Community-Based Water Resources Management for Livelihood Improvement and Poverty Reduction: A Case Study at Lao Nya Village, Pathoumphone District, Champasak Province, Lao PDR
Abstract
Water is one of the most fundamental components of socioeconomic development in
any society. In the agricultural-based society of Laos, including Lao Nya village, water plays
a critical role in livelihood improvement and reduction of poverty. This research focuses on
water issues related to both direct consumption of drinking water and also its use in
supporting agricultural production for self-sufficiency and for profits from crop sales. The
analysis is concerned with people living in the buffer zone of a protected area (a very
sensitive upstream landscape). Their livelihood and well-being always have a causal
relationship with the quality and quantity of water, as well as with biodiversity in these
protected areas. Ensuring sustainable livelihood and the well-being of these people is both
critical and necessary.
This research analyzed the livelihood options and poverty conditions of the residents
at Lao Nya village. The demand, supply and management regimes of water as well as local
practices were assessed. The principal aim of this research was to address the following three
questions: (1) How can water be better managed throughout the participatory processes
encompassed in the community-based approach? (2) How can local initiatives on water
management contribute to livelihood improvement and poverty reduction for local village
residents? (3) What appropriate water management practices can be integrated based on
existing conditions? Social equity and water governance between upstream and downstream
communities are also taken into consideration in order to ensure the sustainability of the
whole watershed.
The main findings of the research include the fact that a local initiative on water
management (construction of a dam, fishpond and water diversion canal) has increased rice
production by 60.4 tons per year and adds some 30 hectares of paddy land (61% of 48.96
hectares) of total that is cultivatable in the dry season. In addition, three more hectares of
cash crop land was made available for cultivation by this irrigation, while water quantity and
quality increased and improved, respectively. In addition, new integration of water
management strategies include a community fishpond, combined rice-fish production in
paddy fields, river bank cropping practices and promotion of hygiene awareness among
villagers. Benefit sharing from the water initiative within Lao Nya and another village
downstream (Na Bon) is being managed through negotiation and cooperation among these
village committees. Water governance covers watershed protection, water sharing, and
operation of existing water facilities, namely a dam, a canal and water wells.
any society. In the agricultural-based society of Laos, including Lao Nya village, water plays
a critical role in livelihood improvement and reduction of poverty. This research focuses on
water issues related to both direct consumption of drinking water and also its use in
supporting agricultural production for self-sufficiency and for profits from crop sales. The
analysis is concerned with people living in the buffer zone of a protected area (a very
sensitive upstream landscape). Their livelihood and well-being always have a causal
relationship with the quality and quantity of water, as well as with biodiversity in these
protected areas. Ensuring sustainable livelihood and the well-being of these people is both
critical and necessary.
This research analyzed the livelihood options and poverty conditions of the residents
at Lao Nya village. The demand, supply and management regimes of water as well as local
practices were assessed. The principal aim of this research was to address the following three
questions: (1) How can water be better managed throughout the participatory processes
encompassed in the community-based approach? (2) How can local initiatives on water
management contribute to livelihood improvement and poverty reduction for local village
residents? (3) What appropriate water management practices can be integrated based on
existing conditions? Social equity and water governance between upstream and downstream
communities are also taken into consideration in order to ensure the sustainability of the
whole watershed.
The main findings of the research include the fact that a local initiative on water
management (construction of a dam, fishpond and water diversion canal) has increased rice
production by 60.4 tons per year and adds some 30 hectares of paddy land (61% of 48.96
hectares) of total that is cultivatable in the dry season. In addition, three more hectares of
cash crop land was made available for cultivation by this irrigation, while water quantity and
quality increased and improved, respectively. In addition, new integration of water
management strategies include a community fishpond, combined rice-fish production in
paddy fields, river bank cropping practices and promotion of hygiene awareness among
villagers. Benefit sharing from the water initiative within Lao Nya and another village
downstream (Na Bon) is being managed through negotiation and cooperation among these
village committees. Water governance covers watershed protection, water sharing, and
operation of existing water facilities, namely a dam, a canal and water wells.
Keywords: Lao PDR, water resources, livelihood, poverty reduction, water governance, social equity