Agriculture authorities, the JICA team and farmers last week attend the final seminar of the Clean Agriculture Development Project in Vientiane.

Farmers produce more goods under clean agriculture project

The Clean Agriculture Development Project has encouraged more farmers to produce clean agricultural products for market supply.
Over the five years of implementation from 2017-2022, the project has seen good achievements and strong benefits thanks to close cooperation between local agricultural authorities and farmers, it was reported at the final seminar held under the project last week.
The project was funded by the government of Japan through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and was carried out in Vientiane and the provinces of Luang Prabang, Xayaboury and Xieng Khuang.
The number of group members using Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) and organic agriculture methods in these provinces increased every year, as well as sales volume and the sales amount of clean agricultural products, including vegetables and fruit sold in markets, according to a project survey.
The sales volume of vegetables and fruit at the organic agriculture market in Vientiane from 2017-2021 increased by 207 percent, and by 24 percent at the organic market in Xieng Khuang. 
The number of group members increased by an average of 75 percent, with 73 percent in Vientiane, 30 percent in Luang Prabang province, and 123 percent in Xieng Khuang province. No figures were available from Xayaboury province.
The volume of clean production increased by an average of 120 percent, with Vientiane recording a 212 percent increase, while a 12 percent increase was recorded in Luang Prabang province and 25 percent in Xieng Khuang province.
This was the result of the efforts of organic agriculture farmers and individuals concerned with the project.
The project also conducted activities to help farmers and farmers groups enhance their ability to produce and sell clean agriculture products in line with market needs.
Training was given on organic farming methods, general principles and standards, soil and pest management, marketing, and public relations.
The function of counterpart organisations, provincial and district agriculture and forestry offices was also strengthened, as well as organised match-making activities to build a bridge between the supply side and the demand side with confidence among stakeholders. 
Speaking at the seminar, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Agriculture Department, Mr Somhuck Vongvixay, said the development of clean agriculture was a pillar of Laos’ agricultural policy.
Although there were problems because of the Covid pandemic, the project was implemented effectively through cooperation with and technical guidance from local authorities.
The JICA team hopes the experience gained from project activities will be further utilised and that the project outputs will contribute to the promotion of clean agriculture and benefit not only farmers in the pilot areas but also more farmers in Laos.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update October 26, 2022)