With the objective of paying tribute to the native Lao cuisine and encouraging the continued use of edible insects in the Lao diet for improved nutrition and food security, SAEP LAAI LAAI! 2010 is the first major food celebration in Lao PDR that focuses on the use of insects as a main element in local and international cuisines. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will hold the event “SAEP LAAI LAAI! 2010 – A Celebration of the Delicious Lao Insect” on Saturday, the 28th of August, from 4pm to 8pm, at the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Center (ITECC). Read more   

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched its support to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Planning and Investment in conducting a second Agricultural Census of Lao PDR. Investments in hydropower, mining and industrial crops and plantations have changed land use and reduced the land area and labour available for cultivation and other food production. These changes now need to be captured in another census."To effectively monitor the progress of development in the agricultural sector and to carry out its plans, the Government needs good statistics” says Mr. Serge Verniau, FAO Representative to Lao PDR. Read more

The rainy season that usually starts at the end of May in Lao PDR is this year late and has still not started in parts of the country. “This is of great concern for farmers. Many of them are preparing their nurseries for the third time now and the nurseries are drying up again. Now farmers are reporting that they have no more seeds to restart with which means they would have no crops this year” says Mr. Serge Verniau, the Representative for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to Lao PDR.  Read more

An innovative project promoting sustainable insect farming and harvesting for better nutrition, improved food security and income generation, could provide part of the answer to Laos chronic malnutrition rates and benefit farmers across the country.

The practice of collecting and eating insects goes back thousands of years and today there are said to be around 1,700 edible species worldwide. But the real benefits of insect consumption are only just being realized.

"Insects can provide a good source of protein, fats, carbohydrates, calcium, vitamins and other minerals, this is an essential part of human nutrition,” said Dr Vonglokham Phouvanh, of the Food and Agriculture Organization. Read more