Saraca laotica (Fabaceae), a new species from Laos
A new species of Saraca (Fabaceae-Detarioideae), S. laotica, is described and illustrated from Laos. It is characterized by leaflets with (9–)11–20 pairs of secondary veins, relatively larger, persistent and showy bracts of 1.4–3.3 × 0.6–0.9 cm, calyx tube of 27–36 mm, 4 stamens, anthers 1.9 mm long, by which combination, it is clearly distinguished from […]
Khounkhao Sold Company Ltd.
Bouasanith (Nok), the owner of Khounkhao Sold Co., Ltd, founded the company in 2023 with a clear mission: reduce agricultural waste by optimizing how local resources are used. As an importer and exporter of food products, the company goes beyond traditional trade by transforming bananas—an abundant fruit in the region—into a wide range of high-value, […]
Mimi Phommaly
Kham Phet Garden was established in 2000 by her father and covers a total land area of 18 hectares. He was inspired after visiting Thailand and seeing the wide variety of fruits available there. At that time, Laos imported a large number of fruits from Thailand, which motivated him to introduce and plant different fruit […]
Sahai Coffee
Sahai Lao Coffee Roastery is a community driven initiative that empowers local farmers across Northern Laos. Sahai promotes sustainable practices by training growers in selective hand-picking and responsible processing methods. They help partner communities to master each production step while protecting their ancestral lands. In 2012, Alex Chitdara, one of the two co-founders of Sahai […]
Systematics, Ecology and Management of Rattans in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. (The Biological Bases of Sustainable Use)
The Greater Mekong region is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet. Home to the world’s largest freshwater fish species and extensive tiger habitat, its forests, rivers, grasslands and wetlands pulse with life. About 80 per cent of the region’s 300 million people depend directly on the goods and services its ecosystems […]
Survey on Botanical Orchids use in northern Laos Xiengkhouang, Houaphan, Louang prabang, Oudomxay, Phongsaly and Vientiane provinces
Wild Orchids collection is a part of income since many years in the study area and actually a threat for orchids that are in the way of extinction. The aim of this report is to show whether identification, selection and promotion of sustainably used of Wild orchids with promising commercial value who can contribute to […]
Annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs from Laos (Mollusca, Gastropoda)
The land area of Laos is composed of a large variety of undisturbed habitats, such as high mountainous areas, huge limestone karsts and the lower Mekong Basin. Therefore, Laos is expected to have a high species diversity, especially for the land snails. However, with respect to research on malacology, Laos is probably the least well-researched […]
Cash crops in the uplands: the cardamom experienc
Farmers are often blamed for destroying tropical forests, especially in the Lao PDR. Converting shifting cultivation into cash crop-based agriculture is recurrently presented as the solution merging forest protection and poverty alleviation. However, many attempts in the recent past have ended in failure. The Rural Development Project of Phongsaly District (PDDP) has tried to introduce […]
A new Philautus (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from northern Laos allied to P. abditusInger, Orlov & Darevsky, 1999
The small rhacophorid frog Philautus abditus is geographically restricted to central Vietnam and adjacent Cambodia. Our fieldwork in northern Laos resulted in the discovery of a Philautus species that very closely resembles P. abditus, but is at least 330 km from the nearest known locality of that species. The Laos population differs from P. abditus […]
NAFRI Research Report: Farmers’ access to credit in the Lao PDR
The agricultural sector plays an important role in the development of the Lao PDR. In 2017, the growth rate of GDP was 6.9%. The growth rate of the agricultural sector increased by 2.9% contributing to 17.7% of the country’s GDP. In addition, the agriculture sector contributed to 60.8% of total employment. The financial sector largely […]
