Conservation and Management of Plant Genetic Resources in Lao PDR

Diversity of plant genetic resources in Lao PDR (Lao People Democratic Republic) is vast where the natural habitat has been undisturbed and less affected by human activities and its products are closely associated with the livelihood of rural communities. The topography of Lao PDR is largely mountainous, with arable land made up only about 4% of the total lands area, and rice cultivation is the predominant agriculture system. People in Lao is the world largest consumer of high glutinous sticky rice. The origin of cultivated glutinous rice is Lao PDR and a large number of glutinous rice varieties with different fragrant and eating qualities are cultivated. Over 700 species of wild vegetables are utilized for food and other uses. About 80% of the population lives in rural areas and nearly 50% of their income is from a wide range of non-timber forest products(NTFP), such as vegetables, nuts, fruits, spices, medicinal herbs, ornamentals, etc. Almost 77% of households use plant genetic resources as medicine and for medical care. Because of limited awareness for importance of genetic resources and insufficient capacity to build adequate management for plant genetic resources, systematic inventory and the information are available only for limited crops. The ex-situ conservation and management of plant genetic resources for some crops such as rice and vegetables have developed in seed banks and field gene banks under NAFRI(National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute), HHRC(Haddokkeo Horticulture Research Centre), LRC(Livestock Research Centre) and FRC(Forest Research Centre). The international organizations such as FAO(Food and Agriculture Organization), IRRI(International Rice Research Institute), AVRDC(The World Vegetable Centre), DED(German Development Service), SNV(Netherlands Development Organization), etc. provide information, financial fund and technical support for sustainable management of plant genetic resources in Lao PDR.