Asia possesses great wealth in raw materials that have potential demand in local and international markets. However, unfavorable economic models and policies, lack of business know-how, ignorance of technologies, markets, and prices, and little support in terms of training, advisory services, and access to credit hinder farmers from taking advantage of this opportunity.

Linking production to markets creates economic opportunities, accelerating technology adoption, rural development, and poverty alleviation.

The Small-scale Agro-enterprise Development in the Uplands (SADU) project develops approaches that operate at district and community levels and are appropriate to the economic, cultural, and political settings of Lao PDR and Vietnam.

The combination of marketing and production improvements, and involvement of a wide range of value chain actors, such as farmers, traders, processors, and government, prove to be an effective intervention in linking farmers to markets.

Our aim is "to develop sustainable agroenterprise initiatives with upland rural communities that generate income and employment opportunities through diversifying and adding value to local natural resources".

• Developing appropriate participatory methods for design of market intervention.
• Support and promotion of local agroenterprises and business support services.
• Equitable development of markets for women, ethic minorities, and rural poor.

• Small-scale agro-enterprise development in the uplands (SADU) of Lao PDR