The DiFF team is pleased to announce the release of a report, The Financial Ecosystem for Smallholder Farming Households in Lao PDR. The report maps the financial ecosystem for smallholder farmers in Laos and makes recommendations for stakeholders to develop the ecosystem while mitigating risks.

Between mid-October to mid-November, we did the first round of qualitative fieldwork in Laos to begin collecting data and exploring questions regarding discernible impacts of digital financial services on smallholder farmers. In this post we reflect on our process and initial observations.

International organizations and many researchers believe that digital financial services can help lessen the hardships such women face. However, little research has been done on whether digital financial services actually make women’s lives easier. What is the evidence?

From 23-27 January 2023, members of the DiFF project team gathered for a workshop in Luang Prabang, Laos, to discuss the project objectives, concepts, research activities and methods, research questions and research planning for the immediate future and also for the next five years.