Stabilization of Land Use and Development of uplands rice cropping and villager forestry system

1. 1
Stabilisation of Land Use , and
Development of
upland rice cropping , and
villager forestry systems
as a crucial component in Upland
Development

2. 2
1: Recognized – acknowledged - as
an important component of both
current and near/medium term
future upland livelihoods systems.
3: Developed, (focused on) not ignored
2: Stabilised – and this can be done !
PROPOSAL:
Thate the “upland crop/bush fallow”
farming system must be:

3. 3
Elements of the Presentation
5: Improve strategy for the role of forest
management in the uplands
4: Reasons to focus or “develop” hai as a
component of Upland Development
3: Upland crop/bush fallow system can be
“stabilised”.
2: Neutral Carbon footprint of rotational
upland systems.
1: Reasons to acknowledge ‘hai’ In Upland
Development.

4. 4
One Reason that we must acknowledge
‘hai’ in Upland Development
1.1 The “Eradication Policy” has not been
successful.
1.3 Upland Rice is even exported as a
“cash crop”
1.2 Rice growing is - “ipsi facto” – one of
the best – and most direct route to
“food security”
1.4 Bush Fallows are an crucial element
of multifunctional landscapes

5. 5
Despite > 10 year of SC Eradication Policy,
SC remains the main upland agricultural
practice
Shifting cultivation dominated
landscapes between 2001 - 2009
K. Hurni et al, 2012
K. Hurni et al, 2013

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Data from Agricultural Census 2011
MAF, Lao Ag. Census 2011
 The Agricultural Census suggests an increase of
upland area, and a slight reduction of population
involved in it.

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1: (more) Reasons to acknowledge ‘hai’:
1.1 The “Eradication Policy” has not been
successful
1.3 Upland Rice is even exported as a
“cash crop”.
1.2 Rice growing is - “ipsi facto” – one of
the best – and most direct route to
“food security”.
1.4 Bush Fallows are an crucial element
of multifunctional landscapes

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Example for 1.3: Upland Rice is “still” the
main cash crop in many upland villages
N = ~1200 HH
Source: TABI survey 2012

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Example for 1.3 : Trucks ‘exporting’ upland rice
from ‘upland’ Ponsai District, 2011n

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1: (more) reasons to acknowledge ‘hai’:
1.1 The “Eradication Policy” has not been
successful
1.3 Upland Rice is even exported as a
“cash crop”
1.2 Rice growing is - “ipsi facto” – one of
the best – and most direct route to
“food security”
1.4 Bush Fallows are an crucial element
of multifunctional landscapes

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Where are NTFP’ are collected?
1.4: Hai and Bush fallows are an important
source of NTFPs (2nd after forests)
Based on survey in 100 villages in Phonexay, Chomphet and Phoukoud district
Source: TABI baseline 2012

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Medicinal plant in upland rice and bush
fallow rotational fields

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2: Neutral Carbon footprint of rotational
upland systems
Carbon in rotational
systems needs both a
landscape as well as
multi-temporal
perspective
Also for possible REDD
PES schemes, this
perspective is crucial, else
rotational systems can
not fit into the REDD
systems

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Source: Inoue, 2010
There is significant carbon in rotational
upland systems
• Even if only 5 years fallow there is only a slight decrease of carbon over
time (without fallow improvements) ( ~ 55 t/ha)
• Ongoing research suggests that below ground carbon (B.C.) may
even be considerably higher than shown above
1Y cultivated 5Y fallow
B.G.carbon
?

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2.1 The FALUPAM process (maps below) can lead to
stabilised upland rotational rice cultivation.
2.3 Thus, the new generation can, and will, find
other livelihood activities such as:
(a) Processing and marketing of products – which
are becoming more feasible due to (i) improved
road network and (ii) improved access to
electricity.
(b) Some of the younger generation will move to
urban industrial centres.
3: Upland crop/bush fallow system can be
“stabilised”
2.2 However, “stabilised” as of today means enough
land for current number of farmers.

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Data: pre and post FALUP
3.1: Example of stabilised upland cropping: Huay Jia
Village, Ponsai District, Luang Prabang Province.
Before 2012 After 2012

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Example 3.2: stabilised upland cropping: Donekham
Village, Ponsai District, Luang Prabang Province.
Before 2012 After 2012

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Example 3.3:

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Example 3.3: stabilised upland cropping: Mien Village, Phoukodt
District, Xieng Khouang Province
Before 2012

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After 2012
Example 3.3: stabilised upland cropping: Mien Village, Phoukodt
District, Xieng Khouang Province

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Example 3.4: stabilised
upland and lowland
cropping: Kheung Village,
Phoukodt District, Xieng
Khouang Province, 2012

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4.2. Loss of flat cropping land – loss of wet rice paddy
and of aquatic products food/income due to
hydropower projects means resettlers have only
one option for food-rice sufficiency - to feed their
families – and that is upland rice. There are many
examples – and this will only increase in the future
4: Reasons to focus on and develop “hai” as a
component of Upland Development
4.1. Difficulties in finding alternatives – and they take a
long time to develop - and while developing
alternatives, villagers still need rice !! So, resolving the
‘upland rice’ question then provides ‘energy’ and
‘time’ to focus on ‘alternatives’.
•See map of villagers planned for relocation in LPB

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Nam Tha 1
The over 120 hydropower
project at different stages
of planning will lead to
resettlement of probably
more than 400/500 villages
(some have already moved)

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Nam Tha 1
To-be-resettled villages (pink) will loose
access to flat and wet rice paddy land in valley
and have to move further into – and rely on -
the uplands = shifting cultivation !!
•Villages in pink will have to relocate into the uplands

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However:
The delineation (in the law) of “national
protection forest” is a “drawing board” zoning, is
confusing, and has little, often no. basis in realty
on the ground.
Thus: Must start by improving the legal and
administrative definitions of ‘forest categories’
5: Need to Improve the role of forest
management and development in the uplands
Fact: Forest lands are a very significant component of the
uplands. Some even hope they will get to 65 to 70 %
of the total Land Area !!!
Thus: Forest must be a crucial component of the UDS

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Explanation of the
inappropriate National
Protection Forest Zones
• Lacking spatial planning and
incoherent sectoral approaches
means that almost 2500
villages are locted in the so-
called “national protection
forest” (almost 1 mil. people)
• Even further to this – as
villages are relocated due to
hydropower dams (eg here is
Nam Seuang 2 dam in LPB )
they will all move further into
the ‘national protected forest’

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Obviously: A whole new approach is
required.
>> Start by improving the legal and
administrative definitions of ‘forest
categories’
5: Improved strategy for role of forest
management and development in the uplands

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Proposed (more relevant and actual)
definition of forest categories
Management Responsibility
Forest Management Category National Provincial/District Village Private
Production/Utilization Forest
Production Forest Reserve Yes Yes
Managed Utilization Forest Yes plant/regenerate
Conservation Forest
National/Provincial Park Yes Yes (assist)
Biodiversity Conservation Park Yes Yes (as above)
Watershed Protection Forest Yes Yes
Historical/Cultural Forest Yes (as above)
..other
Plantation Forest Yes Yes
Spirit/Cemetery forest Yes Yes

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Current: ‘mushrooming’ of land concessions &
leases in Laos the last decade
Future Vision:
‘mushrooming’ number of villagers with
stabilised upland cropping and forest zone
plans approved and all granted secure tenure
...and the new generation taking over from
there !!
Current Scenario > Future Vision for UDS

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Thank you very much for your attention!
Contact TABI: chris.flint@tabi.la