Abstract

Most people in Lao PDR live in rural areas and make their living from agriculture. The Government needs detailed and up-to-date statistics on agriculture to help develop the agricultural sector and improve the welfare of the people.

The Government already has statistics on the area and production of rice and other major crops, as well as livestock numbers. However, there is little information available on such things as: the different types of rice grown, the number of rice farmers, the area planted to minor crops, the use of different inputs, the use of farm machinery, farm size, farm labour, and the age/sex structure of livestock. The Lao Agricultural Census will provide these and many other data.

The Lao Agricultural Census is part of a world-wide programme of agricultural censuses, which started in the 1930’s. Over 120 countries are now participating in that programme; many of these undertake agricultural censuses every ten years. The Lao agricultural Census is the first such census undertaken in Lao PDR. It is being conducted in all 141 districts and is one of the largest and most important statistical collections ever undertaken in the country.

The census was developed based on the guidelines given in FAO Statistical Development Series No.5: Programme for the World Census of Agriculture 2000 (FAO 1996), taking into account the circumstances in Lao PDR. Extra emphasis was given to data on rice, because of its importance in Lao agriculture.

One of the keys to running an agricultural census is defining a suitable "farm" unit. In the Lao Agricultural Census, the farm unit used was the agricultural holding, defined as an economic unit of agricultural production under single management, comprising all livestock raised and all agricultural land operated, regardless of ownership. An agricultural holding is sometimes referred to as a "holding" or a "farm household".

Only household units were included in the census; that is, agricultural activities of businesses, government organisations, etc. were excluded. Usually, an agricultural holding is the same as a household, but sometimes it consists of two or more households operating as a partnership.

The Lao Agricultural Census covered only those units that either: - operated 0.02 ha or more of agricultural land in the 2010 wet season or the 2010/11 dry season; or - were raising 2 or more cattle or buffaloes, 5 or more pigs or goats, or 20 or more poultry at the time of the census.

An agricultural holding can be a land holding or a livestock holding. A land holding is one that operated 0.02 ha or more of agricultural land in 2010/11. A livestock holding is an agricultural holding that is not a land holding.

One of the interesting features of the agricultural sector as the market system develops is measuring the extent to which farmers participate in the market economy. In the census, information was collected for each agricultural holding on: - the main purpose of production on the holding in 2010/11; - whether, in 2010/11, any production by the holding was sold, whether any was exchanged for other produce, and whether any was used for home consumption.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

Agricultural holdings - Land holding - Livestock holding

Universe

The Lao Census of Agriculture 2010/11 covered the whole of Lao PDR, including urban areas in Vientiane and elsewhere. The census covered private households only. Agricultural activities of institutional units such as government farms, private companies and schools were excluded.

The Lao Agricultural Census covered only those units that either: - operated 0.02 ha or more of agricultural land in the 2010 wet season or the 2010/11 dry season; or - were raising 2 or more cattle or buffaloes, 5 or more pigs or goats, or 20 or more poultry at the time of the census.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

The sample for the sample farm household component was selected using two-stage sampling: a sample of villages was first selected, and then a sample of farm households was selected in each sample village.

In most districts, a sample of between 16 and 22 villages was selected, with 16 farm households selected in each sample village; that is, a sample of between 256 and 352 sample farm households in each district. The more villages or farm households in a district, the bigger the sample that was taken. A smaller sample was taken in districts containing few villages or households and in urban areas.

In each district, the sample of villages was selected using stratified systematic probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling. A list of all villages in Lao PDR was prepared. Villages were divided into urban and rural strata, with rural strata being sampled more heavily than urban strata because of their agricultural importance. The estimated number of households in each village was used as the size measure for PPS sampling.

The sample of farm households in each sample village was selected using stratified systematic random sampling based on a list of all farm households in each village prepared following the household component of the census.

Altogether, 2,620 villages and 41,660 farm households formed the sample.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The questionnaire has 4 forms: Form 1: Household listing Form 3: Village Form 4: Households (short) Form 5: Sample household (long)

Cleaning operations

Errors to be corrected during the data entry: "Fatal" error; that is, the data are wrong and should be corrected in the editing process (not during the data entry). "Query" error; that is, the data might be wrong and should be checked during the editing process (not during the data entry).

Sampling error estimates

Not computed

Abstract

Most people in Lao PDR live in rural areas and make their living from agriculture. The Government needs detailed and up-to-date statistics on agriculture to help develop the agricultural sector and improve the welfare of the people. The Government already has statistics on the area and production of rice and other major crops, as well as livestock numbers. However, there is little information available on such things as: the different types of rice grown, the number of rice farmers, the area planted to minor crops, the use of different inputs, the use of farm machinery, farm size, farm labour, and the age/sex structure of livestock. The Lao Agricultural Census will provide these and many other data. The Lao Agricultural Census is part of a world-wide programme of agricultural censuses, which started in the 1930’s. Over 120 countries are now participating in that programme; many of these undertake agricultural censuses every ten years. The Lao Agricultural Census is the first such census undertaken in Lao PDR. It is being conducted in all 141 districts and is one of the largest and most important statistical collections ever undertaken in the country.

