For villagers in Houn District, Oudomxay Province, land is practically everything. But when investors come proposing contract farming or asking for land concessions, many might worry or imagine they will be taken advantage of or have their land grabbed. with participants to the PIASVC project's land law awareness activities revealed a highly positive shift in the villagers' understanding and approach to land laws thanks to the project.
“The evaluation team interviews community members who attended the awareness-raising activities. Their valuable input revealsໃຫ້ເຫັນເຖິງການປ່ຽນແປງໃນທາງບວກຢ່າງຫຼວງຫຼາຍ ກ່ຽວກັບຄວາມເຂົ້າໃຈ ແລະ ວິທີການຮັບມືກັບກົດໝາຍທີ່ດິນຂອງຊາວບ້ານ”. ພາບໂດຍ: @LIWG/Soukkanhya Phommalangsy
1. Knowing how to make contracts with companies brings many benefits.
when companies came in or disputes arose, villagers would usually just talk among themselves or rely on village elders, as they always had. Now, thanks to the intervention of GDA’s team, they know that a proper contract must clearly state the date, location, purpose, and must be signed in the presence of official witnesses. And i f a problem occurs, villagers are aware and confident they can approach the village authority for proper legal mediation, rather than feeling powerless and just letting it go or simply arguing.
Land titles are the answer for the future.
Many villagers mentioned they want the District Office from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to come and accurately measure their land to issue official land titles. The main reason is to ensure their land is fully documented, preventing anyone from grabbing it in the future. T hey also express they want to protect this land so they can confidently pass it on as an inheritance to their children.
Moving forward after the project ends
Because the PIASVC project is coming to an end in the next few months, the data collected through this evaluation are incredibly important. They serve as an indicator of whether this approach should be expanded to other villages that have not yet participated in Oudomxay and elsewhere in Lao PDR
“Village authorities share how relevant the project's training has been to their communities. Building on this success, the Village Chief promised to preserve and hand down the project's manuals and posters for future generations”. @LIWG/Soukkanhya Phommalangsy
With PIASVC’s intervention, grassroots land law education has secured a strong foothold for the future. The Village Chief promised today to preserve and hand down the project's manuals and posters to his successor for future generations. Building on this momentum, district and provincial officials also promised reviewing the project's lessons to scale successful elements into future government community outreach programs. We sincerely hope that the tools and posters displayed at the village office and these newly trained officials will remain a "gateway of knowledge"—one that helps vulnerable groups access information and use it to protect their land and natural resources related rights and livelihoods
“A group discussion wraps up with positive feedback. The data collected through this evaluation are incredibly important to indicate whether this approach should be expanded to other villages”. @LIWG/Soukkanhya Phommalangsy
