Overview of the importance of agro-biodiversity and multi-functional landscapes in uplands development of Lao PDR. The presentations provides an overview of key issues in using ABD for livelihood improvement and natural resource management and highlights examples from the Agro-biodiversity Initiative

1. The Agro-Biodiversity Initiative (TABI)ໂຄງການພັ ດທະນາລະບົ ບນິ ເວດຊີ ວະນາໆພັ ນກະສິ ກາຢູ່
ເຂດພດອຍ
Integrating Agro-Biodiversity in Upland
Development from policy to practice
Experiences from Laos
Michael Victor, The Agro-Biodiversity Initiative (TABI)

2. • Identified as mega-biodiverse
country
• At the heart of Lao people:
food, culture, natural heritage
• Builds upon the strengths of
Lao farmers and what they
have been producing already
• A way to build Lao products
• Support developing a healthy,
resilient and sustainable food
system in Laos
• Bridging togtether generations
Agrobiodiversity is Uniquely Lao

3. identified as one of the centers of origin of domesticated plant and animal species and is a primary center
of origin of cultivated rice (Russel, 2000). With this combination of natural biodiversity and agriculture, Lao
PDR is of outstanding global importance in regard to agro-biodiversity. The country’s rich use of agro-
biodiversity resources is exemplified by the data compiled for plants, animals and fungi presented in Table
1.
Table 1: Estimate of Lao agro-biodiversity resources
Organism
Wild
(used)
Gen-plasm
(gene bank)
Cultivated Raised (animals)
Species
Varieties/
land races
Species Breeds
Plants 2,500* 17,000 135* 180* - -
Rice - 14,500 1* 30* - -
Non rice crops 50* 2,500 100* 150*
NTFP** 500* - 14* - - -
Medicinal plants 1,700 - 20* - - -
Animals 800* - - - 40* 50*
Livestock - ? - - 20* 50*
Insects, etc. 100* - - - 10* -
Fish & Aquatic 200* - - - 10* -
Macro fungi 100* - 5 - - -
Total 3,400* 17,000 140* 180* 40* 50*
*: Estimate by ABP. **: Excluding medicinal plants and macro fungi.
Wealth of Agro-Biodiversity

4. How ABD fits into other policies
NSEDP
NBSAP
CBD
Climate Change
Strategy
NABP II Upland Development
Strategy
National Environment
Management Strategy
Agricultural
Strategic Vision
Agriculture
Development Strategy
NAFRI Research
Strategy

5. • Lao Agriculture Development Strategy :
o Promoting Lao niche market products (i.e.
ABD Products)
o Sustainable intensification and
diversification
o Sustainable management of natural
resources and increased forest cover
o Supporting small holder farmers
• National Agro-Biodiversity Action Plan (2016)
o An enabling policy environment and legal
framework
o Organizational and technical capacity
o Floral, faunal, fungal and other elements
are effectively managed, utilized and
conserved.
Lao Policy in relation to ABD
Challenge: we can make NBSAP, NABDPAP but needs to be mainstreamed
in Climate change, Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture

6. AgroBiodiversity – one of the main working
groups of Donor-Government Round Table

7. Agro-Biodiversity and Sustainable
Food systems – two competing visions
Imported, processed, mass produced,
low nutritional value food
Pesticides: A Cause for Concer
By SopavanhRassapong-LURAS
December 2016
What we found during our baselin
• The maize boom has transf
the rural environment in Xi
Khouang
• Loss of biodiversity and soil
erosion is severe
• Heavy use of herbicides has
become the norm
• We called it The Toxic Land
What we found d
Leads to high input mono-cropping

8. ABD Hypothesis
Agro-biodiversity based development with a focus on multi-
functional landscapes offers a more viable alternative to
improve upland livelihoods and food security than large
scale mono-culture cropping systems
Healthy, resilient landscape
Balanced diet, high nutrition based on local
biodiversity

9. The Agro-Biodiversity Initiative (TABI)
• 10 year collaboration between MAF
and SDC
• Supporting MAF strategy for ABD
Development
• Work in 3 + 1 Provinces in North –
more than 250 villages
• Major results:
• More than 25 ABD livelihood
options tested benefitting more
than 34,000 families
• FALUPAM carried out in more
than 225 Villages – more than
750,000 ha managed under
FALUPAM
• Phase 3: 2017-2020 – focus is on
scaling out, institutionalization and
capitalization

10. • Initiative working with multiple partners and government agencies –
cross sector – multi-disciplinary
TABI is an initiative
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Traditional Medicine

11. • The Uplands of Lao PDR has
the most social and ecological
diversity in the country
• Diversity comes from shifting
cultivation though long been
viewed as the ”culprit for
poverty and resource
degradation”
• Still despite policies and
commercialization incentives
remain primary upland
agriculture practice
• TABI testing out approach to
stabilize land use by
recognizing upland rice
cropping and village forestry
as crucial component in
Upland Development
Integrating ABD into Uplands
development

12. The Agro-Biodiversity Initiative (TABI)ໂຄງການພັ ດທະນາລະບົ ບນິ ເວດຊີ ວະນາໆພັ ນກະສິ ກາຢູ່
ເຂດພດອຍ
Upland Rice is “still” the main cash crop in many
upland villages
N = ~1200 HH
Source: TABI survey 2012

13. Bush Fallows are an crucial element of
multifunctional landscapes
Based on survey in 100 villages in Phonexay, Chomphet and Phoukoud district
Source: TABI baseline 2012
Where are NTFP’ are collected?

