It would be impossible to point to a single measure of success
in a project as broad as Lao-IRRI. Statistics, such as the amount of land planted to Lao modern
rice varieties — high-yielding varieties whose development was supported by the project — tell part of
the story (see Growing impact, right).
"At the field level one of the most obvious impacts has been the release of the improved Lao rice
varieties," says Dr Schiller. "In the Mekong River Valley in 1990, only 5% of the lowland rice area was
under improved varieties. By 2004, many provinces had up to 80% of their lowland area planted to improved varieties."
The impact of these modern varieties has been profound, playing a huge part in Laos increasing
rice production from 1.5 million tons in 1990 to 2.5 million tons in 2004. According to Sengpaseuth
Rasabandith, Head of the Food Crops Department at the National Agricultural Research Center:
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"Without
the Lao-IRRI Project, there would not have been national modern varieties to release. The project has
created a 'rice revolution' in the country."
Some of the biggest impacts, however, are harder to see by numbers alone. Higher yields, for
example, mean more than just extra rice. When yields are low, farmers need to work harder, often
relying on marginal returns from forest products and fishing. When new varieties are successful,
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farmers can think about selling rice as well as diversifying their work and increasing their income.
Even more than higher yields, though, Drs Schiller and Linquist agree the most significant success has been the growth of Laos's agricultural research capacity.
"You can't go anywhere in Laos and not bump into somebody who's benefited from Lao-IRRI," says Dr Linquist. "If you're in the agricultural sector, there
have just been hundreds of people who have been trained through Lao-IRRI. Training has been huge.
"Sometimes that's worked against us — restructuring has moved a lot of people from our program to
higher positions because they've been well-trained.
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In the long term, though, that's beneficial because
as well as having trainees in the rice area, it filters through to all areas of government."
Samjhana Shrestha, a consultant agricultural economist at IRRI, recalls a vivid illustration of Lao-IRRI's impact.
"I visited Naoukhou village in 2002," says Shrestha, "and I remember the villagers talking in
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