Farmers challenged by extreme weather
"The nation's farmers are facing ongoing challenges with their crop production as temperatures continue soar to extreme levels". "According to an agriculture expert, the high temperatures might lead to soil moisture deficiencies, resulting in reduced crop yields. In turn, the could affect the government's agriculture production targets and the nation's food security."
photo by Keooudone Souvankhoummane
The TABI Project in Laos might provide some level of comfort for such food security concerns. There is strong evidence that the high levels of natural diversity of plants and animals that are the foundation of much of Lao food provide a level of protection against such extreme temperatures. Some varieties are naturally more resilient to weather extremes than others, and as such, a high diversity of naturally occurring plants in the farming landscape offer an improved level of food security than a system that is based only on the production of only a few species and varieties. Another win for the Lao cuisine!.
by Kevin Kamp