Rural Development Agency

Taiwan is highly susceptible to frequent debris flow disasters due to its steep terrain, fragile geological structures, and intense rainfall from typhoons. To mitigate these risks, the Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation (ARDSWC) under the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) established a rainfall-based debris flow warning system in 2005, adopting the critical rainfall model proposed by Jan (2004). This system utilizes Effective Accumulated Rainfall (EAR)—combining current event rainfall and 7-day antecedent rainfall—as the primary indicator for debris-flow warning. Through statistical analysis of historical rainfall events, specific warning criteria have been set for townships prone to debris flows across Taiwan, classified into 9 levels ranging from 200 to 600 mm at 50-mm intervals. Consequently, warning issuance is triggered when the EAR exceeds these designated criteria. Based on a dataset of 252 officially recorded debris flow events and their associated warning records spanning from 2005 to 2025, this study assesses the effectiveness of warning operations using four performance indices: Capture Rate of Warning Issuance (C1, reflecting operational effectiveness), Capture Rate of Warning Criteria (C2, evaluating the appropriateness of criteria setting), Disaster Occurrence Rate within Issued Warnings (C3, indicating occurrence probability in warned areas), and Disaster Warning Coverage (C4, evaluating if events occurred within designated potential zones). The results show that both C1 and C2 achieved 67.5%, C3 was 8.4%, and C4 reached 90.8%. Overall, the debris flow warning system has proven to be operationally mature and highly effective in disaster mitigation. Approximately 70% of debris flow events were preceded by warnings that facilitated preemptive resident evacuation. Since the implementation of the system, casualties have been significantly reduced, notably with zero debris flow-related fatalities recorded over the past decade. Furthermore, the majority of events occurred within identified potential risk zones. Nevertheless, facing climate-change-induced extreme rainfall and post-seismic slope instability, continuous optimization of warning protocols and criteria remains essential to ensure robust early warning capabilities.Keywords: debris flow, early warning system, performance evaluation

Lucrarea analizează diferențele esențiale dintre generația Y (1981–1996) și generația Z (1997– 2012), evidențiind modul în care evoluțiile tehnologice și schimbările socio-economice au influențat valorile, comportamentele și percepțiile acestor grupuri. Generația Y, crescută în tranziția de la mediul analog la cel digital, pune accent pe diversitate, responsabilitate socială și echilibru între viața profesională și cea personală. În contrast, generația Z, nativ digitală, manifestă preferințe pentru comunicarea vizuală, flexibilitate, autenticitate și adaptabilitate rapidă la schimbări. Studiul examinează impactul tehnologiei asupra comunicării, educației, relațiilor interumane și viziunilor asupra muncii, subliniind atât provocările, cât și oportunitățile specifice fiecărei generații. De asemenea, sunt prezentate implicațiile psihologice, precum stresul financiar în rândul generației Y sau dependența de tehnologie și suprasolicitarea informațională în cazul generației Z. Lucrarea concluzionează că înțelegerea diferențelor dintre cele două generații este esențială pentru adaptarea strategiilor educaționale, sociale și profesionale la necesitățile tinerilor contemporani.

Social prescribing has been mainly developed in high-income countries with strong health systems, while its application in low- and middle-income countries is less explored. In Lao PDR, the CONNECT Initiative offers context-specific support to improve community health and wellbeing through a bottom-up, participatory approach. Community members identify vulnerable groups and needs, then work together with local authorities and health staff to find solutions like improved water access, transport to health facilities, and support for the elderly. An evaluation indicates increased trust in the health system and uptake of essential services. This demonstrates how communities in low-resource settings can collectively develop solutions to address local social determinants of health, and the importance of building trust and addressing power imbalances. This community-led process in which health systems play a supporting role can be reframed as co-production rather than prescribing and may also provide insights for high-income countries in strengthening social cohesion.

