ID :
65803
Mon, 06/15/2009 - 10:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/65803
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German Bank gives EU 5.1 million to Laos for agriculture development
(KPL) The Mekong River Commission (MRC) and representatives of Lao and German Governments signed a deal in Vientiane last Friday that Germany approved EU 5.1 million for development assistance going to the agriculture sector and watershed management.
The agreement was signed by Mrs Viengthong Siphandone, Vice Minister of Finance, and Ms Monemany Nhoybouakong, Permanent Secretary, Water Resources and Environment Administration for the Lao government, Dr. Jens Mackensen, Division Chief on behalf of The German Development Bank Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufbau, (KFW); and Mr. Jeremy Bird for the MRC.
The KFW has provided the money to be used in the project, which the MRC says will focus on rural development. This project consists of two parts, part I and part II to be implementing by the Government of the Lao PDR and the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) respectively.
The part I worth about EU 4.6 million will be focused on development, agricultural support, irrigation, investment in livestock and forestry in the Lao PDR.
The project part II, worth about EU 0.5 million, will focus on up scaling the sustainable management of the Num Ton watershed in Lao PDR to the Lower Mekong Basin.
Ms Vienthong said that in 2001, the Government of Germany has allocated a grant through the KfW in the amount of EU 5.1 million to MRC for the reforestation in the Mekong Basin Project, which was a sub-project of the management of the Mekong River Basin project under implementation of MRC and GTZ.
In March 2005, KfW and MRC have agreed to establish the pilot project for using water resources and reforestation especially in Nam Ton River. Because of need to improve the management of water resources, as agreed upon the MRC, there is an existing of the sustainable management of watershed in the lower Mekong basing project in Lao PDR, she said.Where MRC has divided fund from EU 5.11 million into two stakes, one of which is EU 4.61 million for Lao PDR as in the agreement with KfW.
Ms Viengthong said, the project will allow people in the area to participate in natural resource management more efficiently, correctly, and usefully, as well as to increase its value added and enhance the standard of living.
Also, the project will be created as the model project for other sustainable management of watersheds projects in the Lower Mekong Basin, she said.
Mr. Bird, Chief Executive Officer of the MRC said this initiative will help communities in Lao PDR manage their natural resources more efficiently and sustainable, it will help improve their environmental awareness, and integrate more sustainable methods of farming and other livelihoods.
The new scheme will implement priority sub-project identified in an action plan for the Nam Ton area that was previously developed by another Lao-MRC-German partnership; the GTZ supported Watershed management project he said.Farmers will receive training and advice on how to improve irrigation system, manage heir land, manage aquatic resource, engage in agro-forestry and develop small-scale environmentally friendly businesses in their own village, and help to resolve competition over the use of scarce resources.
The first time that the MRC worked with KfW, “we are very pleased that KfW see the critical need for supporting watershed management in this region, and is able to take this novel and innovation approach,” said Mr. Bird. “Land-use impacts on water quality, flooding, erosion and has abroad rags of consequences for the river system”
The agreement was signed by Mrs Viengthong Siphandone, Vice Minister of Finance, and Ms Monemany Nhoybouakong, Permanent Secretary, Water Resources and Environment Administration for the Lao government, Dr. Jens Mackensen, Division Chief on behalf of The German Development Bank Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufbau, (KFW); and Mr. Jeremy Bird for the MRC.
The KFW has provided the money to be used in the project, which the MRC says will focus on rural development. This project consists of two parts, part I and part II to be implementing by the Government of the Lao PDR and the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) respectively.
The part I worth about EU 4.6 million will be focused on development, agricultural support, irrigation, investment in livestock and forestry in the Lao PDR.
The project part II, worth about EU 0.5 million, will focus on up scaling the sustainable management of the Num Ton watershed in Lao PDR to the Lower Mekong Basin.
Ms Vienthong said that in 2001, the Government of Germany has allocated a grant through the KfW in the amount of EU 5.1 million to MRC for the reforestation in the Mekong Basin Project, which was a sub-project of the management of the Mekong River Basin project under implementation of MRC and GTZ.
In March 2005, KfW and MRC have agreed to establish the pilot project for using water resources and reforestation especially in Nam Ton River. Because of need to improve the management of water resources, as agreed upon the MRC, there is an existing of the sustainable management of watershed in the lower Mekong basing project in Lao PDR, she said.Where MRC has divided fund from EU 5.11 million into two stakes, one of which is EU 4.61 million for Lao PDR as in the agreement with KfW.
Ms Viengthong said, the project will allow people in the area to participate in natural resource management more efficiently, correctly, and usefully, as well as to increase its value added and enhance the standard of living.
Also, the project will be created as the model project for other sustainable management of watersheds projects in the Lower Mekong Basin, she said.
Mr. Bird, Chief Executive Officer of the MRC said this initiative will help communities in Lao PDR manage their natural resources more efficiently and sustainable, it will help improve their environmental awareness, and integrate more sustainable methods of farming and other livelihoods.
The new scheme will implement priority sub-project identified in an action plan for the Nam Ton area that was previously developed by another Lao-MRC-German partnership; the GTZ supported Watershed management project he said.Farmers will receive training and advice on how to improve irrigation system, manage heir land, manage aquatic resource, engage in agro-forestry and develop small-scale environmentally friendly businesses in their own village, and help to resolve competition over the use of scarce resources.
The first time that the MRC worked with KfW, “we are very pleased that KfW see the critical need for supporting watershed management in this region, and is able to take this novel and innovation approach,” said Mr. Bird. “Land-use impacts on water quality, flooding, erosion and has abroad rags of consequences for the river system”
