Lao PDR's trade liberalization and growing international integration have been considerably successful in terms of achieving economic growth, growing household incomes and poverty reduction across regions in rural and urban areas. Trade has led to falling poverty by lowering the cost of living and raising real income. As a result of trade, more choices of goods became available and at lower prices. With increased access to credit and growing availability of better inputs at lower prices and expanding market, as a result of trade liberalization, farm productivity and returns to household enterprises have grown, raising household incomes. As a result of growing international trade and economic growth, government's revenues have grown larger, allowing government to increase investment spending on infrastructure and social services. As an overall result, poverty has been declining rapidly, though with growing inequality. However, environmental impact and forced relocation caused by some large, land-based projects have raise concerns over villagers' livelihoods and food security. Since Lao PDR joined ASEAN in 1997, a growing number of bilateral trade agreements for preferential treatments have been signed to ease trade between Lao PDR and the signing parties. As the country was preparing for WTO accession and ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), trade barriers were gradually dropping, including tariffs for many goods originated in ASEAN. Over this same period, trade as a percent of GDP was growing as Lao PDR gradually becoming more integrated with the world, and poverty continued to decline steadily from 46% in 1993 to 27.6% by 2008. If the poverty trend continues as in the previous five or 15 years, by 2013 national poverty rate would have dropped to 21.5% and to 19% by 2015.