Context Rapid agrarian changes in north-west Cambodia have led to extensive deforestation for upland crop cultivation. Aims This study assessed the impact of four land-use types on soil chemical and biological properties and indicators of soil health. Methods The four land uses were fallow (16 years since forest conversion), maize–cassava (14 years), mango (16 years), and mango–cassava intercropping (15 years). Soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks, chemical properties, and macro-/meso-fauna were measured at four depths. Soil health indicators were assessed at 0–10 cm: permanganate oxidisable carbon (POXC), aggregation, water infiltration, and visual evaluation of soil structure. Key results Agricultural lands showed lower topsoil C than fallow, with mango–cassava intercropping exhibiting a C depletion rate of −1.42 Mg C ha−1 y−1. Significant N depletion occurred under maize–cassava and mango–cassava (−250 and −260 kg N ha−1 y−1, respectively). Maize–cassava had a higher C/N ratio due to lower N concentrations. Water aggregate stability and POXC were significantly lower under mango–cassava and maize–cassava. Soil fauna abundance and richness were reduced in agricultural lands. Conclusions The forest conversion to agriculture negatively impacted topsoil C (38% loss), labile C (35–70% loss), soil aggregation, and soil fauna. Implications These findings highlight the need to evaluate the costs of soil fertility depletion and explore and promote alternative management practices such as conservation agriculture and agroforestry, alongside financial mechanisms for soil restoration.

BackgroundDespite progress in maternal health in Lao PDR, timely access and the completeness of antenatal care (ANC) services remain uneven, particularly in remote provinces with high maternal mortality. Understanding the patterns of ANC utilization and barriers to receiving adequate care is essential to inform targeted interventions.ObjectiveThis study examined factors associated with early ANC initiation (≤12 weeks’ gestation), adequate ANC (≥4 visits), and the coverage of essential ANC components among women in two northern provinces.MethodsIn February 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in Xiengkhuang and Huaphanh provinces, using stratified three-stage cluster sampling to recruit 380 women with children under 2 years. Face-to-face interviews collected data on ANC timing and frequency, receipt of 13 Ministry-of-Health-defined ANC services, and education on five key pregnancy danger signs. Descriptive statistics summarized utilization, and multivariable logistic regression identified predictors of timely and adequate ANC.ResultsWhile 95% of participants reported at least one ANC visit and 77.1% had four or more, only 34.5% began ANC within the first trimester. Lack of road access was associated with lower odds of timely and adequate ANC up to 59% (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] for adequate ANC: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.19–0.90). Ethnic minorities, specifically Hmong-Lu Mien women, were associated with 87% reduced odds of having adequate ANC e (aOR: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.02–0.71). Service completeness remained low: just 10.7% reported receiving all essential 13 ANC components, and comprehensive education on all five key pregnancy danger signs was rare (1.5%), and 1.5% reported receiving full education on danger signs; counseling on life-threatening symptoms reached 5.7%. Laboratory services (anemia screening 82.2%, HIV testing 78.4%) and iron supplementation (98%) were common, but only 24.4% reported folic acid provision.ConclusionDespite significant improvements in overall ANC coverage in Lao PDR, critical gaps persist in timely initiation and completeness of ANC services, particularly among geographically and ethnically marginalized groups. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions that address both geographic and cultural barriers and enhance the timeliness and completeness of ANC services to reduce disparities and maximize maternal health benefits in resource-limited settings.

Context In Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), goat numbers are rapidly growing and have the potential to improve rural and economic development through income generation. Aims To implement a goat research and development program and benchmark and evaluate smallholder practices. Methods In the first year (2020), forage growing was facilitated through formal and on-the-job monthly training. In Year 2 (2021), local staff were trained in inexpensive and locally available veterinary treatments of goats. Mineral blocks were introduced with a 50% subsidy, following a 2-month trial period. In Year 3 (2022), metal roofing material was provided to households that constructed new goat houses with elevated and slatted flooring. Annualised farmer benchmarking surveys (BMS) and monthly household surveys (MHS) monitored farmer practice change between 2020–2023 and 2021–2022 respectively. Key results The BMS and the MHS confirmed significant rises in the proportion of farmers using mineral blocks between 2020 and 2023 at 303% (P < 0.001) and between 2021 and 2022 at 53% respectively. The BMS and MHS also reflected an increase in the proportion of farmers growing forages between 2020 and 2023 (204%) and between 2021 and 2022 (9%), a decrease in the proportion of households treating sick goats with drugs between 2020 and 2023 (47%) and between 2021 and 2022 (53%), and an increase in the proportion of farmers providing concentrate feed between 2020 and 2023 (34%) and between 2021 and 2022 (increased from 0 to 4.2%) respectively. Conclusions Mineral blocks have a high potential for adoption with a trial and subsidisation period. It is recommended to increase daily grazing duration from 6–8 h to be as long as practical to reduce the impacts of late dry-season feed shortages (April–May), which coincided with a natural peak in kidding. Average goat herd size increased by three goats over the course of the project, which may reflect improved financial security as livestock are a form of asset storage. Implications These trends show short-term practice change; however, further research is needed to verify whether these changes increase goat growth rate, health and kid survival.

