1

The Innovative Potential of

Traditional Weaving: the Experience of the

Taliang Natural Dyes Group

REPORT

Systematization and share of good practices in rural development

Attapeu province, Sanxai district

Laos PDR, September 2012

Lao’s People Democratic Republic Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Planning and Investment

Provincial Department of Industry and Commerce Industry and Commerce Office (District Level)

Rural Livelihood Improvement Programme (RLIP) International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

PROCASUR Corporation

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This report presents the innovative potential of the experience of the Taliang Natural

Dyes Group in the production of natural dyed, chemical-free woven fabrics.

The systematization of this experience has been possible thanks to the cooperation

between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Planning and

Investment of Lao‟s People Democratic Republic, the Provincial Department of Industry

and Commerce, Lao PDR, the Rural Livelihood Improvement Programme (RLIP), the

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the PROCASUR Corporation,

that provided technical and methodological support in the process of documentation of

the experience.

The systematization process took place between September 22 and 25 2012 in Attapeu

province, Laos PDR; it involved the Taliang Natural Dyes Group and 3 trainees selected

by RLIP. Of these, 2 people were staff from RLIP, one was the head of the Organic

Asparagus Producers Group, an experience identified by RLIP as a successful Public-

Private-Partnership (PPP) for sustainable rural development, located in the same district.

Activities have been carried out using PROCASUR know how on South to South

Cooperation through exchange of best practices and innovations, as part of a regional

IFAD financed Learning Route Programme for Asia and the Pacific.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE...................................................................... 4

2. THE INNOVATIVE POTENTIAL OF TRADITIONAL WEAVING: THE EXPERIENCE OF

THE NATURAL DYES GROUP........................................................................... 5 2.1 Contextualising the experience..................................................................

2.2 Learning from the Taliang Natural Dyes Group............................................

2.3 History and development of the Group......................................................

2.4 The know-how of the Taliang Natural Dyes Group:

Traditional weaving in new quality.............................................................

2.5 Main actors cooperating in the experience..................................................

2.6 Future Plans...........................................................................................

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8

9

12

16

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3. ANALYSIS OF THE GROUPS’ EXPERIENCE: GOOD PRACTICES, LESSONS LEARNED, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES..................................................

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4. ANNEX

I. List of participants, Systematization Process.............................................

II. Training agenda September 2012..............................................................

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Table of Boxes

Box 1: Ethnic groups of Laos..................................................................................... 6

Box 2: The ethnic group of Taliang............................................................................. 7

Box 3: Steps of Natural dyed fabric production........................................................... 12

Box 4: Natural Dye Colour........................................................................................ 14

Box 5: Interview with Mrs. Savingsouk....................................................................... 14

Box 6: Interview with Mrs. Aiengkham Lueddaya......................................................... 15

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1. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

1. In the frame of the IFAD-PROCASUR Learning Routes Programme for Asia and the

Pacific, PROCASUR Corporation is supporting knowledge management and capacity

building strategies for scaling up best practices and innovations for poverty reduction

among IFAD stakeholders in the Asia and Pacific Region. The programme aims to

increase knowledge sharing and learning capacities at project and country levels by

building up human capital, facilitate the adoption of best practices and improve the

results and impacts of IFAD operations in the region. This will be done by identifying,

systematizing and disseminating existing knowledge on innovations and best practices;

indentifying local champions who are playing a key role in promoting innovations and

enabling them to organize and sharing their experience using Learning Routes (LR)

methodology, to make it available to other people; designing and implementing LR and

furthering the dissemination and scaling up of the knowledge acquired.

2. In this context, in November 2011 a first mission in Laos PDR was carried out by

PROCASUR Corporation in order to present the LR Programme to IFAD partners and

carry on an initial assessment of training demands and innovations in the country. As

result of the mission, partners from the Rural Livelihoods Improvement Programme

(RLIP) and the Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Productivity Enhancement

Project (SNRMPEP) showed interest in the Learning Routes methodology. In order to

follow up on these agreements, from March 19 to 30 2012 and from June 22nd to 23rd, a

specific knowledge management and capacity building process has been carried out by

PROCASUR Corporation. It has involved local champions and their association of two

successful experiences in Attapeu and Champassak provinces and trainees from RLIP

and SNRMPEP projects respectively. From September 22 to 25 2012, a third

systematisation and valorization process of good practices has taken place in Attapeu

province. Once again, local talents as well as trainees from RLIP had an active part in the

knowledge management process facilitated by PROCASUR Corporation.

3. The objective of the process was to identify, systematize and pedagogically package

the existing and generated knowledge, innovations, best practices and lessons learned of

two selected experiences from RLIP projects, in order to disseminate and scale them up

by using the Learning Routes methodology. The training provided an opportunity for the

projects to acquire new capacities in terms of knowledge management and participatory

research techniques directly on the field, strengthening at the same time collaboration

between project staff and farmers and enable these last to efficiently communicate their

knowledge to a broad public. To this aim, two specific case studies (one from RLIP and

another one from SNRMPEP) were selected for their learning potential; both cases

revolved around innovative experiences in Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) that

demonstrated to be successful in generating opportunities for farmers to access organic

markets1. In addition, a promising experience in Attapeu province was chosen by RLIP

for showing a high potential to create and establish successful Public-Private-

Partnerships, and thus, to create sustainable market and livelihood opportunities for

poor rural families. This latter case is presented in the following report.

4. The learning process within this experience was carried out from the 22th to the 25rd

of September 2012 in Vang Xai village, Sanxai district, Attapeu province. It involved the

Taliang Natural Dyes Group, representatives and members of the community of Vang Xai

village, and trainees from RLIP (i.e. project staff as well as the head and representative

of the Organic Asparagus Producers Group), the latter actively organizing and facilitating

the participatory work with the community.

