Contribution of Forestry to Poverty Alleviation - APFNet

4%
A brief about Ban Xom
Figure VI.4. Income distribution in Xom village 2011
10%
17%
19%
Source: Field survey May 2011
50%
196
Rice
Livestock
Other Agri. Produces
Timber and NTFPs
Ban Xom is located at Sebangfai District, Khamouane Province. The village has a total population
of 532 organized in 128 households. The village is located in one of the PDFs where SUFORD has
operated since the start. All the people living in the village belong to the Phouthai ethnic group, which
practices paddy rice cultivation as a main occupation (Figure VI.4). Livestock, cash crops, and NWFPs
are additional important income sources in the village. People in the village also generate income from
wages paid by SUFORD for carrying out project activities. Ban Xom is not located in the 45 poorest
districts identified by the GoL, but people in the village are poor. Of the total number of households, 15
households were reported as having income surplus, 78 households are self-sufficient, and 15 households
face food shortages. On average, rice is sufficient for 10 months during the year.
Project interventions
Since the village participated in the implementation of SUFORD, the village received LAK68 million
(US$ 8,500) from timber sales as shared revenues from the participation in the PSFMS with the
government. This revenue was put into the VDF and managed by the village committee. Utilization
of the fund was authorized by a village agreement. The village also received a grant amounting to
LAK66.9 million (US$ 8,360) from the project as a Rural Development Fund. The fund was to be used
as a village revolving fund to support income generation activities.
Out of the grant, LAK63 million (US$ 7,800) was given as loans to six production groups comprising
of 40 households. (Details of the distribution are illustrated in Table VI.4 below.) These production
groups were established with technical assistance from project staff in terms of technical and
managerial skills development. The main purpose of the grant fund was to increase and diversify
incomes for forest-dependent households, especially for those with less opportunities to receive
direct benefits from forest management.
Table VI.4. Rural development fund and beneficiaries
Activities Amount (LAK) Number of households
Expanding rice paddy field 15,000,000 10
Cattle raising 20,000,000 10
Goat raising 10,000,000 5
Chicken raising 8,000,000 8
Fish raising 5,000,000 2
Small scale trading 5,000,000 5
Total 63,000,000 40
Source: Field survey, May 2011.