With changing weather patterns affecting crop production and impacting the food security in Laos and other farming families globally, especially those in remote villages, World Renew provides vulnerable farming communities training in climate-adaptive farming. This training includes educating smallholder farmers on the benefits of planting climate-resilient seeds and diversified crops.
In Laos, many farming families grow rice so most people’s diets consist of little more than the rice the family harvests. When rice production fails due to the impacts of climate change, these families are left struggling with extreme hunger.
Over 33 percent of children in Laos are stunted from malnutrition, with higher rates in remote communities, including villages where World Renew works. World Renew is addressing this issue by providing training in climate-adaptive farming and encouraging families to grow vegetables to provide a more diverse variety of food throughout the year.
Nanoy village offers an encouraging example of progress. At the beginning of the project, four families in the village showed interest in growing vegetables. Project staff provided them with seeds for beans, onions, garlic, and kale along with training on soil preparation, watering, and seed collection to get started. As their vegetables grew, neighbors took notice—one of them was Mr. Taw Tea.
When World Renew project staff first worked to identify people in the village interested in climate-adaptive farming and growing vegetables, Mr. Tea was skeptical and did not participate. However, his interest grew daily as he saw how well his neighbors’ vegetables were growing and how the families were able to add new foods to their meals each day.
Inspired, he decided to cut some bamboo, build a fence, obtain a few seeds, and start planting. Mr. Tea says that if his first attempt is successful, in the future he will expand the area where he is growing vegetables. Now, one other family in the village has had the same response as Mr. Tea. World Renew is pleased to see that in Nanoy, hope is now growing along with the vegetables.
Supporting Food Security in Laos and Beyond
Stories like Mr. Tea’s show how a single garden can inspire change throughout an entire community.
World Renew remains committed to partnering with farming families in Laos and around the world, equipping them with the knowledge, resources, and support they need to improve food security and thrive despite the challenges of a changing climate.
Through World Renew’s food security programs, families are gaining the tools they need to grow nutritious food, strengthen their resilience, and build brighter futures.
