Northern farmers awarded for silvopasture success in year-end ceremony through Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes

XIENG KHOUANG/LUANG PRABANG – Government officials and international research partners gathered in late December to celebrate the success of sustainable farming pilots in the north, handing over reward materials to more than 180 participating families across two provinces.
Launched in 2022 as a strategic collaboration between the National Agricultural and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the project was designed to address critical challenges facing northern farmers, including soil degradation, livestock feed shortages during dry seasons, and the impacts of drought.

The “Reward Materials Handover Ceremony,” held in Nonghet district, Xieng Khouang province, and Phonxay district, Luang Prabang province, marked the conclusion of the 2024 pilot activities for the “Sustainable Intensification of Mixed Farming Systems” project.
The event was presided over by district leaders and Dr. Simone Vongkhamho, Director of the Forestry Research Center (FRC) under the National Agricultural and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI). In his keynote address, a district Vice Mayor representing the local leadership emphasized the critical importance of the initiative given the region’s geography. “Our district is mountainous, and our people’s main livelihood is agriculture and livestock, which is the source of our food security,” the Vice Mayor stated. “However, for many years, we have faced challenges such as low yields, soil degradation, deforestation, drought, and livestock diseases. He praised the project as a model for “green and sustainable” development, noting that the integration of trees into livestock systems offers a long-term solution to these environmental challenges while boosting the local economy.

During the ceremony, officials distributed substantial quantities of farming materials—specifically steel barbed wire—to participating families. These rewards were chosen by the farmers themselves as a form of “Payment for Ecosystem Services” (PES) to recognize their work in integrating trees into livestock pastureland, a practice known as silvopasture.
In Nonghet district, 56 families from six villages received 492 rolls of barbed wire, valued at over 4,462 USD. Their efforts resulted in the planting of thousands of trees for living fences and the maintenance of existing trees across 72 hectares.
Similarly, in Phonxay district, 72 families from villages such as Huay Man and Don Xai were awarded 559 rolls of barbed wire, valued at over 5,066 USD. Farmers there demonstrated an impressive 81.4 percent survival rate for their new living fences, which spanned 2,400 meters and included 29 different tree species.

Dr. Riina Jalonen, representing the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, delivered a video message to the ceremony, highlighting the scale of the impact. She noted that these trees will now help to provide timber, food, fodder, and medicine, but also shade and shelter,” Dr. Jalonen said in her address. “They will help to control erosion, improve soil health, conserve water resources, and bring resilience against drought.” She attributed the high participation rate to the project’s “co-design” method, where farmers were involved in the planning process. Personally, I believe that the approach was so successful partly because it was flexible and it was adapted to the local needs,” Dr. Jalonen added. “You could determine what kind of rewards you wanted in return for those valuable ecosystem services.”
The project, a collaboration between NAFRI and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, was launched to address critical regional challenges such as soil degradation and animal feed scarcity during the dry season.
Although this specific phase of the initiative has concluded, the ceremony ended with a commitment to future activities. Dr. Jalonen confirmed that support will continue under the CGIAR’s new “Sustainable Farming” and “Multifunctional Landscapes” science programs.

By Vongkhamho, Forestry Research Center, NAFRI
(Latest Update January 14, 2026)