in
Mee produced only 8 kg. of raw silk. Last year, the same families increased their raw silk production to 48 kg. With concrete results such as this, the
villagers are encouraged and they start expanding their mulberry fields. Luckily, the market is still abundant for raw silk.
"In addition to technical skills in sericulture, one of the most useful skills I acquired through this project was how to be a trainer, which is a very
important skill for an extension worker."
Although Lao silk textiles have been admired for their beauty, quality, and unique designs for centuries, this lucrative industry has suffered a decline,
with the demand exceeding the supply. The limited supply of domestic raw silk creates a demand for imports from Vietnam and Thailand, resulting in higher
costs and lower profits for silk weavers.
The Laos Economic Acceleration Program for the Silk
Sector (LEAPSS), funded by USAID and implemented by the Consortium of World Education and World Learning in collaboration with the Lao Ministry of
Agriculture and Forestry, supports growth and development at all levels of the silk industry in order to increase volume and profitability among silk
micro-entrepreneurs. The Program offers training and networking support to agricultural extension workers, weavers, small business owners, and traders,
with a particular focus on women entrepreneurs. The Project is focused in two remote mountainous provinces, where over 90% of the population is engaged in
subsistence farming. Some of the highland ethnic groups from the two provinces have traditionally been engaged in opium poppy cultivation, a profitable
agricultural activity suitable for the local climate. LEAPSS hopes to have a positive effect on the reduction in opium cultivation, as it offers an economically
viable alternative to opium through silk cultivation and production. |
LEAPSS, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Consortium of World Education and World Learning, provides
training assistance and technical support to silk growers in the remote provinces in Xieng Khouang and Huaphan. In addition, the program offers training and
networking support to agricultural extension workers, weavers, small business owners, and traders, with a particular focus on women micro-entrepreneurs. The
Consortium expects that the five-year program will serve as a policy model for future private enterprise.
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Khamphao, a 42 year-old Government Official in
Xieng Khouang Province, Laos.
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"The impact of LEAPPS is at every level, with the impact at the district level being very encouraging. District officials now make their own workplan
and they are responsible for implementing project activities. The district now manages the mulberry nursery: income from the sale of mulberry seedlings goes to
the budget of the District Office of Agriculture, which in turn goes back to the extension work at village level."
"After the training of trainers, I started to conduct the trainings. At first, I felt that my training did not go well. I was so nervous and I forgot
many things. Now I feel much more confident and I enjoy conducting trainings. Without LEAPSS, I would never have had this chance."
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