Master Techniques from Japan to the World 2

Promoting Acceptance of Foreign Human Resources Gives Boost to Farmers in Laos and Japan!
—Agricultural promotion through cooperation with Lao Government, Farmers Cooperative Association in Kagawa Prefecture, and JICA—

Technical intern trainees from Laos engaging in garlic shipment work (Photo: the Farmers’ Co-op)

A rural landscape in the province of Xieng Khouang, Laos (Photo: the Farmers’ Co-op)

The province of Xieng Khouang in northern Laos is located in a mountainous area which is lagging behind in agricultural and infrastructure development. It is a poverty area where hill tribes, such as the Hmong, make their living mainly through slash-and-burn agriculture and collecting natural fruits. Although the Government of Laos is taking measures to encourage hill tribes to switch to settled agriculture, this has not yet led to solving the poverty issue.

The Farmers Cooperative Association in Kagawa Prefecture (the Farmers’ Co-op) has been accepting technical intern trainees from Asia since 2008 and learned about the situation of Xieng Khouang, the province from which their Lao trainees had come. In 2017, the Farmers’ Co-op began a project for developing agricultural production areas in Xieng Khouang to enable vulnerable farmers in the province to settle there, grow and harvest crops, and earn a stable income.

Mr. KONDO Takashi, Representative Director of the Farmers’ Co-op, explains as follows: “We started experimenting with garlic seeds cultivated in Kagawa Prefecture because the climate in the cool highland province of Xieng Khouang is suitable for the cultivation of temperate vegetables and fruit trees. We established an agricultural production corporation in Laos and started growing seedlings. One of our goals for the future is to grow kiwifruit pollen for pollination. We are working with local staff to provide technical guidance and supplies to farmers that are appropriate for the local climate and conditions.” Mr. MORIKAWA Takeshi of INFINI Co., Ltd., one of the Farmers’ Co-op members participating in the project, shares his ambitions. “We selected fruit tree seedlings that may be suitable for local conditions and exported them from Japan to Laos. In the future, we hope to process and commercialize the crops, promote sales of superior varieties as products of Laos, and export them to neighboring countries.”

The Farmers’ Co-op has been making use of the Technical Intern Training Program to generate benefits for both farming communities in developing countries sending technical intern trainees to Japan, and communities in Japan receiving them. The Farmers’ Co-op currently hosts approximately 200 trainees from four countries, including Laos. The trainees learn agricultural methods while working at the member farms of the Farmers’ Co-op for six years at most as of December 2020. With regard to Laos, there is a growing trend in which the agricultural production corporation is offering work to trainees after they return home, and some of them who studied in Kagawa Prefecture are playing an active role in providing agricultural supports in the areas where hill tribes live. This program helps Lao farmers by increasing their incomes and creating opportunities for farming and employment. At the same time, for the farmers in Kagawa Prefecture it secures a stable workforce and, in the future, enables them to obtain high-quality seeds and pollen from Laos, thus leading to a win-win relationship for both sides.

In order to further expand these activities of the Farmers’ Co-op, the “Xieng Khouang-Kagawa-JICA Cooperation Program for Sustainable Agricultural Development” was launched in October 2019. This program aims to improve the livelihood of vulnerable farmers in Xieng Khouang province by supporting production and sale of vegetables and fruit trees through the collaboration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos, the Farmers’ Co-op, and JICA. JICA coordinates with the Government of Laos, facilitates administrative procedures, provides guidance to agricultural extension workers, and conducts market research related to the distribution of agricultural products. JICA Volunteers and experts also will be dispatched to support the activities of farmers and agricultural corporations. Kagawa Prefecture, for its part, is promoting new initiatives such as improvement of the environment for receiving technical intern trainees through an “All-Kagawa” approach with the support of private companies and related organizations. “The Xieng Khouang-Kagawa-JICA Cooperation Program is a good example that meets the needs of both Laos and Kagawa Prefecture through collaboration between ODA and the Technical Intern Training Program,” says Mr. SHINOZAKI Yusuke of JICA’s Economic Development Department.

“Rather than simply exporting Japanese techniques, it is important to provide guidance and advice on adapting them to local conditions,” pointed out Mr. SUEZAWA Katsuhiko of NPO Active Chain Agriculture, a participant in this project. Representative Director Kondo describes the achievements of the project and future goals as follows. “Even after technical intern trainees returned to their countries, we continued to provide support so that they can apply the skills they learned in Japan in their home countries. As a result, highly motivated and talented people now apply for Technical Intern Training. We hope to continue this positive cycle and make sure that it leads to paving the way to the future.”

It is expected that the success of the production area development project, which is based on the acceptance of foreign human resources, will continue to help promote agriculture in both developing countries and Japan.