(KPL)The Pilot Project for the irrigation of Nam Kata (PPINK) was inaugurated in Boualapha district, Khammouane Province.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr. Thongphat Vongmany, Vice Governor of the Khammouane Province Somsa-ath UNSIDA, the Ambassador of France, Ms Siv-Leng CHHUOR, authorities of the Boualapha District and representatives of the French Development Agency (AFD) witnessed at the event.

Launched in 2017 by the Lao government and supported by the AFD to the tune of €4.8 million, the project aims to overhaul the irrigation system in the Nam Kata valley in the Boualapha district.

A total of 375 families in three villages are now benefiting from irrigation to improve agricultural yields and secure water supplies. For this purpose, a water reservoir, two main canals and thirteen secondary canals have been developed. By involving local authorities and farmers in the district, the project also aimed to train the beneficiaries in the new irrigation system they have.

The first operating results obtained by the Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry show that 70% of farmers have seen their rice production increase since the implementation of the project and that 120 hectares of plantations are now irrigated in rainy season and 44 hectares in dry season. Thus, rice production in the irrigated area increased by 31%, mainly benefiting small producers.

Irrigation is a priority for Franco-Laotian cooperation. It brings very significant results i terms of food security thanks to a better management of water resources, perfectly adapted to climate issues while allowing an increase in agricultural yields and thus farmers' incomes. The

French Embassy and the AFD will continue to promote this sustainable and collaborative approach with the Project of Promoting Climate Resilient Irrigation for Boualapha (PPRI) which aims to develop an irrigated system in the Nam Heu river region and to strengthen the capacities of institutional and local actors in terms of water management and the promotion of agro-ecology for shared well-being.

KPL