1 These two cases are the Organic Asparagus Producers Group and the Boloven Plateau Coffee Producers - detailed reports about these innovative experiences can be found under: http://asia.procasur.org/resources/

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5. The following paragraphs report the outcomes of the systematization process of the

Taliang Natural Dyes Group‟s experience in the production of naturally dyed textiles.

They have been validated through the cooperation of the group, various members of the

community and of RLIP project staff during the community meetings. Thus, the content

presented below is the result of the research and analysis conducted by the group

members themselves with the support of RLIP staff.

2. THE INNOVATIVE POTENTIAL OF TRADITIONAL WEAVING: THE EXPERIENCE OF

THE TALIANG NATURAL DYES GROUP

2.1 Contextualising the experience

The Taliang Natural Dyes Group is composed of 10 women from the Taliang ethnic group

of the community of Vang Xai, district of Sanxai, Attapeu province. The initiative is being

supported by the International Fund for Agriculture and Rural Development (IFAD)

through the Rural Livelihood Improvement Project (RLIP), in collaboration with the

Department of Industry and Commerce, Lao PDR.

Attapeu province is located in the south-east of Laos and it comprises five districts,

namely: Phou Vong, Samakkhixay, Sanamxay, Sanxay and Xaysetha. Attapeu shares

borders with Vietnam in the east, Cambodia in the south, Sekong province in the north

and Champassak province in the west. With a population of about 120,000 people,

Attapeu is one of the least densely populated areas of Laos; the most of the population

belongs to ethnic groups, being the Kleum, Katou, Alak, Katang, Tahoy, Nge, Suay and

Nyajeung the main ones. In recent years Attapeu province, and particularly Sanxai

district, has experienced intensive government sponsored internal resettlement from

mountain and upland areas to lowlands.

Attapeu is one of the

economically poorest

provinces in Laos. Poverty

analysis undertaken for

IFAD COSOP 2011-2015

shows that Attapeu and

Sekong are among the

poorest provinces of the

south, with the districts of

Kaleum and Dakcheung in

Sekong, and Sanxai and

Phouvong in Attapeu,

ranked among the

country‟s priority 47

poor districts2. As poverty

is defined by the Government of Lao, rice security is the primary indicator. The

Government of Lao PDR defines a poor household as one in which the monthly income

cannot provide 16 kilograms of rice per person each month. Recent estimates by the

World Food Programme suggest that only about one-third of the rural population are

truly “food secure” and that one household in seven has either poor or borderline food

consumption and chronic malnutrition remains “alarmingly high”3. Most farmers in these

districts keep livestock and practice subsistence agriculture, cultivating rice and some

2 IFAD 2011, Lao‟s People Democratic Republic, Country strategic opportunity programme, Executive Board 103rd session, Rome 14-15 September 2011, IFAD 3 IFAD 2010, RLIP Supervision Report, IFAD

Map of Laos Attapeu province

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other crops. Landholdings are generally too small to be adequately productive and

communities lack of infrastructure for basic services and transport4.

There are three basic farming systems in Attapeu, each of which revolves around rice

cultivation: (a) upland rice; (b) lowland irrigated rice; and (c) lowland rainfed rice.

Upland rice cultivation is the predominant activity; the rice is often grown together with

other crops, e.g. maize, sesame and vegetables. Rice is grown mostly for household

consumption rather than for sale, but a great many households are not able to grow

enough rice to meet their own household consumption needs. The annual harvest is

typically sufficient for only seven to nine months of the year. Rice yields are particularly

low in upland areas and those re-settled from the uplands to the floodplains have little

technical knowledge about paddy rice farming5. Most households have gardens,

providing an additional source of food and in some cases an important source of cash.

Many gardens are located on riverbanks or intercropped with upland rice. The

productivity of these riverbank gardens is greatly dependent on the seasonal changes in

water levels. Flooding is in fact a significant problem in much of the province. Entire

crops are lost by increasingly severe flooding events. Peak floods usually occur in

August; severe flooding occurred in 1997 and in 2001 while major floods occurred in

2009/10 creating widespread crop failure and loss of life. Attapeu is also a province

facing rapid change. New road links have opened the province to economic development

and to markets outside the province, stimulating investment in the local economy.

Box 1: Ethnic groups of Laos

The Taliang is one of the ethnic groups living in the Laos PDR. The country has in fact

the most ethnically diverse population on mainland Southeast Asia. The 2005 census

identified 49 ethnic groups with at least 240 subgroups. These groups are divided into

four broad ethno-linguistic groupings: Lao-Tai, Mon-Khmer, Chinese-Tibetan and

Hmong-Mien. The Lao-Tai dominate politically, culturally and economically and

generally inhabit the river plains, particularly along the Mekong. The majority of the

other ethnic groups inhabit the mountain territory that covers about 79 per cent of the

country.

The national Ethnic Minority Policy upholds the principle that all ethnic groups should

have improved access to services and that all discrimination must be eradicated.

According to this Policy, Laos‟ government is officially committed to embracing the

multi-ethnic dimension of the country and improving the living conditions and equality

of all peoples in the country. In this context, the Lao‟s ethnic groups were moved

down to lowland areas where there are more economic opportunities, productive

agriculture and better access to government services. However, relocation presents a

threat to ethnic groups‟ traditional lifestyles that not always have been able to adapt

to the new social and ecological conditions. Today, the highest incidences of poverty in

Laos correspond with the provinces that also have the highest concentrations of ethnic

minority groups6.

