SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATERSHEDS IN THE LOWER MEKONG BASIN- NAMTON (SUMALOM-NAMTON) 11 June 2012 JRP Training - MRC

Project History 2007: general agreement (KfW, GTZ, LNMC, MRC) 2007: Feasibility study 2009: Appraisal mission and revision of project set up TC partner project completed in May 2011 and shifted to neighboring Nam Song Watershed --- Lao Priority basin 09/2010: Project start ( Inception Phase: 10/ /2011)

Project Information Supported by the German Government (BMZ) through KfW. DWR under MoNRE is Project Executing Agency and DoP under MAF is Project Implementing Agency. Objective:  Communities manage their natural resources more effectively and sustainably  Farm households improve their farm and forestry production Pilot site for IWRM Sub-Basin Implementation in Lao PDR

Project Information Target Groups:  Population in the Nam Ton Watershed  Govt. officials and local authorities of district and provincial levels Project Duration: 7 years: ( including inception phase) Budget (€): Lao Con. Ger Con. Total Project part I 505,511.-4,612,9195,116,430 Project Part II/500,000500,000 Total 503,511.-5,112,9195,616,430

Project Area 70Km northwest of VTE, upper part belongs to HH District (9 villages) and Lower part in ST District (34villages). ST one of the 47 poorest District in Lao PDR

Major Land Use in the Project Area Rain-fed and Irrigation agricult. and garden14% (10,350 ha) Forest Cover ( incl. dense, degraded, forest mosaic, plantation 29% (22,715ha) Fallow land (incl. shifting cultivation & shrub- land, pasture/livestock 53% (42,185 ha) Urban Areas1 % (900 ha) Water bodies2% (1,750 ha) Total area is 80,000 ha

Existing Farming System Rain-fed lowland paddy farming system: found in middle and lower reaches of the area. This system intensively applied fertilizer and pesticides --- influencing water quality of Nam Ton River Upland rice (shifting cultivation): Mainly practiced by poor ethnic families, causing erosion and reduced infiltration on the watershed, leading to increased sedimentation.

Project Outputs PP1: covers all project measures within the project area and is carried out by the GoL and local population Output 1: Communities are assisted to establish and execute sustainable village based land use planning Output 2: Farmers are supported to use appropriate farming systems Output 4: (new) Multi-stakeholders Watershed Management Process is established

Project Activities Activities under Output 1: NRM  Watershed and village development planning  Participatory Land Use Planning (PLUP)  Registration of land certificate for household and communities (both agricultural and forest land)  Natural resource management and management of Protected Areas  Support to Kum Ban Centres

Project Activities Activities under Output 2: Farming System  Capacity building on district and farmers’ level  Irrigation systems and paddy development  Rangeland management  Aquatic resource management  Tree plantation development  Micro-finance system for small-scale productive investments

Project Activities Activities under Output 4: IWRM  Mainstreaming water as a natural resource by merging land and water use planning  Support water quality & quantity monitoring  Support process for multi-stakeholder watershed management (establishing and consolidating of a Watershed Committee)  Support Watershed Knowledge (Basin Profile)

Project Structure NPO (MoNRE): responsible for the overall financial management NPO (MAF): in charge of technical project implementation DPOs: coordinate Implementation on district level CO: support implementation on national and district level

Focal area for WSM About 90% of the base flow originates from the upper North-Western parts of the watershed. This is the focal intervention area for watershed management activities, including afforestation, irrigation, etc.

Watershed Sensitive Participatory Land Use Planning Stage (PLUP Manual)IWRM Planning elements for PLUP exercises 1 Preparation for land use planning Add water related to present preparation documents 2 Socio-economic, land and forest data collection Add water related data and water and related natural resources data 3 Delineation of village and village cluster boundaries Locate where water resources are tapped or used 4 Village and village cluster land use zoning Consider adding water sources (surface water and groundwater), riparian buffer zones, wetlands, Fishery conservation zones, spots of possible pollution – draft a plan for water allocation 5 Village and village cluster land management plans Associate water management plans – identify possible change in water use, possible change in water quality 6 Land data and digital map record keeping Add water related data collected in stage 2 and 3 7 Land registration in rural villages Draft a plan for water allocation 8 Village and village cluster networks and networking Facilitate a “Villages and Kum Ban Watershed Network” as the place for water and land dialogue at that level. 9 Monitoring and evaluationDraft a land and water village monitoring and evaluation system

Afforestation  Introduce farming system integration by promoting on-farm tree plantation establishment and management  Encourage individual farmers to target degraded forest and to improve their livelihood  Areas of concern include deforested and unproductive uplands which are currently mainly covered by fallow and shrub land  Total planned area for afforestation is 1,000 ha

Intervention Approach base on slope level < 5% Lowland intervention: rain-fed & irrigation paddy, cash crops, aquaculture, fruit tree plantation, forest management 6-36% upland intervention without soil conservation: upland agri. & forestry, integrating faming, pasture, fruit tree/ timber plantation and Forest Manag % upland intervention with soil conservation: timber tree plantation, integrating farming, appropriate conservation measures to be applied > 45% Forest conversation

Irrigation and Paddy Development  Irrigation schemes in areas where shifting cultivation is practiced  Targeting areas critical for watershed functions in the upper part of the watershed  More than 350 ha for 200 HH to be benefitted by irrigation and paddy development,

Extension Service  Farming systems development is implemented through a training and extension package for smallholders and extension staff  Capacities and knowledge of staff and farmers in upland farming systems development are improved by in-country study trips, farmer-to-farmer  Technical Kum ban centres (3) are key locations for district staff to learn and exchange their skills and knowledge before disseminating them to villagers

IWRM Capacity Building – Awareness Building Water dialogue NTWC - Watershed management planning

Planning Cycle Watershed Managemen t Committee Updated Watershed Knowledge Updated Vision Updated Road Map Action Plan AP 5 Years Implement AP Monitoring AP

3 Cycles to achieve Sustainability Under the responsibility of NTWC in synergy with Nam Ngum RBO WMP 3 – Under the responsibility of NTWC supported by SUMALOM Nam Ton (preparation phase) and Nam Ngum RBO (fund raising, partnerships, technical following up) WMP 2 – Under the responsibility of the Steering Committee of SUMALOM Nam Ton Project WMP 1 –

Building the Committee SUMALOM Nam Ton Steering Committee Nam Ton Stakeholders Analysis Stakeholders Involvement process Merging Steering Committee and Stakeholder representatives Nam Ton Watershed Committee (NTWC)

Step-Wise Approach towards Nam Ton Watershed Management Planning Capacity Building and awareness SUMALOM Nam Ton on going projects activities + IWRM - Activities 4.1 (Mainstreaming water in PLUP) and 4.2 (Water Quantity & Quality monitoring) Watershed Dialogue Building IWRM – Activity 4.3 (Support step-wise process for multi-stakeholders watershed management (Establishment and Consolidation of NTWC) NTWC consolidation Watershed Committee for ensuring proper iterative watershed planning process SUMALOM Nam Ton on going projects activities + IWRM – Activity 4.3 and Activity 4.4 (Support Watershed Knowledge (Basin Profile)

Output and Activities Output 4 : Multi-stakeholders Watershed Management process is established Activity 4.1 : Mainstream water as a natural resource by merging land and water use planning (Complementing activity 1.2 – PLUP) Activity 4.2 : Support water quality & quantity monitoring Activity 4.3 : Support step-wise process for multi- stackeholders watershed management (Establishment and Consolidation of NTWC) Activity 4.4 : Support Watershed Knowledge (Basin Profile)