Project Identification Form (PIF)
Project Type: Full Sized Project
the GEF Trust Fund
SSubmission Date: 6 September 2008
Re-submission Date: January 12, 2008
part i: project IDentification
Indicative CalendarMilestones / Expected Dates
Work Program (for FSP) / February 2009
CEO Endorsement/Approval / January 2010
GEF Agency Approval / March 2010
Implementation Start / June 2010
Mid-term Review / June 2013
Implementation Completion / June 2016
GEFSEC Project ID:
gef agency Project ID: 2903
Country: Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR)
Project Title: Mainstreaming biodiversity in Lao PDR’s agricultural and land management policies, plans and programmes
GEF Agency (ies): UNDP, FAO
Other Executing partners: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
GEF Focal Areas: Biodiversity
GEF-4 Strategic program(S): BD-SO2, SP4
Name of parent program/umbrella project: N/A
A. Project framework
Project Objective: to provide farmers with the necessary incentives, capabilities and supporting institutional framework to conserve agro-biodiversity within the farming systems of Lao PDR.Project Components
/TA
/ Expected Outcomes /Expected Outputs
/Indicative GEF Financing*
/ Indicative Co-financing* / Total ($)($)
/%
/($)
/%
1. Enabling policy and institutional framework supporting sustainable use, and in-situ conservation of agro-biodiversity / TA / National policy and institutional arrangements mainstream biodiversity in agriculture and land use sectorsNational agriculture extension service promotes the sustainable use of farmer varieties and conservation and sustainable use of agro-biodiversity within current production systems / 1. National cross-sectoral biodiversity coordination mechanism at policy making level with a strong agro-biodiversity component.
2. Biodiversity conservation, including agro-biodiversity incorporated strongly into government’s policies, including agriculture policies, development policies, conservation policies, land use policies, commercial farming policies and other key impacting sectoral policies.
3. Extension package for promoting local varieties and conserving and sustainably using agro-biodiversity developed and integrated into the national agricultural extension system.
4. Agricultural programmes adopt participatory monitoring and evaluation systems for the use of local varieties and agro-biodiversity to assess conservation status and their contribution to local food security.
5. Increased awareness of the value of C-CAB conservation and use for food security at all levels of government.
6. Strategies for scaling-up project lessons nationally. / 958,500 / 34 / 1,883,000 / 66 / 2,841,500
2. Mainstreaming agro-biodiversity at the Provincial, District and community levels / TA / Strengthened local level capacity to conserve biodiversity and enhance productivity of biodiversity resources, especially agro-biodiversity resources
Agro-biodiversity friendly products made available in local and international markets
Four in-situ gene banks established over 100,000 ha / 7. Capacity and accountability of local (provincial and district) government to both mainstream biodiversity into agriculture and land use plans, and enforce policies, sectoral guidelines and land use plans, increased in two pilot (demonstration sites) micro-watersheds [area covered approx. 500,000 hectares].
8. Farmers in two pilot sites with the skills and knowledge necessary to undertake biodiversity-friendly farming, including commercial farming and agro-forestry.
9. Sustainable management strategies, as well as tools, for two pilot micro-watersheds developed including demonstrations of biodiversity-friendly farming.
10. At least four in-situ gene banks established over 100,000 ha where the conservation of important crop wild relatives will be promoted within the broader agricultural landscape.
11. Identification, processing, packing and marketing of niche Lao agro-biodiversity-based products (e.g. wild rice) and value-chain markets.
12. Demonstrations of community-based agro-biodiversity conservation through market incentives and other innovative mechanisms in at least two pilot micro watersheds. / 1,080,000 / 32 / 2,270,000 / 68 / 3,350,000
3. Project management / 226,500 / 26 / 660,000 / 74 / 886,500
Total project costs / 2,265,000 / 32 / 4,813,000 / 69 / 7,078,000
B. Indicative Financing Plan Summary For The Project ($)
Project Preparation 1/ / Project / Agency Fee / TotalGEF Grant / 2,265,000 / 226,500 / 2,491,500
Co-financing / 4,813,000 / 4,813,000
Total / 7,078,000 / 226,500 / 7,304,500
1/ GEF 3 PDF A for $25,000
C. Indicative Co- financing for the project by source AND NAME, ($), If available
Source of Co-financing / Type of co-financing / AmountProject Government Contribution / In-kind / 800,000
GEF Agency, UNDP / Cash / 213,000
GEF Agency, FAO / In-kind / 200,000
Bilateral Aid Agencies / In-kind / 3,600,000
Total co-financing / 4,813,000
D. GEF Resources Requested by Focal Area, agencies share and country*
GEF Agency / Focal Area / Country Name/Global / (in $)
Project Preparation1/ / Project / Agency
Fee / Total
UNDP 2/ / Biodiversity / Lao PDR / 1,132,500 / 113,250 / 1,245,750
FAO 2/ / Biodiversity / Lao PDR / 1,132,500 / 113,250 / 1,245,750
Total GEF Resources / 2,265,000 / 226,500 / 2,491,500
1. GEF 3 PDF A for $25,000
2. Note: It is anticipated that the respective responsibilities of UNDP and FAO will entail similar budget requirements. The exact allocations will depend upon the activities detailed during Project Document preparation.
