This study aimed at providing up-to-date information and analysis on the recent socioeconomic and agricultural changes and the current status of Conservation Agriculture (CA) in villages of southern Sayaboury Province targeted by the PRONAE and PCADR-PASS projects between 2004 and 2009.

In 2008, these projects had set up farmer groups in 44 villages, involving about 1 100 households and 1,500 ha of land cultivated with direct seeding mulch- and maize-based cropping systems. Questionnaire surveys had also been conducted annually in 21 villages of Boten, Kenthao, Paklay and Tongmixay districts in order to monitor agro-economic changes and the adoption of CA. Before the end of the PCADR-PASS project in 2009, a Conservation Agriculture Development Fund (CADF) was set up to continue supporting agricultural extension activities. Since then, the CADF has been supplied by a 10 LAK per kilogram tax on maize sales and exports collected in 10 districts of Sayaboury Province. Between 2010 and 2014, the Fund supported traders and farmers associations, through field demonstration activities, capacity building of farmers in the field of CA, and promotion of contract farming systems for agri-input supply.

Between November 2014 and February 2015, a study was coordinated by the EFICAS-NUDP/CA project in order to take stock of these experiences of promotion of CA. Under the supervision of the CADF Secretariat and in collaboration with the Agricultural and Forestry Offices, the 21 villages monitored by PCADR-PASS between 2005 and 2008 were revisited with questionnaire surveys conducted among 630 sample households.

Taking stock of the CADF (Conservation Agriculture Development Fund) experience in Sayabouri Province

With the PCADR-PASS project due to end in 2009, there was a need for alternative sources of funding to continue supporting CA extension and dissemination activities. Thus, in 2007, the direction of PRONAE and PCADR-PASS started designing and promoting at the central and provincial levels a financial tool, inspired from Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) programmes, that would derive funds from the maize industry to sustain the management of demonstration sites and the coaching of farmers by DAFO staffs, to facilitate farmers’ access to seeds and machinery and, more generally, to expand the existing agricultural extension setup to 10 districts of Sayaboury Province.

The Conservation Agriculture Development Fund (CADF) was created in 2008, with the institutional setup validated by the Governor of Sayaboury Province on 29/11/2007 (Arrêté N° 2042/GN.SY) and the functioning modalities validated on 21/08/2008 (Arrêté N°1468/GN.SY). The stated objective of the CADF is to promote the practice and dissemination of CA in Sayaboury Province. The CADF strategy is based on: 1) structuring and support to traders and farmers groups/associations, 2) capacity building of different stakeholders (farmers, traders, technicians) in the field of CA, 3) promotion of contract farming systems for maize-based agri-input supply (e.g. seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, agricultural machinery), and 4) overall improvement of maize value chain including breed, cultivation, harvest and post-harvest (processing, packaging, standard) practices.

The objective of the study was to assess the achievements of this pilot, self-sustained PES -like initiative.