Lao Agricultural Research Fund (LARF)

Project ID:

ASEM/2006/060

Collaborating Countries:

Lao PDR

Project Locations

Commissioned Organisation:

Uniquest, Australia

Project Leader

Dr John Schiller
Phone: 07 3346 9150
Fax: 07 3365 1188
Email: j.schiller@uq.edu.au

Collaborating Institutions:

National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute, Laos

Project Budget:

$399,560

Project Duration:

01/01/2007 - 31/12/2009

ACIAR Research Program Manager

Dr Caroline Lemerle

Project Overview

Agriculture in Laos contributes more than 52 percent of GDP and employs more than 80 percent of the labour force. Rice is the dominant crop of a sector that is still largely subsistence farmed. Modernising the country is a government priority outlined in the Vision 2020 Statement, including advances in agriculture. Strengthening research in agriculture is an important component of this planned advance. Most funding for agricultural is external and directed to large projects. There remains a funding gap for smaller projects, particularly for recently graduated agricultural scientists and those returning from study overseas. The LARF will fill this gap by funding small research grants aimed at building and maintaining career momentum for scientists.

Project Progress Reports

Year One

Approximately 90% of funding support for agricultural research in Laos is coming from sources external to Laos. The majority of this funding is for large agricultural projects, many of which have specific development objectives and often undertaken on a collaborative institution-to-institution basis. Lao scientists have little opportunity to access research funds for smaller programs of development consistent with the national agricultural research and development guidelines for the country. The Lao Agricultural Research Fund (LARF) was established to provide Lao scientists with an opportunity to access, and compete for, funds for agricultural research. The net outcome of LARF will be, in combination with other collaborative initiatives, the development of the independent research capabilities of Lao researchers and their respective institutions, in line with national research and development priorities and objectives. The LARF Project follows a Pilot LARF Project (ASEM/2005/008) supported by ACIAR which provided support funding for 13 small projects of 1 to 3 years duration. Support for training initiatives within the context of this project (ASEM/2006/060) included opportunities for training for leaders of LARF projects still current which were supported through the Pilot LARF Project (projects LARF-1 TO LARF-13)

The LARF Project also includes a significant training component, with training initiatives proposed in the areas of - research proposal development, technical writing skills, biometrics and English.

During the period January 2007 to April 2008, opportunities were provided for Lao scientists to develop and submit for funding consideration, research proposals of from 1 to 3 years duration, with a project budget limit of US$12,000 (but with the budget for any single year not to exceed US$5,000). Areas of research for which proposals are being considered for funding support include - crop production, livestock production, fisheries research, forestry systems research, natural resource management, integrated agricultural systems research, and economic and socio-economic studies relating to agricultural production. An independent LARF Assessment Panel was established within the main national agricultural research institute in Laos, the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI), to evaluate the proposals submitted in reference to specific criteria. Represented on this Panel are NAFRI, the National University of Laos (NUOL), the National Agriculture and Forestry Extension Service (NAFES), and ACIAR.