Laos-Crawford-Fund-Report-2016-web

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Volunteers for food security in LaosA case study in team volunteering in partnership with the Crawford Fund

2 Volunteers for food security in Laos

AcronymsAPO Australian Partner Organisation

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations

AVID Australian Volunteers for International Development

CIFOR Center for International Forestry Research

IDM Integrated Disease Management

IPM Integrated Pest Management

PAFO Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office

PPC Plant Protection Centre

WTO World Trade Organisation

A case study in team volunteering in partnership with the Crawford Fund 3

ContentsAcronyms 2

The challenge of agricultural disease and pest management in Laos 4

Meeting the challenge 5

AVID and the Crawford Fund 5

The volunteer contribution 6

Technical assistance 8

Capacity building 9

Innovative design features 10

Impact of the partnership 11

Successful volunteer teams 11


Australian volunteering since 1950Australian international volunteering has a rich history that began with the Volunteer Graduate Scheme in the 1950s. The volunteer program, currently known as Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID), has grown over time to become a distinctive element of Australia’s aid program. The current geographic focus of the AVID program is the Indo-Pacific region. AVID supports skilled Australians to undertake volunteer assignments aimed at improving the capacity of host organisations in sectors of high priority to Australian and partner governments.

The challenge of agricultural disease and pest management in LaosAgriculture is a vital industry for both smallholders and business owners in Laos. Agricultural productivity, and the volume of crop exports and imports, has been increasing rapidly over the past decade. Horticulture (fruit and vegetable production) is a major contributor to the agricultural economy (the third largest after rice and maize) and has the potential to significantly improve the lives of smallholder farmers and their communities. However, diseases and pests routinely cause 20-50 per cent losses of many crops.1 Ensuring the quality of produce and controlling agricultural pests and diseases is an obstacle for farmers and a challenge to food security.2

The southern provinces of Champasak and Savannakhet are major centres of agricultural production. Many staff of the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry are based in these provinces. However, a shortage of technical capacity, particularly in the fields of entomology and plant pathology, has made it difficult to accurately identify insect pests and diagnose plant diseases, which further impedes the ministry’s ability to work with farmers to implement effective controls. A coinciding challenge is building more effective quarantine management systems to regulate the entry of crops carrying pests and diseases from the five neighbouring countries.

Crop pest and disease control is a priority for the Lao Government as they work to meet the agricultural export quality requirements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).3 The Australian Government is also committed to support Laos to implement WTO commitments and ASEAN integration.4

1. FAO 2013, Lao PDR Risk and Vulnerability Survey 2012/13 Analysis Report, viewed 7 November 2016 http://www.fao.org/3/a-at537e.pdf 2. Ibid. 3. Lao People’s Democratic Republic Ministry of Planning and Investment 2011, The Seventh Five-year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2011-2015), viewed 7 November 2016 http://www.wpro.who.int/countries/lao/LAO20112015.pdf 4. Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2015, Aid Investment Plan Laos Program: 2015-16 to 2019-20, viewed 7 November 2016 http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Documents/laos-aid-investment-plan-2015-20.pdf

p PAKSE

SAVANNAKHET p


AVID and the Crawford FundThe Crawford Fund is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits to developing countries and to Australia of international agricultural research. The Fund encourages investment by governments and the private sector in such research and its applications.

The Crawford Fund has had a long standing relationship with the Australian volunteer program that dates to 2002 when the Crawford Fund became an Australian Partner Organisation (APO) with Scope Global for a volunteer based at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Indonesia. APOs support the AVID program by assisting with the development of volunteer assignment proposals, promoting assignments to the people in their networks, and supporting selected volunteers before departure and on assignment. Since 2002, the Crawford Fund has supported 26 volunteers on assignment through delivery partner Scope Global. Through this ongoing partnership, a team-based initiative was developed for agricultural volunteer assignments in Laos.

The Lao team volunteering initiative is an example of how APOs contribute to the AVID program. It is of particular interest given the long-term nature of the development challenge addressed, the number of volunteers involved and the depth of the APO contribution.

Case-study assessment methodologySeveral evaluation methods informed the assessment, in particular contribution analysis and performance story reporting. These approaches work with technical experts and program stakeholders to help develop a narrative of how a program has contributed to outcomes and impacts. Following discussions with key stakeholders and extensive reading of project documentation, retrospective Program Logic and Theory of Change documents were created. This was important to ensure the appropriate outputs, outcomes and theoretical underpinnings were assessed.

