Xiengkhouang Province, Lao PDR – Last October 30, 2016, Mr. Florante Villas, AsiaDHRRA Program Manager, met with farmer leaders of Farmer Association of Khangvieng Zone (FAKZ) and Farmers Association for Sustainable Agricultural Production (FASAP) to discuss with their leaders about the progress of the projects that AsiaDHRRA has supported. FAKZ project will soon progress from improving production and productivity to collective marketing in the succeeding years. Meantime, FASAP’s will soon receive additional support from Bread for the World through its partner SAEDA. The next cycle of AsiaDHRRA’s support will focus on marketing to complement SAEDA’s project on enhancing organic khaw kha noi rice production and improving product quality. These FOs are registered associations in the Districts of Khoun and Pek respectively. Most of their members are small producers of a special traditional variety called khan kha noi rice. They are both partners of the LaoDHRRA platform – initially consisted of Sustainable Agriculture & Environment Development Association (SAEDA) and Community Development and Environment Association (CDEA).

Before the 30^th of October meeting in Xiengkhouang, AsiaDHRRA also convened a meeting with SAEDA, CDEA, Lao Farmers’ Network (LFN) and representatives of FASAP and FAKZ in Ventianne in October 27. LFN is a national platform of farmers organizations in Lao PDR of which FASAP and FAKZ are active members. The meeting discussed plans of consolidating District level farmers organizations into a federation or a provincial platform in Xienglhouang Province. Currently, there are 7 disctrict level farmers organizations in the province. A provincial platform of farmers organizations in Xiengkhouang province will be the first in Lao PDR since the law on associations was passed in 2012.

This initiative with LaoDHRRA Platform of organizing and strengthening rural people’s organization is part of the ReCoERDO Asia Project – a regional program supported by the European Union that aims to contribute to the improvement of the socio-economic well-being of members of rural people’s organization in Southeast Asia through strengthened capacity of CSOs in responding to rural development issues.