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Formerly colonised by France as part of French Indochina, Laos (Lao People’s Democratic Republic) was recognised as autonomous in 1946 and became a constitutional monarchy in 1947. In 1975, the Lao monarchy was abolished and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was officially proclaimed, leading to an exodus of the country’s elite, mainly to Thailand. For more than 20 years, Laos has experienced rapid development, driven by economic growth supported by liberalisation aimed at moving the country from a planned economy to a market economy.
Despite a high growth rate, Laos is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia (23.2% of the Laotian population is estimated to live below the poverty line). A five-year national socio-economic development plan (2011-2015) has been drawn up to move Laos out of the Least Developed Country category by 2020, enabling it to industrialise and modernise. According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), three-quarters of the population depend on agriculture and natural resources. However, Laos is frequently hit by major natural disasters, leading to serious problems of food insecurity.
Triangle Génération Humanitaire has been working in Laos since 2005 as part of the decentralised cooperation agreement between the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region (formerly Rhône-Alpes Region) and the province of Khammouane, one of the country’s most vulnerable areas in terms of food security. Under this agreement, programmes have been developed to support agricultural production and irrigation (development of irrigation infrastructure in the dry and wet seasons, support for community water management mechanisms) and TGH has intervened to improve access to drinking water and adequate hygiene conditions in 15 villages in the Bualapha district.
With the introduction of agroecology, TGH has also focused on developing sustainable practices in the agricultural sector. After one last project focused on agroecology, TGH decided to close its mission in Laos in July 2017 due to lack of funding.
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