Data was gathered using both qualitative and quantitative methods, including:

• semi-structured interviews with a range of key stakeholders, involving a field trip to Laos to meet with Government officials at central and provincial level, and face-to-face and Skype interviews with a random selection of the returned volunteers

• observation visits to host organisations and field sites in Laos

• online surveys distributed to all returned volunteers and all host organisation counterparts who worked directly with the volunteers

Data was triangulated from different sources to reach findings regarding the contribution of the volunteer team.

Meeting the challengeThe Lao team volunteering initiative started formally in 2013 with the successful placement of an Australian volunteer with the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. However, this placement was preceded by several years of preparation, planning and collaboration between Scope Global and the Crawford Fund, both working to support agricultural development in Laos.

In 2009, Scope Global placed an Australian volunteer with Department of Agriculture’s Plant Protection Centre (PPC) in the capital Vientiane. This assignment was a challenging one that highlighted potential areas for support at both central and provincial level in the area of capacity building of staff in plant disease diagnosis and management. The Crawford Fund also initiated a capacity building program in plant heath and crop protection in Laos in 2009. It was under this project that the Crawford Fund initially engaged with the Australian volunteer in Vientiane. Efforts at capacity building by visiting Crawford Fund specialists were not as successful as hoped owing, in part, to the need for continuing technical support in the provincial centres.

A shared intent to engage effectively in the critical provincial centres led to formal collaboration between Scope Global and the Crawford Fund. The partnership between Scope Global and the Crawford Fund was in place by late 2012, and in May 2013 Dr Kylie Ireland took up the first regional AVID assignment in Pakse, the capital of Champasak province, supported formally by the Crawford Fund.

The Government of Laos was also instrumental in the success of the partnership. The government has collaborated with the AVID program and the Crawford Fund on the strategic placement of a series of Australian volunteers, often concurrently, in agricultural development, primarily in the fields of plant pathology and entomology.


Madaline Healey

Entomologist Training and Development Officer

Savannakhet

July 2014 – February 2015

Lyall Grieve

Entomologist/IPM Training Officer

Pakse

May 2014 – May 2015

Sophia Callaghan

Diagnostic Plant Pathologist/IDM Advisor

Pakse

January 2015 – January 2016

The volunteer contributionThe work of the provincially-based volunteers in Pakse and Savannakhet began with the documentation of major disease and pest issues. Subsequent volunteers ran workshops on disease diagnosis, integrated disease management (IDM) and integrated pest management (IPM) for small-holder farmers and local staff counterparts.

The most recent assignment, which began in March 2016, has seen a return to a central department in Vientiane (Department of Agriculture – Plant Quarantine Division). This volunteer is developing policies and guidelines as part of a national framework for government agriculture and forestry staff.

Further provincial assignments designed to build on the work of previous volunteers were in the recruitment phase in late 2016.

John Burley

Plant Quarantine & Bio Security Advisor

Vientiane

March 2016 – March 2017


Ian Smith

Entomologist (IPM)

Pakse

November 2015 – May 2016

Jillian Walsh

Plant Pathologist

Vientiane

February 2009 – August 2009

Sally Cowan

Entomologist

Vientiane

May 2012 – May 2013

Adam Williams

Horticulturalist

Pakse

January 2015 – January 2016

Kylie Ireland

Diagnostic Plant Pathologist/IDM Advisor

Pakse

May 2013 – January 2015

80%said the Australian volunteer

contribution was very important to staff

learning new skills.

90%said the Australian volunteer contribution had been very

important to organisational capacity to deliver programs and meet goals.

Local counterpart staff on the volunteer team These figures are based on a 2016 survey of 10 staff or counterparts in the Lao government PAFO offices who worked with the Australian volunteers.

100% said the Australian volunteer

contribution in creating linkages and networks with Australia was

very important.


Technical assistanceResource and process improvementsAustralian volunteers from the Lao team volunteering initiative worked with Provincial Agriculture and Forestry (PAFO) staff to develop functioning laboratories, which had not previously existed at provincial level. The volunteers sourced additional funding to outfit the laboratories with essential equipment, such as microscopes. Laboratory processes and procedures were written and translated into Lao language. The volunteers also developed disease and pest identification posters and checklists, and an information management database. While all of these resources have been highly valued by local staff, consistent utilisation of the new tools is not yet embedded at provincial level and requires ongoing support to ensure full adoption.