Objectives of Lao Agricultural Census:

1. To provide data on the structure of agriculture, agricultural land (land use for agricultural crops; livestock).

   Land issue: there is strong need for land use and other related data to guide land policy formulation .

2. To obtain community-level data (at the village level) for examining the infrastructure and services available to farm holdings.

3. To provide data to use as benchmarks for current agricultural statistics.

4. To strengthen national capacity and provide frames for future agricultural sample surveys.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Households

Universe

The statistical unit was the farm household (holding), defined as an economic unit of agricultural production under single management, comprising all livestock raised and all agricultural land operated, regardless of ownership, which engages agricultural operation above certain established thresholds of land, livestock or aquaculture.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

Sample design and selection

The sample for the sample farm household component was selected using two-stage sampling: a sample of villages was first selected, and then a sample of farm households was selected in each sample village. In most districts, a sample of between 16 and 22 villages was selected, with 16 farm households selected in each sample village; that is, a sample of between 256 and 352 sample farm households in each district. The more villages or farm households in a district, the bigger the sample that was taken. A smaller sample was taken in urban districts and districts containing few villages or households. In each district, the sample of villages was selected using stratified systematic probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling. A list of all villages in Lao PDR was prepared. Villages were divided into urban and rural strata, with rural strata being sampled more heavily than urban strata because of their agricultural importance. The estimated number of households in each village was used as the size measure for PPS sampling. The sample of farm households in each sample village was selected using stratified systematic random sampling based on a list of all farm households in each village prepared following the household component of the census. Altogether, 2,620 villages and 41,660 sample farm households were selected in the sample.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Four questionnaires were used in the CA 2010/2011, as follows:

(i) a form for listing the households in the village, Form 1;

(ii) a questionnaire for the household component, Form 4;

(iii) a questionnaire for the farm household (holding) component, Form 5;

(iv) a questionnaire for the village component, Form 3.

The 2010/2011 CA census questionnaires covered all 16 core items recommended for the WCA 2010 roundn namely;

0001 Identification and location of agricultural holding 0002+ Legal status of agricultural holder 0003 Sex of agricultural holder 0004 Age of agricultural holder 0005 Household size 0006 Main purpose of production of the holding 0007 Area of holding according to land use types 0008 Total area of holding 0009 Land tenure types on the holding 0010 Presence of irrigation on the holding 0011 Types of temporary crops on the holding 0012 Types of permanent crops on the holding and whether in compact plantation 0013 Number of animals on the holding for each livestock type 0014 Presence of aquaculture on the holding 0015+ Presence of forest and other wooded land on the holding 0016 Other economic production activities of the holding's enterprise

See questionnnares in external materials tab

Cleaning operations

Census processing

Completed questionnaires were returned to ACO in Vientiane for processing. Processing involved:

• checking that the census enumeration was complete;
• manually checking that questionnaires had been correctly filled out; coding of descriptive responses (such as crop types);
• entering data into the computer (using keyboard methods); running computer checks to identify and correct errors; and producing tabulations of census data.

There were nearly 1.2 million questionnaires and therefore it took some for the processing to be completed. Preliminary checking and coding was done from May-September 2011; data entry was done from June-December 2011; and error checking was done from August 2011-February 2012. Tabulations were prepared by April 2012.

Response rate

village component- 99 percent

household component - 99. 4 percent

sample farm household componen - 99.9 percent

Sampling error estimates

The census data presented from the sample farm household component are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling errors. Because of the sample design used, sampling errors on provincial and national estimates are generally quite small.

Data appraisal

To ensure census data quality, supervision was done at the central, provincial and district level. The data were confronted with external sources, such as the data from the previous census and current agricultural surveys. For the sampling component, statistical errors were computed.

The combination of yield gap and poverty rates into a single map enables to identify best feasible modalities for agricultural development, potential investment, and resource allocation. - Yield gap provides important information for identifying causes of food insecurity and addressing rural poverty. Yield and production gaps have been estimated by comparing at a spatially detailed level of 5 arc-minutes the agro-ecological attainable yield and production of 22 major crops/crop groups, simulated under the historical climate of 1981-2010, with actual yields and production obtained by downscaling for the years 2000 and 2010 statistical data of main food, feed, and fiber crops. - The poverty map portrays poverty rates at the country level. Accordingly, the higher percentage of poverty in a particular area, the poorer population is located there.

A report presenting results of the Lao Census of Agriculture 2010/11. The census involved 1) surveying all villages in the country to collect data on rural infrastructure and services; 2) surveying all households for basic data on crops and livestock; and 3) a sample survey of 41,660 farm households to collect data on agricultural production activities. The report highlights major findings, featuring commentary and graphical presentations, as well as some summary tables. Results are shown for each province.

This statistic shows the value of exported commodities from Laos in 2023. In 2023, agricultural products worth 2.81 billion U.S. dollars were exported from Laos.

In 2019, Food Net Production Per Capita Index in Laos jumped by 3.1% compared to a year earlier.

