Organisational Baseline Study: Overview report for Pailom CSV, LAO PDR(LA02)

Savannakhet Province has a total area of 21,774 square kilometers, and in 2000 it had an estimated population of 757,950, with an average population density of 35 persons per square kilometer (DoP 2000). Agricultural production is the primary activity in the province and rice is the main crop being produce in the rural areas. Existing data suggest that Savannakhet Province has an estimated 116,809 hectares of rain-fed rice fields and approximately 19,801 hectares are irrigated rice fields. The number of livestock production has been recorded to be increasing and, at present, there are 79 pig farms, 19 poultry farms 15,924 man-made fish ponds, and 259 natural fish ponds (PAFO 2002). In terms of resources, Savannakhet is also rich in forest resources; in 2000 it still had 70 percent forest cover and included three national biodiversity conservation areas (NBCA), Phou Xang He (109,900 hectares), Dong Phou Vieng (197,000 hectares), and Xe Bang Noun (150,000 hectares). Economy wise, there are two state production forests in the province: Dong Ka Pho (9,600 hectares) and Dong Si Thounh (212,000 hectares) (MAF 2001 cited in Chanthavong, 2004). In partnership with IRRI, NAFRI and the District Agriculture and Forestry (DAFO), CCAFS has selected potential site for Climate-Smart Villages in Ban Phailom, Champone District. A 30km commute from Savannakhet town center on a poorly maintained road. Recent statistic suggests that Phailom Village has approximately 100 households. The population is mainly dominated by women about 430 and men are relatively smaller in proportion, only 269 individuals and 90% are involve in rice farming. At the village setting, rice paddy is estimated to be 222.59 hectares account for the majority of farmland landscape while only 7.82 hectares are considered irrigated land. The terrain in Phailom is classified into 2 terrain types, the Upper Phailom and Lower Phailom. Although the greater part of Ban Phailom is rain-fed rice farming, the lower area has reasonable access to irrigation but only confined to10 households. At a glance, it is evident that access to irrigation among rice farmers is a priority to enhance cropping system and overall farming productivity. As a whole, Savannakhet Province is thought to contain rich in natural resources and immense traditional agriculture production system (rain-fed rice production, aquaculture and small livestock raising) but pressure of change in weather pattern specially prolonged dry season will have a consequential impacts in the dynamics of farming communities undermining food security and livelihoods. The establishment of a CSV pilot site in Savannakhet particularly in Phailom Village is crucial to address the looming food insecurity brought about by changing weather patterns. Goal of Organizational Baseline Study are to: - Distinguish entry point for potential partnership and work synergy scheme with other organizations currently operating in the selected CCAFS CSV sites. - Provision of indicators that allows us to monitor changes in behaviors and practices of relevant local organization overtime. - Understand of the current status of provision of information/services at the local level that informs farmers’ decision making about their livelihood strategies in response to climate change. In order to collect the necessary information, the CSV team conducted a survey focusing on organization that was recorded during the second day of Village Baseline Survey with men and women discussion group. Information collected includes agriculture-related decision making, natural resources management, food security, food crisis, climate change perception and organization service activities

Village Baseline Study: Site Analysis Report for Pailom village Champone district, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR (LA02)

Data collection for the village baseline study of Pailom village located in Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR, took place from 17th -19th Oct, 2014. Focus group discussions were conducted separately for men and women. The village experienced yearly food shortage leading to hunger and malnutrition. Contributory factors included the frequent drought and crop damage from pests and diseases, poor irrigation facilities benefiting only very few farms, high concentration of salt in soil that limits crop diversification in certain areas of arable land, and increasing population that reduces the land area per person. Rice production was the main livelihood in the village but only limited during the wet season because it is mostly rainfall dependant. During the dry season, fields are left to fallow and used for livestock grazing. The government has provided emergency food aid such as rice and corn powder at subsidized cost during food shortage. , Villagers were temporarily migrating to Thailand to work as labourers in factories and in other farms. Few organizations were operating in the village, particularly working on food security and food crisis issues. Information networking for agricultural activities was mainly by individual (farmer to farmer) interaction rather than media. There was poor dissemination of agricultural information or technical support from agriculture extension workers and responsible agencies. Identified priorities in Pailom village include strengthening and promoting agricultural research extension to gather information on fertilizer management, sustainable agricultural production techniques, pest and disease management

Village Baseline Study: Site Analysis Report for Ekxang village Phonghong district, Vientiane province, Lao PDR

Data collection for the Village Baseline Study for the Ekxang Climate-Smart Village located in Phonhong District, Vientiane Province, Lao PDR, took place on November 19th - 21st, 2014. Three days of focus group discussions were conducted separately for men and women. Participatory methods were used to gather information on community resources, organizational landscapes, information networks, and the community’s vision for the future. Men and women in Ekxang village had different point of views on their community’s resources. Women were focused more on the conservation and increased forest land as they are responsible for collecting the Non-Timber Forest Product. Men were more interested in the development of agro-forestry. Regarding agriculture, men were focused on rice paddies while the women were more focused on the smaller household vegetable gardens. There were several changes in community resources. Forest and pasture areas were significantly degraded due to urban development, increasing people demands, and expansion of agricultural lands since 1980s. Infrastructures for irrigation were improved 30 years ago to expand the irrigated area but only few households in Ekxang could benefit from it. Villagers experience that soil fertility has declined compared to 25 years ago. There were a number of organizations operating at the village, half of them related to food security, food crisis and natural resource management. However, linkages is not strong the organizations. Farmer-to-farmer, mobile phone and television are main sources of information that support farmers in their decision making. There is a high potential to develop ICT-based technologies in order to support climate-smart farming practices to farmers. From the farmers’ perspective, their Climate-Smart Village should be an agroforestry landscape with smart groundwater use, smart pest management and crop diversification, and smart information services

Situation Analysis and Needs Assessment Report for Pailom Village, Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR

The Situation Analysis and Needs Assessment is part of the baseline study of CCAFS climate-smart villages in Southeast Asia. Focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and collection of secondary data were conducted from the village to provincial levels. The Pailom village, one of CCAFS benchmark sites, is located in Champhone district, Savannakhet Province, Laos. Savannakhet province is lowland at the western part and the upland at the eastern part. The province, including Pailom village, frequently experiences drought and crop damage from pests and diseases. Rice production is the main source of people’s livelihood. Due to lack of irrigation and low fertile soil, rice yield is low, ranging from 1.5 to 4.5 tons per hectare. The increasing population growth and negative impacts of climate change contribute to the yearly food shortage in the area. The number of migrant workers from the rural area of the province to the cities and neighboring countries, especially Thailand is increasing. There are not many organizations operating in Pailom village and it is equally uncommon to find organizations working on food security and food crisis issues. Information networking for agricultural activities is mainly established between farmers. There is poor dissemination of agricultural information or technical support from agricultural extension workers and responsible agencies. The identified priorities of farmers in Pailom village include strengthening and promoting agricultural research extension to gather information on fertilizer management, sustainable agricultural production techniques, pest and disease management, and adoption of drought and salinity resistant crop varieties and appropriate husbandry techniques