Title of document: Indigenous agroforestry practices in two districts in the northern part of Lao PDR Authors: Houmchitsavath Sodarak; Chanhpeng Ditsaphon; Vienghad Thammavong; Nonggnao Ounthammasith; and Olle Forshed Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Northern Agriculture and Forestry Research Centre; Lao-Swedish Upland Agriculture and Forestry Research Programme Geographic focus: Laos School of agroecology: Agro-forestry Objective of the document: To find out and document more about indigenous agroforestry practices in northern Laos so that good ideas and practices could be shared to other farmers to increase their livelihood. Introduction: In the north of Lao PDR people live close to the nature and their main activity is growing rice. Shifting cultivation is the dominating practice and upland rice is the dominating crop on the sloping hills. Paddy field practices are also to some extent common if there is available land for that activity. Also other crops then rice is cultivated in the upland farming land, such as corn, Job’s tear and a wide range of vegetables. These crops are often integrated in the traditional rice shifting cultivation practice or grown more intensively close to rivers where the land is often more fertile. The shifting cultivation practice in Lao PDR has been widely described in literature; see e.g. Roder (2001) and Sodarak (1998), and today we know quite a lot of how it is practiced. Shifting cultivation could be seen as an agroforestry practice since it is, if carried out in a good way with long fallows, a combination of agriculture and forestry. Side by side with the shifting cultivation practice also other agroforestry practices has been carried out for decades. That could be just some few treatments in the natural forest to get a wanted product (see e.g. Ankarfjard 1998) or it could also be highly advanced systems where trees, animals and plants grow together so that they can make benefit of each other. These systems are not so widely described in literature, either internationally or nationally. The range these practices or systems hold is very little known by a wider audience than the actual farmers in the villages. To know more what the farmers traditionally practice and what techniques and plants etc that has been adopted from projects and outsiders are both important factors to understand when further developing the rural upland agricultural and forestry activities. This study which aims to find out more about ongoing agroforestry practices in two districts is hopefully a step on the track to find out more sustainable and acceptable practices for farmers in these areas.   Read More

Title of document: Agroforestry Systems for Upland People in Lao PDR: Production, Benefit, and Farmers’ Satisfaction Analysis Authors: THIPPHAPHONE DOUANGSILA; SUPAPORN POUANGCHOMPU Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Thailand Year of publication: 2012 Geographic focus: Laos School of agroecology: Agro-forestry With an increasing population and governmental land-use restriction, shortened fallow periods of some traditional farming systems have contributed to the reduction of agricultural production in the uplands of Lao P.D.R. In response, systems which integrate trees, crops, and/or animals, such as agro forestry have been applied. However, the promotion of agroforestry as an alternative choice for upland farmers has become very challenging as a result of long-term economic incentives. The objectives of this study were to identify agroforestry systems employed, cost and returns, and the satisfaction of farmers, aiming to promote more benefits of agroforestry. Information described in this paper came from a survey of 80 agroforestry farms under a project support in nine villages of two northern districts. The results implied that three main agro forestry systems, based on nature components, have been employed. 81 percent of farmers employed Agrisilviculture, where trees and crops were combined in the same parcel. 14 percent applied Agrosilvopastoral (trees, crops, and pasture/animals), followed by 5 percent who applied Silvopastoral (trees and pasture/animals). In terms of production cost, initial investment in Agrisilviculture cost on average US$ 575 ha-1; while Agrosilvopastoral farmers spent around US$ 795 ha-1 and Silvopastural farmers, an estimated US$ 282 ha-1. After three-years of establishment, most farmers achieved success meeting their food sufficiency needs and obtained additional income from extra production, with average returns from each system about US$ 186 ha-1, US$ 632 ha-1, and US$ 104 ha-1 respectively. With biological and economic advantages produced by natural components in each system, most of farmers were similarly satisfied. Although the systems could not provide immediate-profitable returns, they were able to sustain food production and were profitable for a long-term use. A particular attention and continual technical support from relevant agencies are still required to enhance application of agroforestry.   Read More

