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

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Department of Livestock and Fisheries (DLF) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) have at the end of September 2010 agreed on the continued support to strengthen the emergency preparedness for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Lao PDR. The main objective of the FAO support in 2010-2011 will be to reduce the risk of an HPAI outbreak in the country, thus avoiding the possibility of a pandemic and reducing the risk of contamination to humans. The project continues improving the capacity of the Lao PDR to prevent, prepare for and effectively respond to the outbreaks of HPAI in animal population and to limit its impacts on livelihoods. The project also aims to contribute to longer term human resource development, improved data collection, analysis and mapping, and to minimize the risk of HPAI introduction to Lao PDR via cross border trade of poultry and products.

AI FINAL FAO PRESS RELEASE.pdf (114.64 kb)

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