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FAO with the SAMIS project is producing the climate scenario at 20, 50 and 100 years for Lao PDR. Also, SAMIS is producing the Agro-Ecological Zoning (AEZ) Suitability and Yield maps for the six major crops of Lao PDR at present time, and at 20, 50 and 100 years. The AEZ method use soil, climate and cropping system data to simulate suitability, harvested areas and yield in present time, and in future scenarios. This work is done by the Department of Agricultural Land Management (DALAM) with the guidance of the Asian Institute of Technology AIT.

The SAMIS GEF project and the global project “Sustainable Productivity in agriculture in the context of Climate Smart Agriculture and Agro-ecology” have collaborated to develop foresight analysis tools for decision making. In this framework, FAO, CCAFS, CIAT, and Utrecht University collaborated since 2020 to design and implement four “story maps” were developed for Cassava, Maize, Banana and Coffee. The crops production system is analyzed using the Agro-Ecological Zoning future crop suitability maps and multiple foresight analysis tools. All elements of the crops value chain are identified, as well as current and future risks and opportunities. Based on these analyses, in collaboration with the Policy Team of the DOPC, the policy recommendations containing proposed actions and strategies are elaborated in the form of a pathway action plan. In addition, these storymaps were reviewed and their validity was confirmed and tested by field missions and expert meetings that involved local experts and various stakeholders, including farmers and private sector.

The national workshop presents the final version of the story maps and reflects and identify best ways to use the climate data and analytics. The national workshop is divided into two clear parts; the morning program is open to a wider audience as a webinar access for other institutions and FAO country offices to learn from the SAMIS project and the different outcomes generated through the project that increase capacity for better decision making in Agriculture in Lao PDR. The afternoon program was a closed session with key institutions and partners that supported the design of those different outputs and who could reflect on best ways to use and integrate them. The workshop was opened by Dr Phommy Inthychack, DDG DOPC, MAF. Dr Stephen Rudgard, early SAMIS adopter and incubator, and former FAOR Laos also gave a speech about the potential use of the AEZ as tool for decision making.

The storymaps will be published in the FAO webpage and in LRIMS. Potentially, this is a tool that can support a completely different method for taking decisions, because it explores the potential expansion or contraction of crops in the land. Both new policies and new plans can benefit of these data. It is a dataset that helps giving an idea of the evolution of the agricultural sector over time.  This kind of decision making ensure an effective implementation of the Agriculture Development Strategy (ADS) 2025 and the vision of the agriculture sector to the year 2030.