19/10/202019 October 2020, Attapeu – Climate resilient agriculture, eco-friendly agriculture systems and livelihoods in Lao PDR’s Attapeu province are the focus of a project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Lao PDR in collaboration with the Department of Planning and Finance (DOPF), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO).
The provincial inception workshop of the climate resilient agriculture project “Building Climate Resilient and Eco-friendly Agriculture Systems and Livelihoods (Climate REAL)” within the Integrated Programme for Climate Resilience and Empowerment in Attapeu Province, Lao PDR funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) was held on 19 October 2020 in Attapeu province.
The Climate REAL project aims to address gaps and weaknesses in the current agriculture system in Attapeu Province, transforming it toward improved productivity, commercialized, climate resilient and improved environmental sustainability.
The provincial inception workshop was chaired by Mr. Ounlah Sayasith, Vice Governor of the Attapeu Province; co-chaired by Mr. Bounseuth Setthirat, Director of Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO), Mr. Seongmin Lee, Deputy Resident Representative of the Korea International Cooperation Agency office in Lao PDR (KOICA Lao PDR) and Mr. Nasar Hayat, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Lao PDR (FAO in the Lao PDR).
Among 50 distinguish quests participating in the workshop were representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, relevant provincial departments and district offices, as well as representatives of development partners working in Attapeu Province.
The workshop’s objectives are to build a good understanding of the project and engage concerned sector departments at provincial and district levels and to discuss and agree on the project implementation preparation.
Accordingly, project expected impacts, outcomes, outputs, activities and targets, as well as project monitoring and evaluation and implementation arrangements were presented, discussed and agreed upon to support the targeted communities in Attapeu province.
The project is supporting climate resilient and eco-friendly agriculture practices and improve agriculture business management in the targeted communities; enhance household and community watershed management and disaster resilience; and strengthen local government and communities’ capacities for disaster risk management and climate change adaptation in the agriculture sector thus reducing vulnerability and strengthen disaster preparedness.
In his remarks, Attapeu province vice-governor Mr. Ounlah Sayasith said: “The Climate REAL project will help strengthen the integration of disaster risk management and climate change adaptation in the agriculture sector and natural resource management in Attapeu province thus will help improve the livelihoods and build resilience of the targeted communities to climate change”.
Mr. Ounlah also expressed his gratitude to KOICA for financial support and FAO for their technical assistance to Attapeu province.
Mr Hayat emphasized the importance of the meeting to ensure not only the success of project implementation but also the collaboration with local communities and authorities at all level to deliver on the project objectives in effective and meaningful manner.
Under the current context, the project would assist both the subsistence farmers and commercial farmers in reducing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on agriculture production. 
Criteria for beneficiary selection should be wisely considered in order to support not only the farmers suffer from climate change but also current economic shocks under COVID-19, he said.
Deputy Resident Representative of KOICA Mr. Seongmin Lee said that this project through FAO is part of KOICA’s Integrated Programme for Climate Resilience and Empowerment in Attapeu Province to help rebuild Attapeu’s residents who were affected by the disaster and to strengthen adaptability to climate change.
Mr. Lee emphasized the climate change adaptation, productivity improvement, and value chain construction during this project and expressed the hope that this project would contribute to agricultural development to become a basis of national development in Lao PDR.
The inception meeting is also back to back with the two-day Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) capacity building workshop and assessment, which will be held on 20-21 October in Attapeu province.
The results of the workshop and assessment will provide a baseline for the Climate REAL project, forming a springboard for transformation toward more resilient villages in Lao PDR.