22 August 2014

"I like this variety because of its high yield and can be planted in any kind of soil", says Mr. Kha Man from northern Lao PDR.

In 2006, Mr. Kha Man was one of the many farmers who received seeds from the IFAD 706 project, Managing Rice Landscapes in the Marginal Uplands for Household Food Security and Environmental Sustainability. He immediately planted the 10 kgs of "none" seeds in his small parcel of land in Mok Khar village of Oudomxay. Oudomxay is a mountainous province in northern Lao PDR. He believed that the variety he received would produce good seeds.

From his harvest, Kha Man was able to save 150 kg seeds. He gave 10 kg each to 14 farmers in his village and kept only 10 kg for himself. Mr. Kha Man is also known in his village as "Mr. None" because he was the one that started to plant the None rice variety. Since then, None has become a popular rice variety in Mok Khar village. For 5 years, he planted None rice in his 0.5 hectare land. Mr. Kha Man is a "semi-retired" farmer, and he lets his daughter take charge of his daily farming activities.