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Welcome to the project "Smallholder farmer decision-making and technology adoption in southern Lao PDR: opportunities and constraints" (ASEM/2014/052) funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), part of the Australian Government's development assistance program. Within ACIAR the project falls under the Agricultural Systems Management portfolio. The ACIAR Program manager is Dr Jayne Curnow (Jayne.curnow@aciar.gov.au). Below are the research institutions involved in the project:
James Cook University is a leading Australian tertiary institution specialising in understanding the issues of the tropics of the Asia-Pacific region. Research at JCU focuses on generating new knowledge and understanding of the social, cultural, industrial, environmental and economic and health challenges facing the peoples of the tropics. This project is based within the College of Business, Law and Governance (Division of Tropical Environments and Societies). The project’s research aim of contributing to adoption of new technologies (innovation) within smallholder farming systems to assist the Government of Lao reduce poverty and improve smallholder farmer livelihoods aligns with JCU’s strategic intent for the Asia-Pacific region.
CSIRO’s purpose is to conduct scientific research and provide services to address the problems facing industry and the nation. CSIRO is charged with hosting National Research Infrastructure on behalf of the scientific community to assist with the delivery of research. CSIRO is also required to assist in the uptake and use of scientific results to achieve national objectives and responsibilities.
Additionally, CSIRO is tasked to act as an effective catalyst within the innovation system, with a focus on:
connecting individuals, associations and industry across the world around scientific research;
contributing in the development of the next generation of scientists;
providing opportunities and financial support for partnerships and mentoring; and
disseminating knowledge.
National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute
The NAFRI research strategy encompasses all areas of agricultural production and will benefit from research conducted by ACIAR that specifically identifies issues surrounding the adoption of new technologies and management systems. NAFRI has a history of research supporting the northern Lao agricultural systems which is being extended into Southern Lao.
The Faculty of Agriculture in its present form was integrated into NUOL in 1995, after a long history of training in agriculture, first as the Nabong Agricultural School and later as Nabong Agricultural College. The Faculty has more than 50 teaching staff in three departments - Agronomy, Animal Husbandry and Fishery, and Rural Economics and Food Technology. Each year, the Faculty produces almost 250 graduates for the agricultural sector of the country. Besides teaching, lecturers of the Faculty are involved in research related to the current agricultural development situation of the country, such as agricultural change, land management and land use, value chain analysis, animal feed, diseases and pests of crops. Most of the research conducted by lecturers involves students in the research learning process. Participation in this project will stimulate the collaboration of NUOL with the other agricultural development institutions in Lao PDR such as NAFRI and TDEAP.
Department of Technical Extension and Agriculture Processing
The Department of Agricultural Extension and Cooperatives (DAEC) has been reorganised as the Department of Technical Extension and Agriculture Processing (TDEAP) in 2017. TDEAP is responsible for the management and implementation of the extension service and information management across the country. TDEAP also has a division focused on supporting and regulating farmer cooperatives and promoting agribusiness, a division on mechanization, a division for information dissemination and a division on extension services. Key functions of this Division are conducting training of Provincial and District staff, and maintaining a monitoring and evaluation system for the extension service. The Technical Division has operational linkages with the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI), the Technical Departments of the Ministry, and educational institutions such as Universities.
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