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In a poorly developed, water-rich country such as Lao PDR, most attention has historically been given to surface water development issues with limited consideration to groundwater. However, even with such relative abundance, spatial or temporal shortfalls and occasional droughts are
faced, and groundwater is being increasingly relied upon to achieve broader socioeconomic development goals. Whilst groundwater development for domestic supplies has progressed ‘below the radar’ with mixed success under rudimentary governance arrangements, the consequence has been little knowledge and capacity to manage the groundwater resources and virtually no groundwater use for irrigation. All this is gradually changing with groundwater beginning to be included in water policies and development plans. A research project which began in 2012 (http://gw‐laos.iwmi.org/) seeks to explore the role of expanding groundwater use for agriculture to address food security issues and enable diversification of cropping beyond paddy. Considering this challenge from an integrated, multidisciplinary perspective, the project is working towards creating: • improved understanding of the hydrogeological systems and water balance across regions and scales; • clarity on the way groundwater is perceived and used under different contexts; • clearer definition of the socio-economic costs and benefits of groundwater irrigation through establishment of pilot trials; • tools that assess how to achieve sustainable groundwater development and avoid negative environmental impacts; and • strengthened technical and institutional capacity within government, universities and other important stakeholders. This paper will focus on presenting the key findings from a techno-economic and institutional evaluation of irrigation pilot trials that have been setup on the Vientiane Plains; one of the major ‘food bowls’ of the country.