The Integrated Upland Agriculture and Forestry Research Project (IUARP) is a multidisciplinary research project implemented by NAFRI. IUARP is designed to support the upland agricultural development strategy of the government of Laos. The major components of the strategy are to improve food security, alleviate poverty, and stabilize the environment. The project aims to collect farm-level data on household resource endowment, land use, resource allocation, and livelihood strategies for use in fine-tuning the research, delineating the target domain and establishing a benchmark for future monitoring of project impact.

Laos LA: Level of Water Stress: Freshwater Withdrawal As Proportion of Available Freshwater Resources data was reported at 1.393 Ratio in 2014. Laos LA: Level of Water Stress: Freshwater Withdrawal As Proportion of Available Freshwater Resources data is updated yearly, averaging 1.393 Ratio from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2014, with 1 observations. Laos LA: Level of Water Stress: Freshwater Withdrawal As Proportion of Available Freshwater Resources data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Laos – Table LA.World Bank: Energy Production and Consumption. The level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources is the ratio between total freshwater withdrawn by all major sectors and total renewable freshwater resources, after taking into account environmental water requirements. Main sectors, as defined by ISIC standards, include agriculture; forestry and fishing; manufacturing; electricity industry; and services. This indicator is also known as water withdrawal intensity.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization, AQUASTAT data.; ;

Agricultural intensification in Lao PDR has been steadily increasing, leading to the conversion of large natural habitats into intensively managed agricultural landscapes. Despite this, the impact of agricultural intensification on native pollinators, particularly honey bees, remains poorly understood. This study investigates the effects of varying agricultural intensities on native honey bee populations in central Lao PDR, focusing on two contrasting agricultural systems: lower and higher agricultural intensity. Sampling was conducted across ten plots (30 x 50 m), spaced 300 m apart, with a 3 km distance between the two agricultural landscapes. The present study demonstrate that agricultural landscape intensity significantly influenced native honey bee abundance, with higher populations observed in lower agricultural intensity areas. While the diversity of flowering plant resources did not significantly differ between the two agricultural landscapes, native honey bee populations were more strongly impacted by agricultural intensity than by plant diversity. In areas of lower agricultural intensity, native honey bee populations were capable of fully supporting crop pollination needs. In contrast, higher agricultural intensity areas exhibited a significant decline in native bee abundance, resulting in insufficient pollination services provided by native bees alone. This highlights the importance of maintaining biodiversity within agricultural systems to ensure stable and resilient pollination services. Given the observed year-to-year variation in native bee populations, further efforts are needed to conserve specialized native bee species and other pollinators across both agricultural landscapes. These findings underscore the need for sustainable agricultural practices that support pollinator health, essential for maintaining ecosystem services and food security

A significant part of opium and its derivative heroin on the market in China originates from the ‘Golden Triangle’ – roughly the area that spans northern Burma, Thailand and Laos. It supplies a large number of injecting drugs users in China, and is considered a major security concern by the Chinese authorities. To counter this threat, the Chinese government have launched opium substitution programmes in northern Burma and Laos. The schemes, promoting agricultural investments by Chinese companies, have seen a dramatic increase in recent years. They include large-scale rubber plantations and other crops such as sugarcane, tea and corn. Most contracts are made with local state and military authorities and companies rather than with local communities. it remains to be seen whether China’s opium crop substitution policy is achieving its goals – to reduce opium cultivation and provide sustainable alternative local livelihoods in Burma and Laos – by promoting large-scale rubber and other mono-crop plantations.

The global fermented soy bean market is experiencing robust growth, driven by increasing consumer demand for plant-based protein sources and the rising popularity of fermented foods for their health benefits. The market, estimated at $15 billion in 2025, is projected to witness a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7% from 2025 to 2033, reaching an estimated value of $28 billion by 2033. Key drivers include the expanding vegan and vegetarian populations, growing awareness of the gut health benefits associated with fermented foods, and the increasing incorporation of fermented soy products into diverse culinary applications worldwide. Major players like Meile Food, Lao Gan Ma, Haitian Food, Lee Kum Kee, Guo Niang Food, Fan Sao Guang Food, and Ycdouchi are shaping market competition through product innovation and expansion into new geographic markets. While fluctuating raw material prices and potential supply chain disruptions could pose challenges, the overall market outlook remains positive, fueled by sustained consumer interest in healthy and convenient food options. The market segmentation reveals significant opportunities across various product forms (e.g., soy sauce, tempeh, miso, natto), with soy sauce currently dominating market share due to its widespread use in various cuisines. Regional variations in consumption patterns are expected, with Asia maintaining a significant market share due to the deeply rooted cultural acceptance of fermented soy products. However, growing adoption in North America and Europe, driven by increasing health consciousness and culinary experimentation, is contributing to a geographically diversified market. Future growth will likely be further influenced by innovations in product formulations, packaging, and marketing strategies targeting health-conscious and environmentally aware consumers. The continued exploration of the functional health benefits of fermented soy beans, along with the expansion of distribution channels, are poised to further fuel market expansion in the coming years.