“Assessment of Impact and Adaptation
to Climate Change in Vientiane Plain,Lao PDR”
by Souphasay Komany
Chief of Water Policy and Legislation
Department of Water Resources
Water Resources and Environment Administration
Prime Minister’s Office
Lao People’s Democratic Republic

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Introduction– cased at a part of Vientiane
Plain, located at 30 Km
Northeast of Central
Vientiane Capital, whereirrigation system was not
yet available.
– The study area covered
parts of 3 districts:
Xaythany and Naxaythongof Vientiane Capital, andThoulakhom of Vientiane
Province.

2Introduction• A group of 13 researchers were formed from different
academic and social institutes, led by the former
Environmental Research Institute, Science Technology
and Environment Agency,• conducted through May 2005 – March 2006,• with data coverage of 2004 – 1995.
• Head of or representatives of 300 households of 20
villages had been interviewed through questionnaires,3

Introduction– The objectives of this study were to:• (i) Address vulnerability and adaptation of targeted
villagers in Vientiane Plain to the climate change,
including impacts to their livelihoods andadaptation, assessment of their agricultural
productive ability, and seek of their opinion forfurther adaptation; and• (ii) Provide technical recommendations as thebasis for further adaptation at grass-root andadministrative levels for adaptation and planning.
4General information• The number of targeted study villagers were almost
equality in sex ratio,• half of them were completed primary education, and13% were illiterate• the higher education, the smaller ratio of distributedpopulation.
• Most of the interviewees were professional farmers
and half of those had secondary careers as livestockraisers, while the other half had practiced other tradeand service activities.
5General information•

Income generated from non-agricultural activities wasconsidered as important factor for adaption of climate change,
which approximately covered 27% of total income of individual
household.

• Annual household consumption was observably fluctuated, inwhich expenditure for food covered almost half of other daily
expenses.
• Household saving in form of cattle rising was popular, which
covered 60% of other forms of saving.
• Official debt and loans of villagers were considerably small,due to the villagers were keen to borrow cash as well as had
limited chance to access financial sources.

6Findings• From the period of study: 1990 - 2004, Vientiane Plain had been both impacted
by flood and drought with more severe since 1995. The extremely drought
occurred in 2004 and flood in 1995.
• Lengths of both flood and drought were less than 3 months, which mostly one
month-length.
% impacted households
37%

109 households

29%
85 households

23%

68 households

68 households

12%

35 households

Drought

1201008060

4020020Flood

4060

801001207Numbers of impacted households

Findings• Based on the villagers’ historical experiences, lostof rice product due to the impact of flood anddrought were rated about 30%, 50% and 100%.
• Study simulation had made for the impact at therates of 30%, 50% and 70% rice lost, comparing tonormal condition.

8771113102116

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Numbers of household

124

130

• Generally, it was observed that
ranges of rice lost from normal
condition to lose by 30%, 50% and70% had made a little impact tolivelihood security of the villagers.

181
166

² ¾¸ ½¯ö¡ ¡ ½ª ò

NormalCondition
Smallrisk£¸ ¾´ ¦ ¼È¤Î Éº¨• In normal condition, livelihood
security of targeted villagers was
about 90%, while the rest wasusually non-secured.

155

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ò À¢í¾À¦ ¨ ¹ ¾¨° -ö ° ½ì ©
ò À¢í¾À¦ ¨ ¹ ¾¨

Rice30%
Lostby 30%

Rice50%
Lost by50%

Rice
Lost by70%
70%£¸Moderate¾´ ¦ ¼È¤¯¾- ¡ ¾¤risk

• Major risks of the villagers fromdifferent ranges of impacts mostly
affected to food and financialsecurity. Livestock and healthseemed to have minor impact.

Severerisk£¸ ¾´ ¦ ¼
È¤¹ ì ¾¨

9Findings• The villagers had ability to accept continue impacted condition
to their rice productivity at 2 to 3 year maximum. If more thanthose, they would struggle for other livelihood alternatives as
their main careers, such as fish farming or livestock rising.
• In case of severe impact, the villagers had mostly assisted bytheir outsider relatives, local administrations and otherorganizations at basic levels, neighboring villages andhouseholds, and other forms of assistance in both cash andkind.
• In general, even though the villagers had lost their riceproduct due to impacts from natural disaster at different
ranges, they would still prefer to be the farmers as usual. Thiswas because of their deep custom and limited opportunity toalternate their professions due to the lack of knowledge andskill and other reasons.
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Recommendations• Provision of alternative crops and other forms ofagricultural investment;• Promotion of livestock rising;• Provision of alternative financial source access,including village development fund and communitycredit;• Provision of alternative livelihood opportunities;

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Recommendations• Application of chemical fertilizer in rice farming at
appropriate and sustainable level;• Cooperate and network with among villages for sharingof agriculture plot, during disaster event;• Provision of reliable and on-time meteorological andother technical information to farmers for the alternative
crop cultivation; and• Promotion of appropriate cultural practices as existed.
12Thank you for your attention!

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