Since 1978, IFAD has been actively engaged in Laos PDR collaborating with

governmental agencies and development partners to increase opportunities for

sustainable food security and economic livelihoods to poor rural people7. IFAD‟s poverty

reduction strategy in Laos embraces a holistic approach involving education, health,

economic growth, food security and income and the improvement of local

infrastructures. Within this framework, IFAD‟s operations have been focussing

specifically on the improvement of community-based access to and management of

4 http://operations.ifad.org/web/ifad/operations/country/project/tags/laos/1301/project%20overview

5 Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Programme- UNDP, 2006, Attapeu Situation Report. Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use Programme, Vientiane, Lao PDR 6 IFAD, Country Technical Note on Indigenous Peoples‟ Issues, Laos PDR, January 2010, IFAD 7 IFAD 2011, Lao‟s People Democratic Republic, Country strategic opportunity programme, Executive Board 103rd session, Rome 14-15 September 2011, IFAD

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natural resources and of sustainable, adaptive and integrated farming systems and on

the increase of access to market‟s opportunities. These interventions are targeting

mostly highly vulnerable food-insecure households with limited access to markets and

poor households that are moderately food-insecure but have a great potential to access

markets.

It is in this framework that IFAD‟s interests meet with the Taliang families‟ needs, as

they belong to the most food-insecure households with limited market access.

Nonetheless, they have a great potential to improve their livelihoods and to create

alternative sources of income by advancing, diversifying and increasing their handicraft

production - if a stable market access can be secured.

Box 2: The ethnic group of Taliang

In Laos, the Taliang (or Tariang, Tarieng, with two distinctive subgroups: the Kalum and

the Dac Trieng) mainly inhabit the provinces of Sekong (Laman, Dakchung and Kaleum

districts), Attapeu (Sanxai district), Savannakhet (Phin district) and Salavan. A

population census in 1995 (published in 2003) counted 23,091 members of these ethnic

groups. The Taliang can belong to the Mon-Khmer language group although in the area

of Sanxai district in Attapeu, they speak a dialect consisting of elements of Bahnaric and

Katuic.

In the past, the Taliang were Swidden farmers, cultivating rice with the “slash-and-burn”

method, with hunting and gathering supplementing their food. They are known for being

skilled in animal husbandry, especially buffalo breeding. Traditionally, the Taliang

villages were located on forested hills between 300 to 1000 meters above sea level. Until

today, they live in houses built on stilts with thatched roofs and walls from bamboo-

mats, centered around a community house. The Taliang‟s social structure is complex and

based on lineages. Each lineage has a different name, referring to a plant, an animal, or

a natural phenomenon, and its specific chronicle is transmitted orally from one

generation to the next. According to tradition, the Taliang are animists, they believe in

numerous different natural and supernatural spirits, and their religious practices are

related to their agricultural activities. If a Taliang gets sick, a shaman or sorcerer has to

perform a rite with offerings to appease the spirit. For some Taliang villages, basketry

and weaving is a major source for earning cash8.

8 See also: Schliesinger, Joachim (2003). Ethnic Groups of Laos. Volume 2: Profile of Austro-Asiatic-Speaking

Peoples. White Lotus Co. Ltd., Bangkok.

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2.2 Learning from the Taliang Natural Dyes Group

The experience of the Taliang Natural Dyes Group is a successful example for the

combination of traditional, centuries-old local knowledge with the requirements of

temporary markets. It is a promising enterprise showing high potential to establish

sustainable partnerships between the public and private sector, and hence, to generate

secure market access for the artisans. In this way, food-insecure households can be

enabled to improve their livelihoods by capitalizing on new market opportunities.

As the artisans of the Taliang Natural Dyes group started to revive natural dyeing by

using new natural dyeing techniques starting only in mid-2012, the experience is still

young, but has high potential for further development. Already now, it allows us to

extract lessons for its improvement, as well as for the transfer and replication in other

contexts.

Particularly, the experience of the Taliang Natural Dyes can provide orientations

regarding:

Good practices in group creation and maintenance;

Mechanisms to preserve and maintain traditional knowledge while adapting it to

new market requirements;

Production processes and end products that ensure health safety and

environmental friendliness

Picture 1: Members of the Taliang Natural Dyes Group

The women are weaving on a simple back-strap loom that is held taut by the feet.

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2.3 History and development of the group

Today‟s members of the Vang Xai village originally inhabited different villages in higher

mountainous areas. In 2003, however, the families were moved from the uplands to the

lowlands, and merged together as a “new development village” as part of a

governmental resettlement programme. In recent years, in fact, Attapeu province has

experienced an intensive government sponsored internal resettlement, from the uplands

to lowlands, mainly in Phou Vong and Sanxai districts.

Following the “Land and Forest Allocation Policy”, the resettlement programme aimed to

limit Swidden agriculture in the uplands, trying at the same time to move communities

closer to services and infrastructures. In the uplands, families used to grow mountain

rice, practice shifting cultivation and subsistence agriculture and hunting.

After moving the families to the lowlands, the government provided land for each family

as well as some construction materials. At the beginning, families experienced many

challenges as they were not used to growing rice in paddy fields. This was aggravated by

the fact that the soil in the area is not suitable for rice cultivation. Additionally, water

supply and agricultural resources were limited, even restricting access to drinking water.

Gradually, more groups moved down to the same location and the number of population

started increasing. Coexistence of different ethnic groups in the same area was also

challenging for the families.

In this framework, and with the objective of promoting economic growth, sustainable

livelihoods and food security among poor rural people, (particularly among vulnerable

and marginalized groups), IFAD supported the development of alternative livelihoods

and new sources of income for food-insecure households. Therefore, through RLIP, IFAD

promoted the development and upgrading of marketable products as well as the

establishment of sustainable Public-Private-Partnerships. Within the Vang Xai

community, this included contributions to the improvement of the fabric‟s quality, and

through training programmes as well as the promotion and strengthening of the use of

natural dyes

Picture 2: Map of

the past

The map of the past

shows the situation of

the community

between 1997 and

2007 in the area of

today‟s Vang Xai

village (formerly called

“Somboon village”).

The red line on the left

side indicates the main

road, at this time not

paved yet. The

villagers live in small

houses alongside the

Huay Nam Bpa river

(leftmost, in blue).

The right side of the

map shows plenty of

trees, woodland area

and dense forest vegetation, not used for agricultural purposes yet. There is barely a

cultivated area, only a field located in higher areas is used for cultivating rice, some

vegetables are grown. There is no school in the village yet, children have to study in the

adjacent Somboon village.

