[ePrayer – Pray for Laos farmers]

Hit hard by hot and dry weather, farmers near Laos’s capital are looking for new ways to adapt to climate change and protect their cash crops as the temperature in recent months rose above 40 degrees Celsius. Weather experts say that irregular weather patterns since 2007 have caused the monsoon season in Laos, typically first seen in mid-May, to come as early as March or as late as June. A recent study on climate change in the lower Mekong Basin (including parts of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) identified climate change ‘hotspots’ where conditions will become unsuitable for crops currently grown there. The study projected higher-than-global average temperature increases in the basin (a 4-6 Celsius degree jump versus the global estimate of a two degree increase), which will mean dramatic changes in the comfort zone of crops. It could have serious negative consequences for the livelihoods, health and food security of the local communities in these areas.

Pray for Laos farmers:

• Pray that the community can explore and adapt new planting methods, which can combat the negative effects of climate change. 
• Laos government is encouraging farmers to abandon pesticides and chemical fertilizer, and adopt organic farming. Pray that more farmers will support the government’s call and love the land resource. May God give them a secured livelihood.