UN-backed projects in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), southeast Asia, are using local knowledge to increase yields of rice, the country’s staple food crop, and protect the environment.

Around 90 per cent of rice is grown in Asia, on more than 200 million rice farms, most of which are smaller than one hectare. Approximately one-fifth of the world's population - more than one billion people - depend on rice cultivation for their livelihood. 
 

By improving rice yields, subsistence farmers are able to grow more rice on less land. This reduces the pressures upon forests, because there is less need to cut down wooded areas and turn them into agricultural land.

This is particularly important in Lao PDR, where around 80 per cent of the population are involved in some form of agriculture, and 30 per cent are threatened by annual food shortages.

When rice yields decrease in Lao PDR, due to poor soil management, communities are forced to convert forested areas into agricultural land.

A Government project, backed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has been promoting sustainable land and forest management, to reverse this situation.

The forests of Southern Lao PDR are considered to contribute significantly to global biodiversity.

Integral to the planet’s overall health, and with an outstanding variety of threatened animals and plants, it is important to protect these forests.
 

The UN-backed projects involves training some 425 farmers (nearly 200 of whom are women) in Savannakhet province villages, to adopt sustainable rice intensification methods.

Thanks to these techniques, the land can be managed better, and rice grown more efficiently.

This means that the forest can be left standing, further safeguarding people, wildlife, and the climate. 

For more information on the project, please visit here.

For the full UNDP story: https://undp-biodiversity.exposure.co/in-rice-we-trust