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1997: As part of government sponsored resettlement programme, 20 households

housing 22 families, totalling 82 people (58 women) of the Taliang ethnic group are

resettled from upland to lowland areas in Attapeu. The newly created village is called

“New Development Village”.

The government provides land and some equipment for the families, such as wood and

23 roof tiles per family, 4 tractors to transport material, as well as some cash (250,000

Kip per family).

In the very beginning, the area was still not built-up yet, but largely composed of forest

and woodland. There are no agricultural areas or rice fields, and the road conditions are

poor. Thus, the major challenges for the new resettled families are drastic food and

water shortages, as well as the adaptation to new environmental and climatic conditions.

Main food sources are the river and the forest, providing the villagers with fish, wild

animals and bamboo shoots.

1997-2000: There is no support for weaving activities yet. Taliang women are weaving

only for personal use or in order to exchange textils for food, rice or cattle.

1998-1999: The village‟s name is changed to “Somboon village”.

2001: Due to an increasing number of inhibitants, the governemnt decides to devide

Somboon village into two villages, named Sombon Xai and Vang Xai village.

In the same year, the women‟s weaving group (later called Taliang Natural Dyes Group)

is founded through the support of the Lao Women Union and the Vietnamese Women

Union. Members of these groups recognize the skills of the women during a village visit

and provide a grant of 10,000,000 Kip to the group.

The „Support Project‟, a land use planning and land alloction project aiming to conserve

the forest, starts activities in the area. These include identification and demarcation of

land, and zoning and managing of conservation areas.

2001-2005: The situation of the villagers gradually improves. The community expands

its paddy fields to other areas, each family receives around 1.5h of land as well as some

cattle.

2002-2003: More Taliang families are resettled from the highlands down to the lowland

area of Vang Xai village, totalling around 190 families (186 househoulds) .

2006-2007: RLIP accesses the area and starts to support the community through

various programs and activities, such as assistance in economic planning and

development, a “Food for Work Programme” (founded by the WFB), and expansion of

paddy fields, cattle, agricultural activities, and fisheries.

2007-2008: RLIP starts to support the weaving activities of the women‟s group by

promoting natural dyes and by providing equipment and weaving looms. One group

member attends a training workshop in Pakse, and a study tour is organized to visit

handicraft centers and weaving programs in Pakse.

2008-2011: RLIP provides fabrics and other weaving supplies to 20 families. Weaving

allows the families to generate a monthly income of about 500,000-700,000 Kip per

year.

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Picture 3: Map of the Present. The map of

the present represents the present situation of

the community. Over the last few years, the

population of the Vang Xai village has grown.

This can be estimated by the increased number

of houses depicted on the map. The blue line

on the left-most indicates the Huay Nam Bpa

river. The former dense forest area has now

been replaced by fields (right hand side). The

improvement of the village‟s infrastructure is

clearly visible: there are well constructed

roads, a newly built bridge, the village has a

primary and a secondary school, and

agricultural areas have expanded.

2012: There are 1300 people consisting of

212 households, with 219 families living in the

village. The living conditions and the

infrastructure of the village have has seen

positive improvements, such as the irrigation

and the communication systems, as well as

access to the market. The main occupation of the community members is paddy field

cultivation. There are two main paddy fields located in the neighbouring villages

(approximately 2 km and 3km away). Some fields allow yields twice per year, others

only once per year. Only a few people still practice highland field cultivation, but they

usually own a paddy field as well (32 families). 35 families do not have paddy fields,

these families work as day laborers (e.g. for rubber tree plantations) or do various sorts

of handicraft work.

Mid 2012: 7 women from different villages of Sanxai district (3 of them from Vang Xai

village) attend training in Ban Sakae, Attapeu province. Among the trainees is also the

head of the Women‟s Group, Mrs.

Aiengkham Lueddaya. The training is

facilitated by trainers from Sapai village,

which is a model village for weaving. It aims

to improve the quality of the textiles as well

as to further develop the use of natural

dyes. Back in their home community, the

participants of the training shared their

newly acquired knowledge with the other

group members.

Since Mid 2012: The Women‟s Group is

increasingly engaged in natural dyeing,

weaving and the production of natural dyed

textiles. The selling of natural dyed textiles

now generates an income of approximately

7,000,000 Kip.

Picture 4: The time-line shows the

development of the community and the

experience over time. The landscape and

houses at the top of the drawing represent

the time when the community was still living

in the highlands.

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2.4 The know-how of the Taliang Natural Dyes Group: Traditional weaving in

new quality

The Taliang Natural Dyes producer‟s group is composed of 10 ethnic Taliang women of

the Vang Xai community. Two women of the same ethnic group, both government

employees, are consistently supporting the producers (e.g. in group coordination,

marketing activities or job-order manufacturing). The group was founded in 2001, and

has been promoted by RLIP in different ways since, such as being provided with weaving

supplies.

Cotton „belt-loom‟ or „back-strap‟ weaving is a long-standing tradition among the females

of ethnic Taliang, and they are well known for their weaving skills. Already back in the

mountains, the Taliang women of today‟s Vang Xai were engaged in manifold weaving

activities. They used to grow their own cotton and in order to produce natural dyes,

additional chemical colours were used. Back then, the women produced textiles only for

their own personal use or for their families. After moving to the lowlands, it became

easier for the artisans to access the local market, so the use of chemical colours and

non-organic cotton increased. However, the women had to buy weaving supplies from

the market which they formerly had produced themselves, causing additional difficulties

for the new resettled communities.

Over the course of time, the group members further developed their weaving skills.

Some group members attended trainings in Ban Sakae and in Pakse which promoted the

textile‟s quality and the usage of natural dyes. Thereafter, the group increasingly started

to apply natural dyes from the market, as well as to produce their own natural dye. The

production costs for a fabric using synthetic colours are about 25,000 Kip (not including

labour costs), and it takes 2-3 days to manufacture one piece which can be sold for

approximately 50,000 Kip. In comparison, the production costs for a natural dyed fabric

is about 36,000 Kip per piece, but the selling price is between 100,000 and 150,000 kip.

