[KOICA Project Fellowship Program]

Government Official Course

Integrated Rural Development Pilot Program in Southern Three Provinces of Lao PDR

1.       DURATION: Sept. 09 (Sat.) – Sept. 22 (Fri.), 2023

2.       GOAL:

To increase capacity for implementing the Integrated Rural Development Pilot Project in Southern Three Provinces of Lao PDR by sharing and learning the knowledge and experiences of the integrated rural development in Korea and Lao PDR.

3.       OBJECTIVES:

1)      To understand the concept of rural and rural development, as well as integrated rural development

2)      To understand the IRD project in the southern three provinces of Lao PDR

3)      To understand the structure of the pilot project and to improve the capacity for implementing the pilot project and monitor the project results

4)      To exchange the IRD experience of Korea and Lao PDR for preparing a better program in the future.

4.       NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 20 participants

5.       VENUE: Suwon, Republic of Korea

6.       PROGRAM CONTENTS

1)      Lecture for Korean Experience of Rural Development

- Background of Saemaul Undong and its Achievement (Suwon)

- Characteristics & Strategies of IRD project in Southern Three Provinces in Lao PDR (Suwon)

- Operation & Achievement of Korea¡¯s Agricultural Cooperatives (Suwon)

- Successful Case of Korea¡¯s Agricultural Cooperative: Dodram Fig Farmers Cooperative (Seoul)

- The Achievement of Korea¡¯s Green Revolution and Future Challenges (Suwon)

- Korea¡¯s Agricultural Extension Service System (Suwon)

- Participatory Agricultural Development Plan & Action Plan Methodology (Suwon)

- Vegetable Cultivation under Rain-Shelter Vinyl Greenhouse & Marketing (Suwon)

- Capacity Building Project for Pilot Project Promotion (Suwon)

2)      Field Visit

- Exhibition Hall of Dodram Fig Farmers Cooperatives (Seoul)

- Highland Agriculture Center (Pyeongchang)

- Sustainable Eco-friendly Agricultural Development: Case of Yangpyeong County (Yangpyeong)

- Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services (Hwaseong)

- Gangneung Terra Rosa Coffee Museum (Gangneung)

3)      Country Report

-Main Contents:

All participants discuss the presentation how the project was implemented and the results of the monitoring. Through the presentation of the IRD program of each province and district, all participants understand the frame of the IRD program of the Southern three provinces of Lao PDR.

4)      Case Study

-Main Contents:

 All participants were divided into three groups for the group discussion including central, provincial government officials and district officials. Each of the three groups select one of the three topics, which will be suggested by the program organizers & discusses the presentation. The discussion results were presented to all participants and the best group presentation was selected and awarded for the excellent presentation.

7.       Results and Evaluation of Invitational Training:

After the theoretical lecture, trainees experienced the system operating in the field through institutional visits and field trips, which laid the foundation for reflection in our project. It was an opportunity for project coordinators in three provinces and four districts to improve their problem-solving ability through the process of exploring problems and solutions in project performance. Through theoretical lectures, institutional visits and field trips, trainees found solutions to problems in each district and achieved the result of incorporating Korean experiences and examples into the action plan if they can be applied into project site.