14. Land use
planning
•Recognize current
land use
•Consolidate Shifting
cultivation
•Plannig and tenure
security
Identify
potentials for
intensification
and
diversification
•NTFPs
•Agriculture, livestock,
agroforestry systems
•Lowland systems
Development
of
small/medium
enterprises and
markets
Policy dialogue
• Evidence based
research
• Knowledge
Management
TABI Process for integrating ABD into
Uplands Development

15. • Process carried out in 4 steps:
1. Introducing/organizing/mapping
village boundaries
2. Mapping Current Land use
3. Mapping Future Land use
4. Hand over of village report signed
by district and monitoring and
evaluation
• Focuses on recognizing actual land use
and shifting cultivation rotations
• Farmers receive tenure in exchange for
stabilizing system
• Farmers and Government find this process
more effective for:
o Delineating boundaries
o Getting villagers agree on land use
change
o Understanding what farmers are
currently doing
Participatory Forest and Ag Land Use
Planning bottom up approach

16. Land Classes

17. Data: pre and post FALUP
3.1: Example of stabilised upland cropping: Huay Jia
Village, Ponsai District, Luang Prabang Province.
Before 2012 After 2012

18. Livelihood options for range of Agro-
ecological Zones
Upland Rice/Cropping Village Forestry
On-farm livestock
Systems
Lowland rice
Riverine

19. • Bamboo is a product that grows in
prodigiously in shifting cultivation
fallows.
• A number of species and products:
o Food
o Medicines
o Construction
• TABI working on:
o Village forest management
o Bottling/packaging
o Domestication and conservation
Example 1: Bamboo – Village Forestry

20. Example 2: Agroforestry Systems
A number of agroforestry
systems have been tested
• Coffee and Fruit trees
• Tea
• Cardamom
• Broom grass
• Teak
• Yang (benzoin)
- Main constraints are
access to markets for small
holders and policy
incentives

21. Example 3: emerging small enterprises

22. Province No of FCZs KG caught KG sold Income
Houaphanh 4 villages 1,206 866 4590USD
Luang Prabang 6 Villages 817 2,357 9900 USD
Example 4: Fish Conservation Zones
Example of potential
Fish Conservation Zones
Established more than 200 in three provinces
• To rejuvenate and manage aquatic Agro-
Biodiversity.
• To increase the food and nutrition resources for
villages.
• To increase, or maintain, the income from
fisheries.
• To rejuvenate indigenous fish species and
preserve those that are facing extinction.
• To improve villagers understanding and
participation in improving management of local
fish species and resources.
More than 100 species of fish identified

23. And many more potentials.

24. Example 5: Local ABD Curriculum

25. • NAFRI, under the SSWG-ABD
developing web-based platform to
capture knowledge and link new and old
generations
Value Added
• Provide a one-stop shop for information
on ABD to range of stakeholders
• Repackage already existing information
in formats that can be used by different
actors
• Ensure local knowledge on ABD is
documented and not lost
• Link Lao information to global datasets
and knowledge
• Tap into and promote increasing interest
in Lao food and products
Lao Agro-Biodiversity Knowledge
Sharing Platform (LARP)
Knowledge Base
StorytellingConversation

26. Knowledge Base
Core ABD species and product profiles
Experts and practices
Landscapes and systems
Policy information
Core Components
Knowledge Base
StorytellingConversation

27. • Build upon what farmers are already doing –
build trust and recognize current land use
• Identify approaches for diversification and
intensification of systems (uplands,
household, lowlands).
o A lot can be done that doesn’t
necessarily need a lot of inputs
• Policy at national and local level is important
• Provide incentives for farmers to test out and
apply more resilient systems than mono-
cropping– tax breaks, access to credit, land
security
• Link to emerging markets – new ‘food
system’ of healthy clean living and
communicate/capture rich knowledge
o Challenge is how to scale – market and
supply side, quality, standards, etc
Conclusions
WHAT ISAGRO-BIO-DIVERSITY?
1. Variety of crops and livestock
Rice:Laos has biggest germplasm in the
world,after India!
2. Healthy environment:biodiversity
and organic matter in soils
Resilience:how we can recover after
disasters
3. Biodiversity around the farm
Fish and aquatic animals from wetlands
NTFPs from fallow land and forests

28. Thank you