Today, the group is able to produce natural weavings in various styles with intricate

designs, traditional as well as newly created patterns, all in an improved quality. The Lao

National Tourism Attapeu Administration advertises the cotton fabrics of the ethnic

Taliang as a must buy and a main attraction in the region9.

Box 3: Steps of the Natural dyed fabric production

for an improved absorption and intensification of the colour The yarn is boiled for

30 minutes into the colour.

9 http://www.tourismlaos.org/web/show_content.php?contID=488

1. White cotton yarn is purchased at the

market.

2. The cotton is boiled with ashes in order

to make it sticky and soft.

After boiling it, the cotton yarn is

cleaned and dried in the sun. According

to the colour needed, the right trees in

the forest are chosen, bark is

collected, crushed and boiled for two

hours in water with 1 spoon of salt and

additional water being added during

the process. Some colours have to

be mixed additionally with mud to

achieve the right colour result.

Tamarind leaves or lemons are added

Picture 5: Barks collected to extract natural dyes

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3. The coloured yarn is dried in the sun for around 1 day, this may vary slightly

depending on the climate. After that, it is washed and dried again. Sometimes,

the artisans work with wet yarns.

4. The yarn has to be rolled-up. The outputs are clews of yarn of different colours.

5. The back-strap loom is held by the feed, the ends are separated by raising or

lowering the frames to form a space where the shuttle can pass, the thread is

then propelled across the loom by hand, followed by pushing up the thread

against the fabric. The fabrics are composed of natural-coloured, thicker bands

with various interwoven thinner ones, some with intricate geometric patterns and

figures.

Picture 6: Leaves used for natural dyeing, giving a reddish-brown colour (left). The yarn

is soaked and boiled into the natural dye (right).

Today, every group member is able to perform all the steps of producing natural dyed

fabrics. The management team of the group consists of a director, a deputy director, and

a financial manager with the head being responsible for monitoring, supporting and

training the group members. The deputy supports the head in his duties and is

responsible for the organization and coordination of group meetings. The financial

manager coordinates between the group and different sectors, i.e. the government and

other parties that require products. The group has regular meetings in order to set up

work plans according to orders. If a member sells one of her pieces, the income dues go

to her, as there is no common financial fund. The money is mainly being used to buy

clothes, food and weaving equipment as well as to support children in school. Most of the

women in the group are now members of the Lao Women Union at the village level.

Picture 7: A bamboo framed loom on

which women weave their traditional

garments and clothes

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Box 4: Natural Dye Colours

Natural dyes are dyes obtained from natural sources, such as plants, insects or minerals.

The diversity of complex natural dye colours is high with the most common being

vegetable dyes from plant sources, such as flowers, stems, nuts, roots, leaves, berries,

barks, skins, lichen and wood. Some well-known dyes include the saffron plant (yellow),

the madder plant (orange, red), indigo leaves (blue), oak bark (gold, brown), henna

leaves (gold), marigold flower heads (yellow), and onion skins (yellow, orange).

Plants can be processed in many ways, but most commonly, they are soaked or boiled in

water to extract the dye. To apply dye to a fabric, a material is usually dyed by

immersing and gradually boiling it in dye. Working with natural dyes is a specialized,

intricate art or science, and it takes years to learn the skills required for using natural

dyes. In Western cultures, natural dyeing techniques are nowadays used only as a

handicraft. In traditional cultures around the world, however, natural dyes are preserved

by artisans, as they offer a rich, varied and easily available source of colorants as well as

an opportunity for additional income10. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the

market for natural dyes in the fashion industry is experiencing a revival11. Western

buyers have become more aware of negative impacts of synthetic dyes in textile

manufacturing on health and the environment leading to an increasing demand for

products using natural dyes.

Interview with Saviang Souk, 28 years old, employed at the district office for

agriculture. She also supports the Taliang Natural Dyes Group in the handicraft

production. Procasur: “As you are an expert for weaving since a long time, I

would like to know your story better, and how you learned weaving,

from the past until today”. Saviang Souk: “I learned how to weave when I was seven years old,

because my mother was weaving as well. She trained me and taught

me how to do it. I also used to observe many people in the village

while they were weaving. So I learned it automatically, not really

automatically, but kind of, because I grew up in this community.

When I did not go to school yet, I also helped my mother with

weaving. After I entered school, I also continued to work in weaving

after school, in my free time, and at the weekends as well, because we

had to do it, we had to help our mother. There are seven girls in my

family, and everyone was working and helping with weaving. We were

weaving for clothes, skirts and tablecloths, and then we went to exchange

them with our neighbors in the community for food, like rice, chicken, pig

or duck. We had difficulties to access the market then, so we just

produced this handicraft by ourselves, and we used it in only our family as

clothes, as skirts and also as blankets. Sometimes we made traditional

dresses, or scarves, also for the temple. I am confident that I can weave

very well and that I am skilled in natural dyeing.”

10 Natural dyeing of textiles. Technical Brief. Practical Action,Technology challenging poverty. http://practicalaction.org/docs/technical_information_service/dyeing_textiles.pdf 11 Calderin, Jay (2009). Form, Fit, Fashion. Rockport. pp. 125. ISBN 978-1-59253-541-5

15

Interview with Aiengkham Lyaddaya, 42 years old, head of the Taliang Natural Dyes

Group

Procasur: “I really would like to know more about your

story, how and when you started to weave, and

how it proceeded until today.” Aiengkham: “I learned weaving from my mother when I was

very young. We usually learn it from when we

are two or three years old, and my mother

trained me how to do it. If I did not learn how to

weave this time, if I cannot do it, I also cannot

have any clothes or skirts because if a family

does not have the skills to make their own

clothes, they have to buy them from other

families. So that‟s why we had to learn this kind of weaving and also

natural dyeing. (...) I just assisted my mother, because my mother was

doing the weaving for the whole family, to serve her husband and her kids,

to make clothes for all of them. Procasur: “How did your weaving abilities develop over time, how did it change?” Aiengkham: “Basically, I developed my skills by myself, and developed them over time.

