Farmer groups engaging in coffee farming, rice liquor production and beekeeping are amongst those learning first-hand how cooperatives can empower rural community development in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
The farmers as well as teachers and students from a technical and vocational education and training (TVET) school and government officials have all taken part in a comprehensive training programme organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with COOP Okinawa, a Japanese consumer cooperative, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
During the training, ILO used its Our.COOP training tools to empower the farmers groups in Attapeu province in the southeast of the country.
The Our.COOP training tools are designed to foster participatory group thinking and peer learning, enabling participants to acquire the knowledge needed to establish and operate cooperatives in their communities. The programme consists of three modules: Think.COOP; Start.COOP; and Manage.COOP. In Attapeu province, the ILO utilized the Think.COOP and Start.COOP modules to address the community's specific needs.
Various training activities have seen some 20 provincial government officials including the deputy head of Attapeu province learn advanced steps for initiating cooperatives by using the Start.COOP module.
Members of a rice liquor cooperative and a beekeepers group put the Start.COOP module to use as they explored ways to enhance marketing strategies and reach a broader customer base.
In Sanxay District, district government officials and coffee farmers learned about the basics of cooperatives through the Think.COOP module. This group is planning to establish a cooperative to install a coffee blending machine and open a coffee shop.
Start.COOP training was also delivered to 50 students and teachers from a local TVET school.
"Next year, we plan to incorporate cooperatives theory into the new curriculum," said Mihsenxai Suradtadaa, a teacher at the TVET school in Attapeu province. "In the future, I believe that beekeeping can be a source of income for people in the community and can be operated as a cooperative."
The training efforts reflect the importance that the Lao People's Democratic Republic is placing on cooperative development. In June 2024 the National Assembly of the Lao People's Democratic Republic passed a new Cooperative Law that will promote the organization and collaboration of workers in rural areas across the country.
Speaking about the recent legislative changes Osamu Ishihara, the project chief of COOP Okinawa said, "The new law will be an opportunity for further advancement and progress. Cooperative establishment and human capital development are the keys to development. Cooperatives in Laos are still in development, but I believe that many of the ILO Our.COOP participants will contribute to building the future of Laos."
© Ishihara The activities in the Lao People's Democratic were funded by the Government of Japan, through the ILO/Japan Fund for Building Social Safety Nets in Asia and the Pacific. An ILO project supported by the fund "Building Youth Capacity and Network in Asia Pacific", focuses on supporting youth and vulnerable people in Asia and the Pacific. In the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the project strengthens cooperative development as a means of empowering rural communities.
