Lao People’s Democratic Republic advances climate action in the livestock sector

Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR)’s livestock sector is evolving from predominantly smallholder systems that account for around 80 percent of national production, toward more commercialized models, particularly in cattle fattening and breeding for export. This transition needs to be climate-smart and sustainable to meet future environmental and market demands.

The country is accelerating efforts to align its livestock sector with national climate goals through a multi-stakeholder workshop held from 25 to 27 March 2025 in Vangvieng, Lao PDR. Organized by the Department of Livestock and Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in collaboration with FAO, the workshop brought together 40 participants from government officials, technical experts, and partners to strengthen the role of livestock in meeting Lao PDR’s climate targets. The event was organized under FAO’s global Flexible Voluntary Contributions (FVC) subprogramme on “Scaling-up livestock climate actions to enhance nationally determined contributions (NDCs) - Phase II”.

Towards low-emission livestock development

A key highlight of the workshop was the presentation of the improved national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. Lao PDR is transitioning from Tier 1 to Tier 2 methodologies of the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines to improve the estimates of emissions for livestock, an approach better tailored to national contexts and livestock production systems. This shift, supported by the New Zealand Climate Smart Agriculture Initiative, is critical and allows for more effective planning. Agriculture and land use contribute over 95 percent of the country’s total GHG emissions, with livestock accounting for approximately 20 percent.

Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reaffirmed their commitment to climate action. They pledged to integrate livestock-related measures into the country’s NDC 3.0, planned to be submitted by June 2025.

“This workshop has laid the groundwork for transforming Lao PDR’s livestock sector into one that is sustainable, climate-smart, and economically resilient,” said Akkhaney Phomsouvanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Livestock and Fishery.

Strategic recommendations for transformative change

Participants proposed a set of forward-looking recommendations to drive sustainable livestock transformation:

• Raise awareness on the impacts of climate change on livestock and promote climate-smart practices through targeted communication campaigns and training programmes for farmers, extension workers, and local institutions.
• Improve access to tools and technologies, such as biogas systems, emission-reducing feed formulations, and climate-resilient forage, supported by infrastructure investments.
• Expand financial access by strengthening livestock cooperatives and unlocking credit, insurance, and emerging carbon market opportunities for smallholders.
• Build national capacity through investment in research, technical training, and knowledge exchange on breeding, feed management, and climate adaptation.
• Establish a national data system to support livestock-related planning, monitoring systems and measurement, reporting, and verification framework for mitigation and adaptation outcomes.
• Develop national guidelines for livestock mitigation and adaptation, and strengthen collaboration across government agencies, academia, and development partners.

Farm visits revealed opportunities and challenges

Participants visited a local cattle and pig farms to observe livestock practices and engage directly with farmers. The field visit underscored ongoing challenges, such as the high feed costs, limited availability of quality inputs, shifting market demands, inadequate manure management, and limited biosecurity measures.

Often poorly managed, manure was recognized as both a challenge and an opportunity, with potential to generate income and improve soil fertility. Farmers expressed growing interest

in biogas technologies, especially in pig production, highlighting readiness to adopt innovative approaches for low-emission livestock development.

The way forward

Building on the workshop’s momentum, FAO will continue to support Lao PDR in integrating livestock into national climate action. Key priorities include refining national GHG baselines, conducting mitigation assessments, and developing strategic recommendations for livestock integration into the updated NDC. FAO will also work closely with the Department of Livestock and Fisheries to conduct targeted data collection in the country’s Northern and Southern provinces to update national GHG inventory for livestock. These efforts will contribute to Lao PDR’s revised NDC and its broader low-emission development strategy.