When we came down from the mountains in 2002, many people saw my

products and told me that my products have a very good quality, so I also

continued to develop my skills based on their requirements and based on

their orders. I developed these skills by myself, and also through the

training I attended this year. Last year, other people attended another

training. Even if I did not attend that training last year, I received training

this year, and I am very confident to work in weaving and natural dyeing.

Compared to the past, the quality of the products is much better now, we

have more styles, and many designs. We have traditional patterns, but

also many other designs.” Procasur: “How often do you usually weave?” Aiengkham: “In case we have an order, I work all day, I cannot count the hours of

working. I just stop for eating, and then I continue, continue, continue,

because this is my work. I do not have any other work, we don‟t go the

field, we just only focus on handicraft production.

Picture 8:

Natural dyed

fabrics produced

by the Taliang

Natural Dyes

Group.

16

2.5 Main actors cooperating in the experience

The development of the experience of the Taliang Natural Dyes Group would not have

been possible without the collaboration among some key actors. At governmental level,

two key actors are playing an important role for the promotion of the experience: (1) the

Provincial Department of Commerce and Industry of Attapeu which is responsible for

promoting and coordinating manufacturing and trade activities, and (2) the Industry and

Commerce Office (District level), a substructure of the Department of Commerce and

Industry.

The Rural Livelihoods Improvement Project (RLIP) has been active in the region since

2006. RLIP has organized several trainings and a study tour for the members of the

Taliang Natural Dyes group in order to enhance the quality of the woven fabrics and to

diversify the products. This improved quality is, in turn, the basis for securing a

sustainable market access.

Map of Actors The map of actors is a drawing by community members representing the system of

actors with their mutual relations; it shows the network and the strength of the

relationships between the main stakeholders in the development of the experience. The

main actors with whom the group maintains regular and solid relationship are:

(1) RLIP at the provincial level as well as at the district level. This programme‟s main

responsibilities are monitoring and following-up the progress of the group, as well as

offering training opportunities, programmes and assistance. Additionally, funds (around

360,000 Kip), material and equipment are granted to the group in order to support their

weaving practices as well as the use of natural dyes. RLIP further provides funds to the

District Handicraft Shop to ensure sustainable office management (approximately 24 Mil

Kip/year).

(2) The Provincial Department of Commerce and Industry. The department oversees,

supervises and follows up visiting activities (e.g. regarding natural dyes) as well as the

display of different handicrafts and materials on the provincial and district level,

sometimes even on the central level.

(3) The Industry and Commerce Office (district Level). This provides training and

contributes to capacity building regarding the usage of natural dyes and weaving in the

women‟s group. It‟s also responsible for monitoring and following up operations after the

implementation of training courses, planning, and monthly, quarterly and yearly

reporting about all activities.

(4) The Village authorities. This is a group composed of 9 sub-organizations (e.g.

members of the Lao Women Union, and the head and deputy of the village) supporting

and facilitating the production of handicraft products as well as the participation and

implementation of weaving and handicraft activities.

(5) The Weaving Group. It produces textiles according to the objectives of their monthly

work plan, creates new patterns and continues to learn new styles and new designs of

weaving. It exchanges knowledge with other weaving groups through study visits, and

tries to find funding and additional access to the market.

The producer‟s group started to sell textiles mainly in four different spots: in

Champassak province, in the local market of Vang Xai, in the District Handicraft Shop

and in tourist areas of Pakse. In the past, traders from Champassak province stopped by

and directly collected weavings in Vang Xai village, but recently, they do not buy from

the villagers anymore, presumably because of the low season. In the handicraft shop,

the fabrics are only being displayed, so the group members earn just in case products

are sold, the shop does not buy items in advance. For this reason, the group members

17

do not want to display the more cost-intensive natural dyed clothes in the shop, but only

produce them on order. One of the group members used to sell in tourist areas in Pakse,

but at present time, there are also no orders, even though the group‟s environmentally

friendly and high quality products have proven to be marketable and popular with

foreign visitors.

Picture 9: Map of Actors. The

drawing shows the key actors involved

in the experience: (1) RLIP at the

provincial as and the district level

(represented by the houses on the top

and the top left), (2) the Provincial

Department of Commerce and

Industry (on the top right), and (3)

the Industry and Commerce Office

(represented by the house at the

bottom of the circle) closely work

together with (4) the village

authorities (under the Industry and

Commerce Office). They, in turn,

communicate and cooperate directly

with the Producer‟s group (5, the

house right down at the bottom). The

Producer‟s group is surrounded by

symbols representing the local and

the provincial markets, the district

handicraft shop as well as tourist

areas in Pakse.

2.6 Future Plans

The group expresses the wish to expand their natural dyes weaving in order to produce

and sell textiles in large quantities, also by involving more members of the community.

Particularly, a secure market access is desired. The improvement of the fincanical

situation of the community could allow an improvement of various aspects of the

viallge‟s infrastructure. This includes the construction of a new, bigger primary and

secondary school (as the current school only has 3 rooms) with good teaching equipment

and furniture, as well as new roads to separate the houses in blocks. The community

members imagine the village with more residents, each of them owning a 2-3 storey

house, and has access to the water system.

The whole village is covered by an electricity network. Two new bridges over the Huay

Nam Bpa River faciliate the contact to other villages in the neighbourhood, and there is a

local market in close proximity of the settlement. In the villager‟s vision, agricultural

activities have expanded and changed, and they imagine a cotton field to grow and

produce their own cotton. This is possible due to a new and better irrigation system

which also allows a stable rice harvest. Cattle, buffalos and cows are raised, and fish is

bred in a nearby pond. Meanwhile, the forest remains a protected area.

