The pilot is part of a programme with a focus on basic infrastructure, nutrition support and income generation activities for food producers.

It is being supported by a US$22.5 million loan from the World Bank with the third phase running from 2020-2024 under the National Nutrition Strategy.

The project will be launched in 12 target districts in the provinces of Phongsaly, Xieng Khuang, Huaphan and Oudomxay, which suffer from child stunting levels above 40 percent.

Poverty Reduction Fund officials said the average height of children under five compared to their age and weight in these provinces is below national standards.

To effectively address childhood stunting, a series of coordinated policies and programmes is needed to deal with the immediate, underlying, and basic causes of malnutrition, focusing on the critical first 1,000 days of life.

As a result, the project has looked for local food sources for nutrition improvement, with milk produced from buffaloes rich in proteins, carbohydrates, energy, zinc, and Vitamin A.

These protein sources are enough to develop children’s physical health, especially those aged 12 months and up.

Presently, the pilot project has 13 farmers in the province’s Homthong and Homphan villages joining a training programme on caring for and milking buffaloes.

The programme includes lessons learnt and expertise from a  buffalo dairy farm in Luang Prabang province, which is managed by foreign specialists.

The farm sells its dairy products to buyers in other countries and to tourists.

The Huaphan project plans to expand to another three villages in the province if it is successful.

According to data from the Poverty Reduction Fund, malnutrition rates continue to be stubbornly high: about 19 percent of Lao citizens are undernourished, and 33 percent of children under the age of five are stunted.

Reducing malnutrition is key for boosting human capital in Laos and ensuring that young adults enjoy productive and fulfilling lives, according to the World Bank.

The Poverty Reduction Fund, established in 2002, has become part of the Lao government’s Nutrition Convergence agenda, with a renewed focus on reducing stunting among children.

Some 1.2 million people have directly benefited from the Fund over the past 18 years.