part ii: project JustiFication
A. the issue, solutions and the expected global environmental benefits:
1. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) covers 236,800 km2 and lies at a convergence of three mega-diversity centres – India, China and Southeast Asia. It hosts globally significant biodiversity - such as the evergreen forests of the Annamite Mountains and their foothills, the limestone karst of central Indochina, the wetlands and dipterocarp forests of the Mekong Plain, and the Mekong River itself. The country also harbours 8,000-11,000 plant species, 166 reptile and amphibian species, 700 bird species, over 500 fish species and over 100 species of large mammals. The floristic diversity of Lao is poorly known and only a fraction of its species have been recorded. In 2007, the first Checklist of Vascular Plants of Lao was published including more than 4,800 species, with high levels of endemism. Over 1,000 globally threatened species are found in the Lao PDR. Lao’s diverse agro-ecosystems ranges from the slash and burn swidden agriculture of the uplands, through long-standing agro-forests in the middle lands, to paddy fields, household or community managed wetlands in the lower-lying lands of the Mekong Plain. The arable and permanent croplands constitute about 955,000 ha or 4% of the total land area; some 18% of this arable land is irrigated. Agriculture makes up about 40.7% of the GDP, whilst the overall contribution from biodiversity to the GDP is over 66% or 75% if household NTFP collection is included as part of the contribution of biodiversity to GDP. About 85% of the population are dependent upon agriculture, fisheries and other biodiversity for their primary livelihood. Most of the biodiversity for household use comes from the agricultural landscapes, the wetlands and adjacent forest areas.
2. Many globally important species are also found in Lao’s agro-ecosystems. Lao PDR lies within the Indo-China region, one of the Vavilov centres of origin for cultivated plants. The richness in agro-biodiversity[1] is attributable to several factors: location between two major biogeographical zones – the temperate north and the tropical south, high ethnic diversity, and different climatic and altitudinal zones. The Indo-China region is considered the centre for origin and domestication of Asian Rice, Oryza sativa L, as well as glutinous or waxy rice; pulses such as pigeon pea; roots and tubers (yams),fruits and nuts (breadfruit, orange, lime, tangerine, grapefruit, mango, and banana); vegetables and spices (cucumber, nutmeg, eggplant, plantain) and fibre plants such as jute. Lao is thought to have the greatest diversity of rice of any of the Mekong nations, and the largest collection of indigenous rice accessions. During the last decade, over 13,400 samples (13,192 of cultivated rice and 237 samples of wild and weedy rice) representing 3,000 cultivars of rice species and more than 2,140 accessions of vegetable have been collected in Laos. Generally, the biodiversity of other crops besides rice and tubers is less well known due to limited or no systematic study. The diversity of fish species and other aquatic animals in the Mekong region is well known (over 500 fish species in Lao PDR) and the aquatic biodiversity (insects, amphibians and crustaceans) of rice fields and associated wetlands within agricultural landscapes contribute critically to the livelihoods of rural people. Amongst the globally important species, of the 18 critically endangered species found in Lao PDR, 5 are found in agro-ecosystems and 7 species are threatened by agriculture related activities. Of 26 endangered species found in Lao, 1 is found in agro-ecosystems and 6 are threatened by agriculture related activities; and of 54 vulnerable species found, 8 occur in agro-ecosystems and 26 are threatened by agriculture related activities[2]. The traditional agro-ecosystems, often characterised by landscapes with low agro-chemical usage and with many trees and ponds, also provide refuges and corridors for wildlife movement between natural ecosystems such as forests. The values of ecosystem services provided by agro-biodiversity, e.g. pollination by insects, pest control to reduce damage to crops, soil biodiversity maintaining soil fertility and productivity, and microclimate regulation, are often under-estimated or assumed to be functioning effectively even under changed agricultural management or land use conditions. To a degree unmatched in the region, households in the Lao PDR still widely use a diversity of traditional crop varieties. Traditional knowledge of these plants remains scattered with farmers in different localities, and cultivation practices are strongly related to the cultures of different ethnic groups. The ethnically diverse Lao population has been actively engaged in crop domestication and hybridization efforts to suit local tastes, preferred grain quality attributes, harvest characteristics, and to deal with the varieties of climate and geo-physical conditions, for many years.