18

The women‟s weaving group stresses

the wish to build a weaving center, a

common production house where they

can work together, exchange ideas and

plans, and permanently display textiles

and the production process for visitors.

The vision of the community in the

future is represented in the “Map of the

Future”.

3. ANALYSIS OF THE TALIANG NATURAL DYES GROUP’S EXPERIENCE:

GOOD PRACTICES, LESSONS LEARNED, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The community of Vang Xai is facing severe difficulties. The poverty rate in Vang Xai

village is high, and the lack of an efficient irrigation system and the recurrences of

droughts are diminishing agricultural productivity. Many farmers are still struggling to

produce enough rice to feed their families throughout the year.

The production of natural dyed textiles in Vang Xai village is undoubtedly a promising

experience with a high innovative potential to create sources of alternative income, and

thus, to contribute to poverty alleviation and the improvement of livelihood of rural

families in the area. The following section tries to summarize the good practices and

lessons learned from the experience, and it points out challenges and opportunities

connected to the production process in general.

The key insight in relation to the development and success of this experience is the need

to establish a stable cooperation of the public and the private sectors, i.e. to secure

reliable market access and to find regular customers for the producers. Without stable

market access, the group remains unable to reach its full potential. The experience of

the Taliang Natural Dyes Group is considered as having a high potential for the

establishment of a successful Public-Private-Partnership because it has various strengths

and opportunities that make a profitable development likely.

It is challenging to give a comprehensive picture of all factors that can contribute to the

success of an experience, as its progress is a complex interplay of external and internal

factors.

External factors, such as climatic and geographical conditions, but also the condition of

roads and other infrastructures that can facilitate exchanges between villages and the

access to markets for small producers, are key elements that can affect the success of

an experience.

Internal factors of a community can further influence the progress or failure of an

enterprise - such as the social characteristics of the village before group establishment,

or the existence of networks at cluster level that can be used to activate and maintain

Picture 10: Map of the Future.

19

new initiatives (such as the formation of producers‟ groups). A key factor that can be

decisive for the success of a group is the motivation of its members, i.e. to commit

themselves to the task, to collaborate and to share risks and benefits. Groups have a

better chance to be successful when they have clear objectives and are intrinsically

motivated to work together. In the case of the Taliang Natural Dyes Group, the members

are highly motivated and committed to their group. Weaving offers a valuable additional

source of income for their food-insecure households but more than that, weaving is part

of the Taliang‟s longstanding traditional culture. Thus, the women‟s weaving activities

contribute to the preservation of the group‟s local knowledge and tradition as weaving is

then more than a mere work task to generate extra-income. This further contributes to

the already strong motivation and dedication of the members to their work, and is a key

achievement of the experience.

In contrast, people‟s commitment and motivation can decrease when the formation of a

group, or their objectives, are imposed by others. Additionally, a group is more likely to

fail when it is made up in order to develop a new initiative in a field that is unknown to

its members. In the case of the Vang Xai community, the artisan‟s group has grown

together since their creation more than 10 years ago. As the Taliang have a tradition of

weaving and the usage of natural dyes, they have a profound knowledge and are highly

skilled in their occupation. The development of an initiative can also be improved by a

committed, strong, and respected leader as Mrs. Aiengkham Lueddaya who has long-

term experience in leading the women‟s group.

Other characteristics of the women‟s group can be identified that contribute to

consolidate its success. These include the cohesiveness of the group, the sharing and

exchange of knowledge, the collective development of creative solutions, the mutual

social support, and the presence of a strong social capital within the group and of a

group structure, which allows the sharing of responsibilities.

As the Taliang Natural Dyes Group is exclusively composed of women, women‟s needs

should be addressed in particular, and their position at community and group level

should be strengthened.

In this sense, the strengthening of capacity building among the group members is crucial

for the long term sustainability of the experience. This encompasses the strengthening of

the group structure as well as of the management of the handicraft production, e.g. by

clearly determining responsibilities for each group member, by reflecting power

distributions, or by setting up a detailed record-keeping and planning system for the

production. A secure market access, however, builds the prerequisite to tap the full

potential of the group as well as to increase the production and the involvement of the

community. Several linkages with handicraft traders have been established in the past,

and there are more handicraft and textile companies in the area who might be interested

to enter into a private public partnership. Thus, important steps include the facilitation of

the establishment of permanent partnerships, and the support of the project in

identifying additional markets for the natural dyed fabrics.

The cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and experience with other organisations

and groups (such as the Organic Asparagus Producers group, other artisans, or for

example, organic cotton producers), are other interesting opportunities for further

development of the group and for the creation of synergetic effects through

collaboration. This opens up the opportunity for the group to learn from other more

advanced experiences in group consolidation and management.

20

The experience of the Taliang Natural Dyes

Group can be further analysed regarding the

challenges and opportunities of its production

process as well as its final products.

The application of natural dyes, (a purely natural product), however, has many

advantages, as natural dyes are derived from renewable resources. Their use supports

the conservation of nature, and therefore, is environmentally friendly. Also regarding

health & safety, natural dyes have advantages over synthetic dyes. No toxic substances

are used in the production process, and thus, the producers are less exposed to work

hazards. Natural dyes are completely compostable and biodegradable, leaving no

dangerous residues. Consumers do not have to worry about harmful impacts or allergic

reactions caused by the product. Natural dyes also tend to be richer and fuller that

synthetic dyes.

However, challenges can be seen in some characteristics of natural dyes. They are more

difficult to apply, wash out easier and are less lasting or resist less to fading than

synthetic colours. Furthermore, natural dyes are often more expensive than chemical

dyes, they require larger quantities, and it is more time-consuming to grow and produce

them.