Title of document: Rubber Development in the Lao PDR: Ensuring Sustainability Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: MAF Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry; CATCH‐UP Comprehensive Analysis of Trajectories of Change in the Uplands Project (CIFOR/IRD/NAFRI); CIFOR Center for International Forestry Research; GTZ/BMA German Technical Cooperation; IRD Institute for Development Research; IUCN International Union for Conservation; LIWG Land Issues Working Group; NAFRI National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute; NLMA National Land Management Agency; NUOL/FOF National University of Lao PDR/Faculty of Forestry; SDC Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation; Sida Swedish International Development Agency; URDP Uplands Research and Capacity Development Programme/NAFRI Geographic focus: Laos School of agroecology: Agro-forestry Overview of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Display for the ASEAN Rubber Conference: Lao PDR is experiencing a rapid expansion of rubber cultivation. Industry experts predict that the current estimates of 140,000 ha of rubber planted will grow to some 300,000 ha by 2020. The current boom in rubber is being fueled by a demand from rubber markets (particularly China) and investor interest.   Read More

Title of document: Intensifying upland rice Systems with Stick lac Production in Northern Lao PDR Authors: Bounthanh Keoboualapha, Niphavanh Philavanh, Attachai Jintrawet Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO), Louang Prabang, Lao PDR; Crop Section, PAFO, Louang Prabang, Lao PDR; Multiple Cropping Center (MCC), Chiang Mai University (CMU), Thailand. Geographic focus: Laos School of agroecology: Agro-forestry The Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is a land-link country with a total area of 236,800 km2 and a population of 6.5 million. The country is located in Southeast Asia, bordered by Vietnam to the east, Thailand to the west, Myanmar and China to the north, and Cambodia to the south. About 20% of the area is flat land (70-200 msl), which is prevalent in the southwestern region, while the other 80% is sloping land and mountainous (200-2820 msl), which is predominant in the northern region (Figure 1.). The country has a tropical monsoon climate with mean annual rainfall of 1000-1500 mm.   Read More

Title of document: Food and Nutrition Security ATLAS of Lao PDR Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: World Food Programme (WFP); Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Year of publication: 2013 Geographic focus: Lao PDR The Atlas on Food and Nutrition Security in Lao PDR is based on a conceptual framework developed by WFP/VAM. The framework allows for a comprehensive analysis of food and nutrition security by taking into account household livelihood assets and strategies, contextual factors, shocks and hazards.   Read More

Title of document: Lessons from Nature - A guide to Ecological Agriculture in the tropics Authors: Shimpei Murakami Year of publication: 1991 Over millions of years, nature has built up an intricate system of relationship of exchange and mutual dependence among its elements - land, water, air, forest, sunlight and living things - to create what we call the ecosystem. It is the life support system of all living things on this planet and provides not oniy the daily needs but also saves resources for future generations. But this very life support system is endangered by man's aggression against nature. In the last few decades, the aggression has reached unprecedented levels. Blinded by his so-called 'scientific and technological achievements' he believes in 'conquering' nature and that it can be exploited endlessly. This is nothing but arrogance and an excuse for rapacious greed. With all his bragging about science and technology he fails to understand the superior science of nature. Based on this false understanding, man's relationship with nature has turned into one of enmity. But in this war of aggression, man is certainly going to be the loser; he and other living species will face extinction. Already, the signs are foreboding - global warming, acid rain, ozone layer depletion, massive deforestation, advancing deserts, prolonged drought, marauding flooc and apocalyptical cyclones are ravaging many parts of the earth. However, the destruction of the environment is not only the result of man's arrogance of science, but also a result of the way he has organized his society - its economic, social and cultural systems. The economic system encourages monopolization of resources by a few, the social system promotes the acquisition of power by a small minority at the cost of disenfranchising many, and the cultural system advocates greed and reckless consumption in the name of individualism. If sanity does not prevail upon man, then he will soon destroy the environment and with it himself and other living things. For survival, he has to build a society which is based on equitable and sustainable sharing of resources which decentralizes social power and promotes consumption based on need, not on the greed of a few. His technology and science should try to understand the principles and laws of nature and derive sustenance in a sustainable manner by harmoniously blending technology and science with the superior technology and science of nature.   Read More

Title of document: A quantitative and qualitative historical analysis of the scientific discipline of agroecology Authors: A. Wezel; V. Soldat Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Department of Agroecosystems, Environment and Production, ISARA, Lyon, France Year of publication: 2009 Main issues / topics addressed: agroecology, agroecosystem, agronomy, biodiversity, organic farming, rural development, sustainability In general, agroecology deals with different topics and questions related to agricultural production. In the last two decades, the term agroecology has been increasingly used with different meanings (Wezel et al., in press). On the one hand it is used for the scientific discipline of agroecology, that will be the topic of this paper; but, on the other hand the term agroecology is also used in the sense of a movement or as an agricultural practice (Wezel, 2007; Wezel, et al., in press). Environmental movements in the 1960s often emerged in opposition to industrialized agriculture, when public policies did not consider the environmental impact of agriculture, in particular pesticides, or the social aspects of rural development. Initially, the term agroecology was not used explicitly to describe a movement. It was only in the 1990s when the word started to be used in this sense, especially in the USA and in Latin America, to express a new way of considering agriculture and its relationship to society, and its place within it.   Read More