Riparian grass buffers reduce the velocity of water flowing over the soil surface during storms, capturing surface runoff (SR) and trapping soil particles eroded from cultivated slopes. Rarely quantified under steep slope conditions (>45 %), this phenomenon probably occurs in many mountain agroecosystems in the humid tropics. In Southeast Asia, teak plantations are often established on steep slopes where they can lead to significant soil loss (SL), particularly when the understory is removed. Therefore, we aimed to: quantify the effect of riparian grass buffers on SR and SL downstream of a teak plantation; and estimate the trapping efficiency of riparian grass buffers for water (WTE) and sediment (STE). Field measurements were carried out in Northern Lao PDR during the2014 rainy season, considering riparian zones with contrasted ground covers: (1) uncovered (URZ - 7-year-old teak trees with mean grass and litter densities of 7 % (SD 2 %) and 4 % (SD 3 %), respectively; (2) transitional (TRZ - 7-year-old teak trees with mean grass and litter densities of 19 % (SD 10 %) and 56 % (SD 9 %), respectively; and (3) covered (CRZ - grassed areas without teak trees with mean grass and litter densities of 46 % (SD 13 %) and 47 % (SD 21 %), respectively). WTE and STE were estimated based on measurements carried out from 6 July to 6 September2014 under natural rainfall conditions, using pairs of triplicate Gerlach troughs installed at the upper and lower margins of 5- and 10-m riparian sections (encompassing areas of ∼25 and 50 m 2 , respectively). Runoff coefficient (Rc), SL, and soil surface features were measured on the occasion of 20 rainfall events in 1-m 2 microplots. Rc and SL were higher in URZ (56 %, 5791 g·m −2 ) than in TRZ (13 %, 250 g·m −2 ) and CRZ (19 %, 159 g·m −2 ). Median WTE and STE were the highest along the 10-m TRZ + CRZ riparian grass buffer at 85 % and 97 % respectively. Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) modelling yielded a good agreement between observation and prediction for WTE and STE at seasonal scale. Overall, the results of this work indicate that 5 to 10 m riparian grass buffers limit the export of surface water and sediment downstream during small (24-h rainfall ≤ 20.9 mm·d −1 , return period ≤ 1 year) to large storms (40.0 mm·d −1 < 24-h rainfall ≤ 84.5 mm·d −1 , 1.01 year<return period ≤ 2 years). Water and sediment trapping efficiency and main characteristics of riparian zones in a headwater catchment with teak plantation (Northern Laos, Houay Pano Critical Zone Observatory, https://mtropics.obs-mip.fr/ ): (1) 10-m wide riparian zone with teak and without understory (URZ); (2) 5-m wide transitional riparian grass buffer with teak (TRZ); (3) 5-m wide riparian grass buffer without teak (CRZ); (4) 10-m wide riparian zone combining TRZ and CRZ (TRZ + CRZ). • Runoff from teak-grown steep slopes trapped by riparian grass buffers was quantified • 10-m grass buffers abated runoff water and sediment export by 82 and 89 %, respectively • 5–10 m riparian grass buffers limit soil loss for storms of <2-year return period • Riparian grass buffer trapping efficiency was less effective during extreme events