In Laos, 50% of children are malnourished, there is poor education, bad infrastructure, and limited access to clean water. People resort to scavenging in the forests for food, destroying wildlife. We help the poorest families by providing micro-credit and training to farmers to grow enough food to eat and to sell at a profit.

The project will help over 17,000 villagers in two of Laos’ poorest regions by providing micro-credit to farmers so that they can grow food to feed their families and to generate income.

SEDA is cooperating with the 4 villages and the Lao Govt. Department of Agriculture in the Lao Ngarm District of Salavanh Province for a project aimed at protecting biodiversity while helping coffee and durian farmers receive fair prices for their products. Farmers in this area practice inter cropping with durian and coffee so their harvests are constantly cycling for income year-round. SEDA will implement workshops focused on biodiversity, sales and marketing so farmers can reach the upscale markets their products are suited for. Micro-credit will provide farmers with the funding they need for packaging. The ultimate goal is for the farmers to achieve independent and sustainable income.