Trends and challenges for agriculture in Lao PDR

2. Overview
Dichotomy: a division into two mutually
exclusive, opposed or contradictory groups
ie. two different directions
Three perspectives on the farming
dichotomy in Laos:
 Agro-Ecology: Green or Brown
 Political-Economy: Small-scale or Industrial
 Social-cultural: Farmers or Labourers

3. Agro-Ecology
Characteristics of the different directions:
Green Brown
Diversity Monocultures
Low external inputs Chemical dependent
Labour intensive Mechanized

4. Agro-Ecology
this or this?

5. Agro-Ecology
Some trends:
 Area under brown agriculture continues to expand
 There are growing concerns about sustainability
 Studies and pilots are being carried out, but we
are dealing with ‘wicked problems’
Observation:
 Re labour: a major constraint to promotion of
sustainable agriculture is that almost all improved
practices require more time and effort. The reason
herbicides have been adopted is because they
make it possible to cultivate larger areas.

6. Political-Economy
Characteristics of the different directions:
Small-scale Industrial
Inefficient Productive
Local markets Export driven
Farmer organisations Crony capitalism

7. Political-Economy
this or this?

8. Political -Economy
Some trends:
 The World Bank has made a strong pitch for
reducing number of workers in the agric. sector
 Greater regional integration is likely to favour
bigger players
 Donors and NGOs are supporting FOs, the
leadership has other ideas
Observation:
 Re FO development: there is a big difference
between organising farmers and farmers
organising. A lot of the former is happening,
much less of the later. And one doesn’t naturally
lead to the other.

9. Socio-Cultural
Characteristics of the different directions:
Farmer Labourer
Indigenous knowledge Vocational skills
Food producer Food consumer
Settled Mobile

10. Socio-Cultural
this or this?

11. Socio-Cultural
Some trends:
 Cultural erosion is happening at a rapid pace, including
loss of ITK
 Spread of ICT is creating access to new knowledge and
networks
 It’s not clear who the winners and losers are, but
ethnic women are vulnerable in this transition.
Observation:
 Re FSN: development agencies still coming to terms
with the changing roles of farmers. Many of our
approaches to nutrition were developed with
subsistence farmers in mind, but perhaps the home-
gardens-and-small-livestock route is less appropriate
for commercial producers.

12. Concluding observations
 Much of the development community in Laos is ‘swimming
against the tide’.
 We are working with a minority of small farmers to support
enclaves of green agriculture, which are surrounded by a
brown industrial landscape.
 Perhaps we should accept that we are no longer a ‘driver of
change’, and pay more attention to mitigation efforts that will
reduce negative impacts for the majority of rural people.
 For example:
 Campaigning on safe and effective use of agri-chemicals
 Networking among farmer organisations to strengthen their
bargaining power
 Investigating rights violation for migrant/plantation workers
 Improving measures for control of animal health epidemics
 Development of new strategies for improving nutrition of rural
workers