24 October 2011, VIENTIANE – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Lao PDR today welcomed a generous contribution of US$10 million over the next three years from the United States of America. The contribution, provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), will ensure that more than 152,000 schoolchildren continue to receive a nutritious snack every day they attend school. The food will support children in six provinces of Lao PDR to pursue their education.

For 2011, the U.S. contribution is delivered in the form of 1,610 metric tons of rice, 560 metric tons of vitamin and mineral fortified Super Cereal, and 110 metric tons of vegetable oil, with all transport cost to Laos covered by the donation. The oil and Super Cereal will be used by village cooks to prepare the daily snack for the school children, keeping hunger at bay. The rice will be given as a take-home ration to students who live far from the schools, and will benefit the entire family while providing an incentive for them to keep sending the students to school.  

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Photo: A pre-primary student in Oudomxay province is enjoying her mid-morning snack. Photo credit: WFP/Cornelia Paetz

Heavy flooding during the northern summer, affecting 10 out of the country’s 17 provinces, has underlined the need to strengthen disaster management in Lao PDR. Tropical storm Haima struck central and northern provinces on 24 June with Nock-Ten hitting central and southern areas on 30 and 31 July.

According to the government’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) 26 lives were lost, more than 1,000 livestock and 60,000 poultry died, and over $100 million in damages recorded as a result of the flooding caused by the two storms. Many farmers also lost their food stocks and more than 37,000 hectares of rice fields were damaged by the flooding during the critical rice planting season.

Ghulam Sherani, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) specialist for disaster risk management believes the communities affected responded well in the circumstances, “When the emergency struck they quickly mobilized, arranged themselves and divided the roles and responsibilities to respond. However, this could have been much better had they been better prepared and planned beforehand.”

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Photo: Flood affected village in Bolikhamxay province - Eeva Nyyssonen/UN-HABITAT

Vientiane, 22 March 2011 (FAO/WFP) - - - Thousands of families in central and southern Laos require both immediate and medium term assistance, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) said today. These food-insecure people were affected by the late 2009 typhoon Ketsana, the 2010 drought lasting throughout June and subsequent localized flash floods in Lao PDR.

According to a joint Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) by the two UN agencies, the affected population, estimated at more than 111,000 people, requires immediate external support to alleviate rice shortages until the main wet season rice harvest in October 2011,Overall food aid requirements for 2011 are estimated at over 4,000 metric tons of rice. Children at a WFP food distribution in southern Lao PDR after Typhoon Ketsana hit the area in 2009. Communities still struggling with the aftereffects of the storm are amongst the ones hit hardest by the erratic weather conditions in 2010, leading to insufficient rice harvest for more than 111,000 people in Lao PDR.

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PHOTO: Children at a WFP food distribution in southern Lao PDR after Typhoon Ketsana hit the area in 2009. Communities still struggling with the aftereffects of the storm are amongst the ones hit hardest by the erratic weather conditions in 2010, leading to insufficient rice harvest for more than 111,000 people in Lao PDR. Photo Credit: WFP/Anthony Aisenberg

 In 2010, the Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations (FAO) has provided 605 tons of improved rice seeds and 84,000 agricultural hand-tools to 19,418 typhoon affected rural families under funding of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Kingdom of Sweden and the Principality of Andorra. FAO is now looking for USD 1.2 million to continue its relief operations in order to support the emergency agricultural needs of rural families affected by Typhoon Ketsana and the families who currently suffer from this year late and erratic rainfalls. Read more

During the 17th FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Coordinating Committee for Asia (CCASIA) the Lao delegation submitted a project document proposing to develop a regional Codex food standard for edible crickets and products made from crickets. This standard would contribute to protect consumer’s health and ensure fair practices in the international trade of these edible insect products from Lao PDR and other producer countries. The Committee considered the ‘Proposal for new work on development of regional standard for edible crickets and their products’ prepared by Lao PDR delegation with technical assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Laos. Read more

On Monday the 15th, Tuesday the 16th and Wednesday the 17th of November 2010, food baskets were distributed to quiz winners at the Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations (FAO) booth at the That Luang Festival. The quiz was about insect consumption and farming.

Three winners a day were chosen among the people that answered correctly to the questions. More than 300 questionnaires were filled on Wednesday the 17th, when the booth was really full of people with Sticky Fingers Chef Sisouphanh Ocampo showcasing his famous Insect Tacos. Read more

VIENTIANE 18 October 2010 – More than 100,000 people struggling with the effects of natural disasters in Lao PDR will see their future become brighter thanks to a contribution of 3,280 metric tons of rice from the United States of America through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today. The US donation enables WFP to provide more than 218,000 monthly rations of rice to help alleviate malnutrition and food insecurity in disaster-struck communities.

The contribution was celebrated in a ceremony at the Lao PDR’s Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare today. H.E. Mr Laoly Faiphengyoa, Vice Minister of Labour and Social Welfare (centre), was joined by Mr Peter Haymond, Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy (left), and Paul Howe, WFP Deputy Country Director in the Lao PDR (right).

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(English News Release)

(Lao News Release)