The European Union and CARE Denmark are providing over 17. 4 billion kip (2 million euro) to support food and nutrition security projects in Luang Namtha and Phongsaly provinces.
The four-year project on promoting agricultural production to improve food and nutrition security through multi-sector coordination (SUPA) were signed by CARE Assistant Country Director Ms Alison Rusinow and the Luang Namtha provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department’s Deputy Director Mr Thuang Namvongsa.
Ms Rusinow and Mr Thuang also signed documents on a related project with Phongsaly provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department’s Deputy Director, Mr Visanh Vongnakhone, according to a recent report from CARE.
The signing ceremony took place recently in Luang Namtha province in the presence of representatives from provincial authorities and other guests.
The project will build on the experience of several stakeholders in linking nutrition, agriculture and natural resource management (the LANN approach) and will work in cooperation with these stakeholders to support poor communities to address nutrition challenges.
This project will be implemented in collaboration with concerned government counterparts, including provincial agriculture offices, health sectors and other concerned authorities.
The project shall receive technical support from other organisations most experienced in the LANN approach and hygiene and sanitation, namely CARE, Committee Cooperation with Laos, Lao Organic Promotion in Agriculture and Rural Development Agency.
The project’s aims were to support the government to implement the National Nutrition Strategy and Action Plan. The government has identified 22 priority nutrition-specific interventions (identified by each concerned line ministry, the so called convergent approach.)
The project will contribute to the realisation of all of the agriculture priorities and some key priority interventions under the health sector.
All selected districts in this action are part of the government’s priority districts and the selected activity packages in this action correspond to the government’s priority interventions, as proposed during the consultative planning workshop for this project in 2015 with relevant provincial/district representatives.
The project is designed to provide clear and concrete changes in the nutrition and health status of local ethnic communities in Luang Namtha and Phongsaly. In addition, it aims to support the provincial and district government to address the needs of communities and implement nutrition-related policies.
At the same time, CARE has committed to use this additional four year period to maximise learning, sharing and piloting of good practices.
These projects not only fully align with and complement local government priorities but also link well with other projects within CARE Laos’ Remote Ethnic Women programme.
Source: Vientiane Times
