Oudomxai Community Initiatives Support Project

Some 90 per cent of the rural people in Oudomxai province belong to non-Lao Loum ethnic groups. Most practise shifting cultivation and have average landholdings of about 1.2 ha. Rice is the main crop, and there is some opium cultivation in upland areas. Livestock — mainly chickens, pigs and buffalo — and non-timber forest products are the two main sources of cash income. Animal disease and lack of land for grazing are major constraints for farmers.

The project's overall goal is to reduce poverty and help increase incomes and food security for the target population, especially for women, who play a major role in on-farm and off-farm activities. Key project objectives include promotion of natural resource management and sustainable farming practices. Specifically the project works to:

• increase awareness of alternatives to shifting cultivation and opium production, and provide training in improved upland farming systems for more sustainable production
• strengthen grass-roots organizations
• improve access to rural financial services
• improve access to irrigation, safe drinking water and education, and help develop rural infrastructure
• build local development mechanisms that are decentralized and participatory

Source: IFAD