Laos farmers turn to game theory in bid to outsmart rats

Rice farmers in Laos are trying unusual ways to tackle the rats that destroy their crop, a staple food in the southeast Asian nation [File: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA]

For more than a decade, Laos has been confronted with an escalating rat problem as the rodents chomp their way through rice, the country’s main cash crop and staple food.

Described by farmers as a “sea of rats,” the vermin chew through at least 20 percent of the country’s annual rice harvest, placing added stress on household finances and food security in what is already one of Southeast Asia’s poorest nations. According to the United Nations World Food Programme, one in five Laotians were already experiencing food insecurity even before the COVID-19 pandemic, while one in three children is chronically malnourished.