Research and diagnosticsExtensive pest and disease diagnostic activity has taken place in both provinces, with the support of the Crawford Fund. The lists of identified diseases and pests are now extensive and the highest risk diseases and pests have been identified. The scientific skills and knowledge required to finalise and maintain up-to-date pest and disease lists remains beyond the capacity of PAFO staff at this point, but the Crawford Fund is working to address this gap with additional volunteer support.

Science diplomacyRecognition within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the contribution of the Australian volunteers and the Crawford Fund to capacity development is high, particularly among PAFO staff. The national significance of the issues being addressed by the volunteers also ensures that the volunteer contribution is recognised at higher levels of central Lao government. The program is also well regarded in Australia following media coverage and promotion of the initiative within Australia’s agricultural science community.

Professor Lester Burgess, Crawford Fund, on the impact of volunteers working closely with an APO.

Some of our counterparts in Savannakhet have emphasised to us that their problem with many projects is that there is no continuity… A feature of our program [is] that we have formal workshops given by colleagues with lots of experience in the particular area. Then we have the volunteer on the ground who can provide follow-up training.


Capacity buildingProvincial agriculture and forestry staffPAFO staff in the provincial offices believe their knowledge and skills in disease and pest identification, and diagnosis practices have been significantly developed thanks to the Lao team volunteering initiative. They are more confident engaging with farmers as a result of this increase in knowledge and skill. Australian volunteers agree that their counterparts have made significant advances in these areas.

Each Australian volunteer took responsibility for developing training resources and delivering formal training workshops and seminars that were valued by participants. They also spent a significant proportion of their time providing informal training and mentoring, working alongside PAFO counterparts in the newly established laboratory and in the field. The volunteers encouraged the development of training skills in counterpart staff so they would be in a position to share their new knowledge with district officials and farmers.

Further development is required in areas such as problem solving and complex decision making, but significant steps have been made. Language skills present an ongoing challenge to capacity development. Volunteers generally only have time to develop basic Lao language skills. Further development of the English language capacity of the PAFO officials remains a program objective.

FarmersThere has been strong, consistent engagement with a targeted group of farmers in both provinces through repeated farm visits, participation in training workshops and ongoing support. The farming practices of the participating farmers have significantly changed as a result of their engagement with PAFO and the Australian volunteers, and crop quality and yields have improved.

Australian volunteersCapacity development of the Australian volunteers themselves is an important part of the initiative. Ongoing support from the Crawford Fund through online mentoring creates a strong learning environment for the volunteers. Experts from across Australia and internationally have been engaged by the Crawford Fund to provide additional mentoring support to the Australian volunteers in specific areas. The volunteers also develop their skills through hands-on international field experience, and teaching and training experience. Returned volunteers have found their experience highly regarded in their field on their return to Australia.


Characteristics of an effective Australian Partner OrganisationThe Crawford Fund has made an exceptional contribution to the AVID program in Laos, being a central and active player in the development of the Lao team volunteering initiative and its implementation.

• Professor Lester Burgess of the Crawford Fund became a champion of the AVID program. His work and support were crucial in driving the partnership and assisting volunteers on the ground.

• The Crawford Fund leveraged the organisation’s considerable expertise to ensure that the long-term direction of the initiative was clear and well-informed.

• The development of a strong relationship between the Crawford Fund (as Australian Partner Organisation) and the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (as host organisation) made it possible for volunteers to maximise the impact of their volunteer assignments.

• The Crawford Fund provided exceptional direct support to the volunteers, assisting them to address professional challenges, connecting them with a wide range of e-mentors, and introducing them to numerous organisations around the world to support their activity.

• The excellent reputation of the Crawford Fund, strengthened by the strong professional reputation of Professor Lester Burgess, helped attract high calibre applicants for the volunteer assignments.

Innovative design featuresThe Crawford partnership with the AVID program is characterised by two distinguishing features: clustering of volunteers and multiple phases of volunteers.

