Irrigation gives Huaphan families new lease on life
 
Vientiane Times, 5 Dec 2009
 
Local people are finally starting to reap the benefits of improved
technology and cultivation techniques, which are helping them to
increase their rice harvests throughout the year.
 
After Laos achieved liberation from foreign domination in 1975, most
people resorted to slash and burn cultivation to grow rice and other
crops such as sweetcorn and yams.
 
Some people also went into the forests to gather food, both for their
own consumption and to sell in local markets.
 
Obtaining food in this way helped people to survive on a daily basis,
but they could not produce enough to feed their families all year
round.
 
Most farmers grew crops using traditional methods because they were
not familiar with modern-day methods and had no kind of technology at
their disposal to improve yields.
 
One farmer, Mr Bouathone Veunchauta, came to live in Phiengfeuang
village, Sopbao district, Huaphan province, in 1996 along with his
family. He said he had been engaged in slash and burn farming for many
years but his family's living standards never improved.
 
“My family could only grow enough rice to feed us for three to six
months of the year; sometimes we would have to scour the forests for
food to eat,” he said.
 
Mr Bouathone said in some years the rice suffered from plagues of
insects and over-use of pesticides and they didn't know how to prevent
the damage and grow a healthy crop.
 
He said half of the people in this area didn't have enough rice for
their family's year-round needs and only 30 percent had sufficient
rice to eat.
 
However, through the Northern Community Managed Irrigation Sector
Project, which is supported by the Asia Development Bank and the Lao
government, local people have now taken steps towards a better life.
 
The project has been implemented in Luang Prabang, Xayaboury, Huaphan,
Xieng Khuang and Vientiane provinces, and aims to reduce the poverty
of farmers by increasing crop yields.
 
In Huaphan, the project was first implemented by the Water Users'
Association. A committee was formed in 2005 to start construction of
an irrigation system, which was finished in 2007, said Project Manager
Bounkham Sydavong.
 
He said six villages in Sopbao and Viengxay districts have benefited
from the irrigation system. Ten villages now receive piped water and
roads have also been improved thanks to the project.
 
“The extra water we get and the new farming methods the project has
taught us have helped to increase the rice yields of farmers in these
areas. Now we can grow rice in both the wet and dry seasons,” said Mr
Bouathone, who is also Phiengfeuang village head.
 
Many families in the village have been able to increase their income
by using the single rice seedling planting method and growing melons
and cabbages for sale in local markets.
 
“My family now has enough rice to eat, and we can save money to buy
the things we need and pay for our children's education,” he said.
“This is better than the days when I was farming by the slash and burn
method, when I was very poor.”
 
Farmers' groups are advised to follow the advice given by the project
to obtain higher yields. The average yield has increased from 3 tonnes
per hectare to 5-7 tonnes per hectare using the kaynoi seed, which
requires water supplied by an irrigation channel.
 
This means water users must pay more attention to managing the
irrigation system and collect fees every year for maintenance and
repair of the channels.
 
Use of the single seedling method saved rice seeds and was cheaper, Mr
Bouathone said.
 
Last year the Water Users' Association and farmers agreed on a service
charge of 2,500 kip for each kilogram of rice harvested. One hectare
typically yields 40kg of rice. So far the association has collected
about 2.1 million kip, said association committee member Mr Vangthong.
 
From 1998 to 2002, the people of Nameuang village, Viengxay district,
did not have enough rice for about three months of the year because
most farmers planted only in the wet season and practised slash and
burn cultivation.
 
After the project was implemented in 2007, farmers were able grow
vegetables to sell and grew wet season rice using the single seedling
method, said village head Mr Seumphone Inthady.
 
He said most families in the village now have sufficient rice to eat
and can boost their incomes by selling vegetables, particularly mint,
onions and chervil. This gives them enough money to buy a television,
some furniture, and vehicles.
 
Mr Bounyong Sibanya said his family used to be poor and went short of
food for several months each year. But the project trained him to use
new techniques to grow rice and other crops and sent him on study
tours to different provinces. Then he was able to put the new ideas
into practice and reaped the benefits.
 
“I grow melons and sweetcorn and plant wet season rice using the
single seedling method. On average I make more than six million kip a
year,” he said.
 
He is now able to save money for his children and has surplus rice for
family consumption.
 
“If we hadn't learnt about these new techniques and got the irrigation
system from the project, our living conditions would never improved as
they have done,” he said.
 
A few families remain in poverty as they lack the manpower needed to
boost crop yields, while other families are still hesitant to use non-
traditional farming methods.