Creating new waterways with irrigation infrastructure

Grant project name: Food for Work (FFW)
Funded by: World Food Programme and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Time frame: 8 months (1st March to 31 October 2014)

Purpose and objectives: 

• Increase availability of rice to targeted beneficiaries: The target beneficiaries had enough rice to feed their families through FFW activities.
• Increase food production in target villages: FFW project encouraged community to rehabilitate / fixed damaged irrigation, water canals and creating water ways, expanded water system/pipeline. This activity allowed villagers to start planting rice and other crops in the dry season.
• Increase crops production in targeted villages: FFW project encouraged community in 26 target villages to grow more cash crops products, such as bananas.

Achievements: By the end of October, 3,229 families were reached in 25 villages and 55 community assets were rehabilitated. Assets included roads and bridges, irrigation canals and school yards. In total, 279.9 MT of food was distributed between July and September. 

Summary of impact: 

• Provision of food was done during the lean season, and was appreciated by the communities (over 3,000 families had access to rice in the lean season)
• Communities proposed similar Food For Work activities for next year
• The new roads provided linkages to production points, markets and between villages
• New water supplies provided year round irrigation for rice fields
• Water levels are now protected from flooding

MEET a family BENEFITTING FROM THIS PROJECT:

In late 2013, severe flooding impacted 2,766 families who live along the Xe River in Xounnabouly district, Savannaket Province. According to the UN report from September 2013, there were more than 66,000 people affected; of those, 24,341 people live in areas where World Vision works.

Photo: Lai and her husband Sithorn talk about the flooding that washed away their rice field in August 2014. 

The flooding had a direct impact on household food security. Many families did not have enough rice to eat. Lai, 30, a mother with three children from Nongbualuang village, was one of the 2,766 families affected by the flooding.

“The rain fell over eight nights, our rice field was underwater, so we could not harvest any seed that year,” Lai remembers.

In response to the emergency World Vision provided a package of relief assistance and supported the recovery which focused on promoting cash crops to grow during the dry season.

“There is not enough water in dry season, so we cannot grow rice and other crops. We were only able to harvest about 70 kilograms of rice from the fields that flooded,” Sethorn, Lai’s husband, adds.

In response to the emergency World Vision provided a package of relief assistance and supported the recovery which focused on promoting cash crops to grow during the dry season.

“To promote cash crop growing in the dry season, we needed to fix the damaged community assets, especially the infrastructure of the irrigation and water canals that had been damaged many years ago,” explained Mr. Soda Souvannavong, Xounnabouly ADP Manager. “We estimate that this irrigation will able to provide water to 300 hectares of land.”

Photo: Lai is happy to see the water flowing into her rice field. Lao people in rural villages use bamboo baskets to catch fish and flow the water into rice field.

In 2014 World Vision partnered with the World Food Programme to assist the community at Nongbouluang village to rehabilitate the damaged irrigation infrastructure, water canals, and create a new water way.

We are able to continue to support the community by fixing the irrigation infrastructure, water canals, and expanding the water way with a high quality water pipeline - Peter Groot

“This project was integrated with the ADP Food Security Project. However, a lack of funds for the construction work caused a delay. Fortunately, in 2014 we received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who with the support of the World Food Programme, distributed rice to affected families. We are able to continue to support the community by fixing the irrigation infrastructure, water canals, and expanding the water way with a high quality water pipeline,” explained Peter Groot, Program and Grant Officer.

With technical and financial support through World Vision Lao, the community took the lead on the labour. They set up a committee and encouraged families to help dig the canals, water ways, and install the pipeline.

Lai’s family was among 215 families who actively participated in the work in Nongbouluang village. “We are willing to work hard because we work for [the benefit] of our own farm too,” says Sethorn.

“It was not just work in exchange for rice, but the important thing that the project brought all the families together to work for our community. No one was missing during the two months of work,” adds Mr. Khammai Dalavong, the village chief of Nongboualuang.

In exchange for the work, 215 households received 30,100 kilograms of rice.

In exchange for the work, 215 households received 30,100 kilograms of rice.

Lai’s family received 140 kilograms of rice in total.

Through good collaboration among supporters, community, and technical support from World Vision, the construction work finished at the end of October 2014.

Lai’s family immediately prepared their rice seed and land. “I do not have any sustainable income, I would like to focus on growing rice in the dry season,” said Lai. A few months later, the rice seed was growing well.

The World Food Program and Gates Foundation provided 280 metric tonnes of rice through the Food for Work Project for the 8 months project. The project covered 26 target villages in Phonxay, Luangprabang, Nong and Xounnabouly district in Savannaket Province, benefitting 24,296 people.