PILOT FARMING RELATED TO RESETTLEMENT OF ETHNIC MINORITY HMONG AT NAM NGIEP 1 HYDROPOWER PROJECT IN LAOS

Abstract

 Recently hydropower developments invested by Independent Power Producers frequently face to several risks. Resettlement is one of the risks related to hydropower project especially in case of ethnic minority residing. In the Nam Ngiep 1 Hydropower project (NNP1) in Lao PDR, Project Affected Peoples (PAPs) Hmong had concerns on soil quality and conversion from shifting cultivation consisting of slush and burning, hunting-and-gathering in the mountain area to rice farming in the flat area, and it took time to get PAPs’ consent and to complete resettlement. To settle the situation, the NNP1 launched a pilot farming and invited PAPs for training on agriculture and livelihood. This paper presents the effects of the pilot farming on verification of the planned resettlement program, information dissemination, feedback and the further possibility of it.