Title of document: Profiles of People’s Organizations In Rural Asia Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: ASIADHRRA; AGRITERRA Year of publication: 2002 Geographic focus: Asia This study entitled Profiles of People’s Organizations in Asia under the auspices of AsiaDHRRA and Agriterra covered seven countries: Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines. It attempted to do the following: 1. generate a reliable and updated individual profile of selected farmers’ organizations (FOs); 2. identify the issues, problems and needs of these FOs; and 3. consolidate the results of the individual profile and draw a regional sketch of farmers’ organizations and their development needs. Through the study, AsiaDHRRA hopes to provide a guide to rural development stakeholders in their direction setting, program planning, and provision of services to their constituents.   Read More

Title of document: Farmers’ Sustainable Agriculture Perception in the Vietnam Uplands: the Case of Banana Farmers in Quang Tri Province Authors: Nguyen Van Thanh; Patana Sukprasert; Chinawat Yapwattanaphun Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Department of Horticulture; Department of Extension, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand. Year of publication: 2015 Geographic focus: Vietnam Main issues / topics addressed: Perception, sustainable agriculture, upland farmers Upland farmers in Vietnam are associated with the lowest income and face serious issues of natural resources degradation and environmental pollution because of poor agricultural practices. To persuade the upland farmers to adopt sustainable practices, it is vital first to assess their perception of sustainable agriculture. This study aimed to measure banana farmers’ perception towards sustainable agriculture and its determinants in the Vietnam uplands based on a case study in Quang Tri province. Stratified sample technique was used to randomly select 300 respondents from 2 upland districts of Quang Tri. The primary data were gathered by using a structured questionnaire with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.84. The results showed that the majority (84.7%) of the farmers had low to mode rate perceptions of sustainable agriculture. Farmers had positive perceptions towards sustainable agriculture in issues related to protection of agricultural resources, negative effects of agrochemicals on human health and the environment, input application, crop rotation, product consumption and roles of farmer groups; whereas, they had moderate perceptions about issues related to production profits, plant residue use and modern technology application. In addition, the study revealed that agricultural programs on TV, education, ethnic group, economic status and credit use were the factors that affected farmers’ sustainable agriculture perceptions.   Read More

Title of document: Asia at the Crossroads Prioritising Conventional Farming or Sustainable Agriculture? Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: ACTION AID; 1. Muong ethnic minotiry sisters Ban Thi Cuc, 19, left, and Ban Thi Yen, 20, work on their family rice field in Duong hamlet, Vay Nua commune, Da Bac district, Hoa Binh province, Vietnam. © Chau Doan / OnAsia / ActionAid. 2. Emergency response to floods in Cambodia © ActionAid. 3. Multi-Purpose Farm in Cambodia © CEDAC / ActionAid. 4. Limited access to water in Myanmar. © Celso Marcatto / ActionAid. 5. Pesticide use in Sanya, Hainan Island, Hainan Province, China © Li Xiaoguo / Xinhua Press / Corbis. 6. Tractor spraying fertilizer in a conventional agricultural system © Imageplus / Corbis Year of publication: 2012 Geographic focus: Asia In June of 2012, representatives of over 140 nations are expected to take part in the “Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development”. The conference – scheduled 20 years after the first Rio conference saw an agreement that the United Nations must do something to address environmental degradation and global warming – is expected to focus heavily on the concept of the “green economy”. The “green economy” includes the idea that livelihoods, growth and environmental sustainability must go hand-in-hand in developing countries. While the concept itself may be laudable, it will be an unattainable ideal unless governments show a willingness to adopt a new development model – one based on human rights as opposed to profit for elites. A key example of the need for change – both in terms of the right to livelihood, environmental sustainability and the right to sufficient and nutritious food – is the agriculture sector. This paper seeks to address fundamental questions about the agriculture sector in Southeast Asia and China and to begin to sketch what a way forward – a way towards the “green economy” – may look like.   Read More