The primary aims of the planning grant are to promote the participation of key stakeholders of the proposed project, including local authorities and relevant agencies and communities, and provide scientific assistance for the project development. Major activities of the project include conducting surveys on socio-economic conditions of the proposed project site, identifying proposed project objectives and activities and assessing their feasibility, and providing needed technical assistance in project design and writing project proposal which will be submitted to GEF/SGP for review and appraisal; and identifying possibilities for project synergies and resource mobilization.

The project aims at:
- Recovering and developing lac breeding in Muong Lat through building sample models of technology to improve the productivity of lac resin as well as the capacity to market the products, increasing income for local community of ethnic minorities.

Expected activities of the project:

a) Building 4 sample models of lac breeding technology including:
- A model of planting rice inserting Thieu bean to breed lac
- A model of breeding lac in host trees which are planted in different places
- A model of breeding lac in host trees which are planted in one place
- A model to keep breeds of lac
b) Providing technical training for lac producers and local communicators
c) Making materials on breeding techniques for producers and technique officers
d) Building capacity on marketing and product selling for producers
Expected results:
- A survey report on the situation of forests and planting lands of communes, land possession rights, quantity, situation of using host trees, lac breeding experiences, households who are willing to take part in, advantages and disadvantages.
- PRA reports of selected villages, minutes, list and information of selected households, lac breeding plan of villages, communes, the villages? maps of lands for lac development.
- 10 host trees (Thieu bean) and 7 long-life trees which were bred in 2007 have developed well, providing enough breeds for the whole commune.
- The breeding models have met the expected results. The total areas for 3 years is 103 ha
- Participating households have applied techniques to breed lac. 200 people have been trained the techniques to breed lac.
- 10 village and commune officers are qualified in lac breeding
- 7 village, commune officers have visited Thailand to learn about production, processing and marketing.
- 03 documents have printed for sub-trainers, technique trainers and producers.