| Project Name | Shifting Cultivation Stabilization |
| Project Number | 29210-013 |
| Country / Economy | Lao People's Democratic Republic |
| Project Status | Closed |
| Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Loan |
| Source of Funding / Amount | |
| Strategic Agendas | |
| Drivers of Change | |
| Sector / Subsector | Agriculture and Natural Resources / Agriculture, natural resources and rural development |
| Gender | |
| Description | The objectives of the Project are to improve the income of upland farmers and to conserve natural resources through establishment of diversified sedentary agriculture systems as alternatives to shifting cultivation and provision of basic rural infrastructure. The pilot Project area is covering two districts in Houaphanh Province where shifting cultivation is common. The total number of beneficiaries is estimated at 12,600 (2,100 households) who are mostly poor. The Project has the following components: (i) institutional strengthening and capacity building; (ii) diversified sedentary agriculture systems development; (iii) village-based development; (iv) rural infrastructure development, and (v) Project management. |
| Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | Villages in the Project areas are universally poor. Access to these villages is often impossible in the west season. Many villages lack the basic community facilities. Subsistence economy based on shifting cultivation in upland areas does not meet household food consumption needs and generates little cash income. Although shifting cultivation, which often combined with opium poppy production, has been sustainable for a long time, relentless population pressure and in-migration have shortened fallow period resulting in the decline of soil fertility, crop productivity and farm income. Slash and burn activities are causing soil erosion on steep slopes and are destroying the forests and increased flooding, siltation of irrigation canals and reservoirs, and damage to road infrastructure in the downstream areas. To address these issues, the Government has included stabilizing shifting cultivation as one of the five priorities in the national agenda. To stabilize shifting cultivation, it is crucial to introduce diversified sedentary agriculture systems, which will replace shifting cultivation. However since, there are no proven technologies that have been introduced to create diversified sedentary agriculture systems as alternatives to shifting cultivation, the Project concept is based on on-site testing of promising technologies and gradual expansion of these technologies in the Project area on a pilot basis. In addition, the Project will support integrated area development to improve the scoioeconomic conditions of the beneficiaries, while creating favorable environment for adoption of new diversified sedentary agriculture systems. This approach will serve as a model, which will be replicated in other parts of the country if it is effective and acceptable to farmers. |
| Impact |
| Project Outcome | |
|---|---|
| Description of Outcome | |
| Progress Toward Outcome | |
| Implementation Progress | |
| Description of Project Outputs | |
| Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | |
| Geographical Location | Xam Neua district of Houaphanh |
| Safeguard Categories | |
|---|---|
| Environment | B |
| Involuntary Resettlement | |
| Indigenous Peoples | |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
|---|---|
| Environmental Aspects | |
| Involuntary Resettlement | |
| Indigenous Peoples | |
| Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
| During Project Design | |
| During Project Implementation | |
| Business Opportunities | |
|---|---|
| Consulting Services | The consultants will be engaged in accordance with the Bank's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants and other arrangements satisfactory to the Bank on the engagement of domestic consultants. A total of 72 person-months of international consultants and 115 person-months of domestic consultants will be required to support Project staff in planning, monitoring, reporting, tender evaluation, and supervision of works; and in implementing Project activities concerned with participation, infrastructure, O&M, land acquisition, and environmental assessment and monitoring; and in developing specialized training programs for diversified sedentary agriculture systems development, animal health, animal nutrition and husbandry, pasture and forage development, fisheries development, agroforestry systems, non-timber forest products, and silviculture. The international consultants will include a team leader/agronomist, a land use planning and land allocation specialist, a marketing specialist, a veterinarian, an agroforestry specialist, a laboratory specialist, a livestock and pasture development specialist, and an environmental specialist. The domestic consultants will include an agronomist, a livestock specialist, an extension specialist, and an environmental specialist. |
| Procurement | Procurement of goods and services will be in accordance with the Bank's Guidelines for Procurement. Since contract packages will be small and scattered over a large area, all civil works will be undertaken through local competitive bidding procedures among prequalified local contractors. Small number of equipment and vehicles will be procured using international shopping, or direct purchase procedures, depending on the size of contracts. |
| Responsible ADB Officer | ADB Disclosure |
| Responsible ADB Department | Southeast Asia Department |
| Responsible ADB Division | Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture Division, SERD |
| Executing Agencies |
Provincial Government of Houaphanh Mr. Amphay Ladouangphanh [email protected] Huaphah Province, Lao PDR |
| Timetable | |
|---|---|
| Concept Clearance | - |
| Fact Finding | 07 May 1998 to 28 May 1998 |
| MRM | 26 Jun 1998 |
| Approval | 11 May 1999 |
| Last Review Mission | - |
| PDS Creation Date | 27 Nov 2006 |
| Last PDS Update | 15 Dec 2006 |
| Project Page | https://www.adb.org//projects/29210-013/main |
| Request for Information | http://www.adb.org/forms/request-information-form?subject=29210-013 |
| Date Generated | 06 June 2023 |