Integrated rice–fish farming gives farmers in Laos’ Sanamxay region a new lease on life

Abstract

Laos is a developing country that goes by the formal name of Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Laos’ economy is one of the fastest-growing in Southeast Asia, with a lower-middle income, a markedly rising urbanization and population density and falling rates of malnutrition (GHI 2019; World Bank 2022). Although agriculture is the main source of income, livelihood and nutritional security in Laos, rice has historically been the country’s most significant staple food grain grown (CIA 2023), and there have been significant increases in rice crop area and productivity (World Bank 2022). Since 2000, there has been a growing demand to become self-sufficient in low-cost animal protein, with aquatic species as the most potential food source (Chaparro et al. 2014). The production of these foods has also demonstrated year-over-year exponential growth (FAO 2022), indicating the importance of aquatic foods within the country. However, Laos’ aquatic food production is still relatively small, both in terms of local consumption and international trade volume (Vongvichith et al. 2018). To meet the demand, the Laotian government and a number of local, regional and international organizations have offered extension assistance. As a result, Laos generated 65 percent of its own aquatic foods in 2020 (FAO 2022).