The Lao team volunteering initiative has involved successive clusters of volunteers working in small teams. The complementary rather than identical skill sets of the co-located volunteers (i.e. a plant pathologist placed with an entomologist) provides provincial offices with access to a wider range of skills and knowledge, meaning a broad range of objectives could be addressed. The cluster approach also ensures that volunteers can access peer support through other volunteers with whom they can discuss cultural, professional and sometimes personal challenges. Locating volunteers with similar responsibilities across two different towns at the same time enables exchange of ideas and mutual support between the volunteers and their provincial colleagues.

The long-term commitment involved in implementing multiple phases of volunteers is encouraging long-term change at the provincial level. Volunteers have been able to pass on resources and information to the next phase of volunteers, ensuring that capacity building work continues to progress and that volunteers are able to make the most of their time on assignment.

The ultimate objective of the Lao team volunteering initiative – long-term food security and strengthened trade outcomes – are of national scale and require a long-term commitment. The sequence of assignments demonstrates a strategic approach, with the intent of bringing about sustainable change. The continued and reliable presence of the volunteers and the Crawford Fund has inspired trust and confidence among local stakeholder groups and been vital to the success of the initiative.

E-mentoringProfessor Lester Burgess, leading the Crawford Fund’s work in Laos, provided direct professional and technical support to volunteers. He also established a network of around thirty online mentors, all of whom are scientists and experienced professionals with expertise in agricultural pests and diseases. This network ensures that the volunteers have access to an expert advisor no matter the challenge they face. The e-mentors regularly volunteer their time to respond to requests for technical support from volunteers. Returned volunteers from Laos have subsequently become e-mentors to new volunteers, which ensures that knowledge and experience is retained within the initiative.

Several academic peer-reviewed research papers have been successfully published thorough collaboration by volunteers, PAFO staff, APO representatives and their online mentors. Such publications are of professional benefit for all involved and long-standing benefit to agricultural science in Laos.


PAFO Leadership, on clustering volunteers.

I think in truth having more people is a good thing. This is because one person will not know everything. Working with one is good but it can be better with more, so they can exchange methods and ideas with each other to make better improvements.


Research for innovationThe research outlined in this report was commissioned by Scope Global, an implementing partner of the AVID program. Scope Global has a particular interest in assessing innovative approaches to international volunteering. The focus of this case study is an international volunteering partnership for food security in Laos. This partnership approach was jointly developed by the Government of Laos, Scope Global and the Crawford Fund, the APO for this ongoing AVID initiative.

Impact of the partnershipThe ongoing contribution of Crawford Fund expertise, through an international pool of mentors and the support of specialist organisations across Australasia and Europe, resulted in extensive additional human resources being committed to the volunteer initiative. The recruitment of highly qualified volunteers, attracted by the partnership opportunity and assisted by remote specialists, meant that the technical support provided to the host organisation was strong and responsive. The volunteers also successfully accessed additional financial resources through the partnership in the form of international grants to support development of laboratories at provincial level, greenhouses for key farmers and other project-related activities.

Successful volunteer teamsSeveral features of the Laos context and initiative made the team volunteering model particularly successful:

• The host organisation, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, was large enough to require and host multiple volunteer assignments. There were sufficient staff available to engage with the Australian volunteers and their premises were physical large enough to accommodate the volunteers and new laboratories.

• There was a strong and mutual understanding of exactly what was required of the volunteers. PAFO, Scope Global, the Crawford Fund and earlier volunteers contributed to assignment design. The development of clustered assignments over multiple phases was based on strong evidence of need.

• The targeted objectives have been significant enough in scale to require complementary but different assignments, requiring volunteers to collaborate but demanding different knowledge and skills. This combination of connection and variation between the assignments has been recognised as important by the both volunteers and the host organisation.

• The primary objective of the initiative – management of agricultural pests and diseases to support Laos in meeting WTO and ASEAN export standards – was a strategic priority for the Lao Government (and for Australian Aid) that enabled high level support at critical junctures.

• Engagement of the Crawford Fund as APO was crucial to establishing the right environment for the Lao team volunteering initiative. In scientific and highly technical areas, an aligned and active APO is invaluable.

Team volunteering has the potential to be successfully implemented in different sectors and different countries wherever development challenges warrant ongoing and multifaceted engagement and the proposed host organisation is able to accommodate the placement of multiple volunteers. Engagement of a technically-aligned and committed APO can drastically expand the effectiveness of these volunteer teams.

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The Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program is an Australian Government initiative. This report has been developed by Scope Global, one of two delivery partners for the AVID program.

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