For poor smallholders the world over, building a better life takes energy, hard work and commitment day after day. Laos: a rural perspective is a book of photographs that show the daily lives of men and women farmers − growing and selling more nutritious food, learning new skills and running small businesses.

It features Ucn, a member of the Taliang Natural Dyes Women’s Group, weaving and reviving traditional dyeing techniques; Koun, raising chickens, an important source of both income and protein; Khunmani, planting vegetables to improve the availability of nutritious food in her community; and several other people participating in IFAD-funded projects in the country.

IFAD began working in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 1980. Since then, it has worked with the Government of Lao PDR to implement rural development projects, aiming to empower women and men to move out of poverty and to achieve better living standards. These projects foster the entrepreneurial capacity of smallholder farmers to ensure their food and nutrition security and build thriving rural economies.

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