3. The working hypothesis of this project is that agro-biodiversity will only be maintained in Lao PDR if agro-biodiversity conservation is mainstreamed into supporting policies and farming system approaches through strategies that simultaneously promote food security, sustainable livelihoods and sustainable economic development. There is an urgent need to modify institutional policies and frameworks, develop capacities and promote incentives (including market incentives) that support agro-biodiversity. Although some steps have been taken in this respect, for example the endorsement of the Lao PDR National Agriculture Biodiversity Programme (NABP) in 2004 and the ongoing development of the SDC agro-biodiversity initiative in Northern Lao PDR, there is a need to further strengthen agro-biodiversity conservation efforts through supporting the development of a comprehensive programme that addresses key barriers to agro-biodiversity conservation from the national to the local levels. This will involve working on the key barriers to agro-biodiversity conservation which have been identified as institutional and policy failure, capacity constraints, and market failure. As a consequence, the agro-biodiversity resources of Lao PDR are threatened by: a) changing agricultural practices, b) changing land use, and c) over-exploitation of the biodiversity in the agricultural landscape. The rich wild gene pools found in Lao PDR are being lost, together with the potential that they represent to bio-genetic engineering now and in the future. These threats are described further below:
· Changing agricultural practices includes choices by farmers on which crops they grow, e.g. high yielding varieties, on which cultivation methods they use, e.g. minimum tillage (SCV), on the agricultural chemicals – fertilisers and pesticides – that they use, and the ways in which they apply them. Traditional crop varieties are being replaced by high yielding ‘modern’ varieties and mono-cropping. This has resulted in a decrease in the proportion of rice production in Lao PDR made up of indigenous varieties, as improved cultivars and introduced varieties have become more common and have been promoted by agricultural extension agencies and donor projects. It was estimated that by 2000, more than 70% of the area in some provinces along the Mekong River Valley was planted with improved varieties. Such choices may be influenced by market prices, by subsidies or price incentives that may be received for growing a particular crop, or by the information with which they are provided by extension workers, the media and other farmers. Although many local communities prefer traditional crop varieties, government extension services do not give adequate emphasis or support to promote such varieties. Furthermore, contract farming, where large commercial companies provide inputs, advice and finance to farmers is also increasing in Lao PDR. The advantages of improved transportation throughout the GMS through the North-South and East-West Economic corridors make such contract farming more attractive economically.
· Land use changes are driven by a number of factors, key amongst which are policies that support conversion from traditional agriculture and forest land to “contract farming” of cash crops, including tree crops (e.g. rubber and Eucalyptus spp.), with little regard to existing biodiversity values (be these food security values, option values or other). There is currently a strong market demand for rubber and the Government of Lao PDR has been promoting rubber and other cash crops as alternatives to shifting cultivation. In addition private investors from Vietnam, China, and Thailand have been provided large-scale concessions in all areas of the country (in some southern provinces more than 25,000ha) with long-term leases. Large-scale monocrop rubber now dominates large tracts of landscape and alters the hydrology of the watershed as well as the natural floristic and faunal composition of these areas. For the most part, areas designated for rubber planting are degraded forest area and fallow land, however, in the North, the greatest amount of biodiversity is found in these same upland fallows, and, in most instances, such areas play a vital role in villagers’ food security. The government also aims to stabilise the areas of slash and burn swidden agriculture through policies of land allocation for upland communities often into more productive lower-lying areas that can be put to permanent agricultural use, through terracing and supporting alternative agricultural activities including agro-forestry and animal husbandry. Many of the upland crop varieties will be lost during such transitions.
· Over-exploitation of biodiversity in the agricultural landscape leads to loss or local extinction of agro-biodiversity and the loss of their livelihood contribution. Increased population pressure and use of unsustainable harvesting practices will take their toll on agro-biodiversity resources unless a more sustainable management of these resources is practiced. This is particularly important in Lao PDR where the use of biological resources in and around the agricultural landscapes by households for their own food, fuel and shelter is a fundamental part the livelihood strategies of most rural people.