Laos

Integrated rural development in the east of Khammouane province

• Funding : Rhône-Alpes Region,
  SIGEIF (Inter-communal Syndicate for Gas &
  Electricity in the Ile-de-France region),
  MAAIONG (French Foreign Affairs Ministry)
  
• Global budget : € 817,5
• Duration : 36 months as from May 1 2006

Owing to their geographical location on the riverbank, the ten villages targeted in this programme suffer from terrible flooding in the rainy season. The construction of the Nam Theun II dam, upstream of the villages, will raise the water level and further increase the population’s difficulties. Annual production of rice fails to cover the food needs of its population (3,193 people). With extremely low monthly revenue, the villagers can only hope to cover the most basic of needs and good living conditions are hard to come by. However, the region has a real potential, especially in the areas of agriculture and tourism.

In response to these observations, Triangle is implementing a reliable, sustainable irrigation system to serve the paddy fields. The programme, run in partnership with the PAFO (Provincial Bureau of Agriculture and Forests), will allow rice growers to produce a second harvest in the dry season and thus guarantee food autonomy.