In Lao PDR, food security is achieved when farmers are able to produce rice in a self-sufficient manner. Long-term SDC funding has enabled Laotian farmers to grow new rice varieties, thereby providing the population with basic nutrition.

Rice is the staple food in Lao PDR. Its cultivation covers more than 80% of the total arable land and some 95% of the population depends on agriculture as the main source of livelihood. In rural areas, access to rice is the single most important factor determining the wellbeing of the people.
Until the 1990s, the country’s domestic rice production was able to meet only about half of the demand. At that time, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) were asked by the Laotian government to conduct rice research. A project was launched with the aim of achieving sustainable rice self-sufficiency. A more efficient national rice research programme, more productive rice varieties, and training of research and advisory staff have furthered the aim of reaching rice-self -sufficiency in 2006 despite the high population growth rate.
This was mainly made possible thanks to the SDC's long-term funding of the Lao-IRRI Rice Research and Training Project (LIRRTP).

Cooperation between the Lao National Agricultural and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI), and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI, based in the Philippines) enabled local research and advisory institutions to acquire the necessary capacity to increase rice production and establish themselves as competence centres in this field. Increased rice production was mainly the result of : significantly higher yields per hectare; the introduction of better rice varieties and more efficient cropping systems; and increases in cropland size.

Adequate infrastructure and training enabled the National Rice Research Programme’s (NRRP) to develop the capacities and strategic tools needed to plan, implement and monitor the rice research programme. This, in turn, has ensured that advisory institutions and farmers have the information needed for implementation.

Biodiversity preservation

Lao PDR has one of the highest degrees of biodiversity of rice in the world. In order to preserve this biodiversity, a new subproject was added to the LIRRTP 1995: "Preserving and protecting the biodiversity of the rice gene pool. So far, SDC funds have been used for the following purposes; establish a rice gene bank; preserve local rice varieties in the farms where they originate; train national staff; and expand the rice gene bank. These activities are essential for the development of rice varieties that are resistant to pests and capable of withstanding harsh climatic conditions. These activities also ensure sustainably higher rice vields.

The rice gene bank contains over 15,800 seeds of indigenous rice, or an estimated 8,000 different rice varieties. These resources are conserved both in the countryside and in the IRRI's rice gene bank.

This rice diversity is of inestimable value. Collecting and preserving indigenous rice varieties is of great benefit to future generations of farmers facing new challenges such as the growing demand for food and the decreasing availability of water for agriculture.

Supply and demand: futur challenges for rice production

Developing dynamic, stable and market-based agricultural activities that provide both food security and income growth is an enduring challenge for Lao PDR. The population is currently growing at a rate of 2,5 % per annum, the highest in the region. This will certainly lead to substantial increases in the demand for rice.

In order to maintain rice self-sufficiency and meet the future demand for rice from a growing population, rice yields need to increase even further.

Given the food crisis, farmers require continuous access to better rice varieties and cropping systems in order to produce stable rice yields even under adverse conditions.