The potential for renewable energy is growing throughout Southeast Asia with interest in a
range of technologies including PV Solar and bioenergy. The bioenergy sector in particular
has shown considerable potential over the 1990s and early 2000s with investment by both
state and large private entrepreneurs (Oosterveer et al. 2006). To meet the growing needs
of small holder farmers in Southeast Asia biomass digestion, or energy farming holds energetic
potential based on existing agricultural production. However, little is known about how
willing or able farmers are to accept what could amount to considerable changes in production
and livelihood practices. In addition, more information is needed on the status and role
of organic fertilizer to determine the potential of waste re-use from the anaerobic digestion
involved in energy conversion.
To contribute to an empirically focused discussion on the potential of energy farming in Lao
PDR this paper reports on the results of a study investigating the acceptance and viability of
energy farming and organic fertiliser in urban and peri-urban communities of Vientiane Municipality.
In doing so the survey assesses the potential of the renewable energy sector as
part of wider study of Southeast Asia. The following results are based on two surveys: the
first targeting farmers and the second fertilizer consumers and dealers. The three guiding
questions for the surveys were: 1. What is the general acceptance of energy as a renewable
energy strategy?; 2. What is the current use and future potential for organic fertilizer use?;
and 3 What potential exists for collective forms of renewable development in urban and periurban

Vientiane Municipality was selected for the survey as a starting point to understanding the
potential of energy farming in the rest of the country. Given that energy farming is a new
technology for farmers its acceptance in Vientiane Municipality acts as a ‘pilot study’ for its
potential in the rest of the country.
The report is divided into 4 sections. The following section provides an overview of existing
knowledge on the organic fertilizer in Lao PDR and some basic statistics on agricultural production
in Vientiane Municipality. This is followed by an outline of the methodology used for
the two surveys in section 3. Section 4 focuses specifically on the results of the farmers
survey, outlining the potential of crops, livestock and fertilizer use in Vientiane Municipality;
Section 5 then focuses specifically on the perceptions of organic fertilizer before the potential
and acceptance of renewable energy and, more specifically, energy farming are outlined
in section 6. The final section then provides comments and recommendations on the outlook
for energy farming in Vientiane and more widely in Lao PDR.