Research Area: Improved/alternate livelihood options
Nationality: Laotian
Time Frame: May 2014 – April 2015
Bounthanom works for the Agriculture and Forestry Policy Research Center (AFPRC) under the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) in Lao PDR. NAFRI is a key national partner of both IWMI (IWMI’s Southeast Asia Office is based on the NAFRI Campus) and the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). Bounthanom initially worked with the MK1 project of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) on Optimizing reservoir management for livelihoods, led by IWMI, and was the project coordinator for NAFRI activities. She has a Msc in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland. Her work with this program concentrates on improved or alternate livelihood options for farmers, fishermen and riparian communities affected by the Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project.
Comments on completion:
Population pressure and increasing water competition in a changing climate require us to take stock of the availability and use of water across scales. Water availability not only influences farmers’ commercial prospects but also irrigation-related enterprises and agri-businesses. Greater water scarcity could jeopardize irrigation and agricultural markets while excessive water use can lead to declining ecosystems, water quality and soil health. IWMI advises development partners and the public and private sectors on all aspects of water resource availability and use through a variety of advanced modeling and remote-sensing products and tools, including 
The ability of farmers to engage in or expand irrigation depends on the prevailing socioeconomic, ecological and political contexts, which are often complex, non-linear and changeable. Overcoming systemic barriers to farmer-led irrigation development while taking advantage of existing opportunities 
A lack of affordable credit, particularly for women and resource-poor farmers, is one of the main barriers to expanding farmer-led irrigation in low- and middle-income countries. But 
Scaling farmer-led irrigation requires strengthening human capacity and knowledge exchange among all actors and stakeholders involved. IWMI takes an action research approach, working with national and international research institutions, governments, extension agents and public and private organizations to co-develop the scaling ecosystem and strengthen capacity to drive scaling networks and collective action. We support the