Yet, in many countries (such as countries in the EU), fashion trends move more towards

natural and authenticity products. The demand for “green products”, such as natural

dyed textiles, is increasing, and is expected to increase further in coming years, also

because the environmental, health and social awareness is growing12. Additionally, there

is a local market demand for handmade and naturally dyed cotton in Laos, especially in

touristic areas. This opens a lucrative market opportunity, as Laos is a popular tourist

destination, and tourism in Laos is increasing. It could be considered to directly invite

tourists groups to visit or to take part in the production process in the community, e.g.

in handicraft classes. For the Taliang Natural Dyes Group, a branding or certification

process could be considered as an opportunity to further valorize the products. However,

if a producer intends to certify his products under an eco or organic label, it must be

considered that certain criteria for the products and the production process are set.

These requirements have to be checked carefully before starting the certification

process.

In conclusion, the institutional support provided by the Lao government, and by the

international organization working in cooperation with it, is fundamental in order to

ensure the sustainability of this experience over time. A long-term vision and

commitment to secure a market and to receive active cooperation from local

government, development agencies and the private sector is the key to create a

successful public private partnership. At the same time, the support of international

partner organizations is important to guarantee that innovative solutions are replicated

12 EU Market opportunities: The Use of natural Dyes. CBI Market Information Database, www.cbi.eu

Picture 11: Mr. Phimsa, Head of the

Organic Asparagus Producers Group and

member of the ethnic Alak group,

facilitated the community meeting and

formulated direct recommendations to

the group, based on his own experience.

21

in contexts that share similar needs. In this sense, IFAD, through RLIP, has the added

value to be in the position of promoting the spread and the scaling up of best practices

in the frame of its area of intervention. Linked to this, is the possibility to give increasing

visibility to those actors that have played, and continue to play, a key role in the

development of the Taliang Natural Dyes Group, as it is the talented local practitioners

that are at the core of this experience. Their knowledge and skills should be employed to

promote the development of similar experiences in other contexts.

4. ANNEX I: List of participants, Systematization Process

22

Training, September 2012

Name Position Organisation/

Village

1 Mr. Phayboun Community Development

Assistant RLIP Attapeu

2 Mr. Lekaen M&E Technical Staff RLIP Attapeu

3 Mr. Phimsa Farmer Ban Darkhied

4 Mrs. Aiengkham Lueaddaya Director of the group Vang Xai

5 Mrs. Simmany Deputy director Vang Xai

6 Mrs. Tim Viengsavan Group coordinator,

Marketing Manager Vang Xai

7 Mrs. Pingmalay Vilaykeo Group member Vang Xai

8 Mrs. Mouy Savasee Group member Vang Xai

9 Mrs. Bouanguen Group member Vang Xai

10 Mrs. Kaen Group member Vang Xai

11 Mrs. Toum Group member Vang Xai

12 Mrs. Deo Group member Vang Xai

13 Mrs. Aep Group member Vang Xai

14 Mrs. Savingsouk Government staff,

Group supporter Vang Xai

4. ANNEX II: Agenda Training and Systematization

Agenda Training and Systematization, Vang Xai, Attapeu, Laos PDR

22-25 September 2012

Saturday 22 September

Morning Briefing session with the RLIP staff and Training Team about the fieldwork activities with

community members

Training Team to be composed by: 1 or 2 RLIP staff representatives; 1 farmer from Asparagus Group; Procasur staff.

The morning aimed at providing trainees with the theoretical and methodological framework in which the systematization process is undertaken and to get them familiar with knowledge management tools

that will be used to reach the objectives of the systematization process.

Afternoon Travelling to the community (Case study)

The first field visit allows trainees to understand and analyse the context, contact key stakeholders and collect relevant material on the experience.

Evening time Community Meeting 1. Presentation of the

Working Team and presentation of participants;

2. Presentation: PROCASUR – who we are, what we do,

which methodologies we use + watch the cartoon and video

3. Presentation of the main objective of the activities

and proposed agenda; 4. Group exercise: “Looking

back at the past to draw our future”, working at the drawing of the map of the past/ present/ future

Map drawing exercise allows participants to share their knowledge on the context in which the experience is carried out, while at the same time collecting information about the development of the experience over

time. The presence of both women and men,

elders and youth is strongly encouraged. The meeting with community members aimed to: (a) present the objectives of the systematization process to community‟s

representatives; (b) reconstruct the experience together with local actors, using the methodology and the tools previously identified, and (c) agree with community members on further activities of the following days. After the meeting, trainees work at the

analysis, compilation and presentation of the information gathered, using KM tools and identify missing information that could be

collected on the next day.

Sunday 23 September

Morning Training Team working with 2 or 3 people from the community in the analysis of the information contained in the maps. Expected outputs:

1. Time Line 2. Map of Actors 3. Lessons Learned

Presentation of the group‟s outcome

Identification of missing information, structuring questions for interviews

Community to select 2 or 3 people that have been actively involved in the development of the experience and that are recognized to have rich knowledge and expertise.

Afternoon Training team working together Semi-structured individual/ group interviews

4. ANNEX II: Agenda Training and Systematization

24

with community representatives. 1. Introducing the concept of Local

Talents 2. Individual interviews with main local actors and identification of others external actors.

are aimed at reconstructing the experience though direct testimonies, collecting different perspectives and voices.

Interviews have been organised as the following: (1) interview with Mrs. Aiengkahm Lueddaya; (2) interview with Mrs. Tim Viengsavan; (3) Mrs. Savingsouk

Monday 24 September

Morning Training Team working with community representatives. Continuing the process of

collecting information through interviews and field visit.

Afternoon Training Team working with community representatives. Preparing the information to be

presented to the community and a proposed structure of the field visit for the Learning Route

Evening time Community meeting

1. Presentation of the information collected and validation by community members;

2. Structuring the Learning Route visit and share responsibilities among

community members; 3. Delivery of certificates.

25 September

Morning Preparation of the field visit through in-field visit and activities

A potential field visit is structured together with community members