Year of publication 2015

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Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

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Pages 95 p.

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Publisher FAO ;

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Product type Book (series)

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Series title Country Programme Evaluation Series

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Series number No. 10/2015

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Synopsis (short abstract) ES1 The Country Programme Evaluation of FAO’s contribution in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) was conducted in 2015 with a view to contributing to the design and implementation of the next Country Programme Framework (CPF) starting in 2016. The purpose of the evaluation was to provide inputs to better orient FAO’s programme in Lao PDR, making it more relevant to the needs of the country, and identify potential areas for future support in line with FAO’s comparative advantages. It also aimed to assess FAO’s contributions to achieve its Global Goals, namely: i) eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; ii) elimination of poverty and the promotion of economic and social progress for all; and iii) sustainable management and utilization of natural resources at the country level. ES2 The evaluation was conducted by a team of five, led by an evaluation manager and supported by an evaluation analyst from the Office of Evaluation. It involved an extensive review of doc uments; interviews with over 160 stakeholders; and field research in the provinces of Khamouane, Savannakhet, Champassak, Swekong and Luang Namtha. The draft report was reviewed for accuracy by an external advisor, government partners and FAO’s Country Office. Following the principle of national ownership of development, the evaluation was conducted in a consultative manner with key Government partners through the formation of a Consultative Group comprising representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) and the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) which chaired the group. The group was consulted in the formulation of the evaluation’s terms of reference, the composition of the team, the validity of the findings and conclusions in the draft report, and the organization of the stakeholder workshop. ES3 Over the past 20 years, Lao PDR has achieved significant economic growth and considerable advances in po verty reduction. With the expansion of agricultural trade, the country finds itself with a comparative advantage in a number of areas, including organic agriculture, niche products and geographic indications. These achievements, however, have not translated into significant reductions in Lao’s seriously high levels of food insecurity and undernutrition. Moreover, a lack of technical capacity and knowledge constrains the country’s ability to capitalize on its comparative advantages. ES4 Lao PDR i s very vulnerable to disasters, including weather events such as typhoons, flooding and drought, rodent and pest attacks, and animal disease epidemics. The most widespread of these are weather related risks and their frequency and intensity is likely to increase as a consequence of climate change. The additional pressure on the country’s natural resources severely strains the livelihood systems of the poorest: many households’ livelihoods continue to depend on natural resources, and the agricult ural sector employs 76 percent of the workforce.

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