Land Cover and Land Use Change Sing District, Luangnamtha Province, Lao PDR

NASA-LCLUC Workshop Khon Kaen, Thailand

12-17 Jan 2009

Sithong Thongmanivong, Khamla Phanvilay, Houngpheth Chanthavong, Thoumthone Vongvisouk, Yayoi Fujita, Jeff Fox

Background of the Study

A number of government policies and programs issued since the mid of 1980s

•Natural resource management decentralization through land use planning and land allocation

•Poverty reduction and elimination of opium cultivation

•Transformation of land into capital for investment

•Increase international connection and collaboration

2

Objectives

to examined the patterns of changes:

Forest cover and land use

Demographic distribution

Rural livelihood and people’s relationship with land and forest resources

Sing

Methods

• Policy review

• Spatial analysis

– Demographic change

– Forest cover change

• Village land use

history

• Household interviews

Forest and Land Cover Change

Forest destruction and fragmentation

Expansion of rubber plantation on shifting cultivation and fallow forest area

Forest and Land Cover Change

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1973 1988 1991 2000

WaterLowland agricultureUpland agricultureGrass and bushSecondary forestForest

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1982 1992 2002

Other Non-Forest AreaPermanent Agri-LandOther Wood Area

Potential Forest

Current Forest

Sing District

National level

Source: DOF 2007

Lowland paddy rice/permanent

agriculture

Shifting cultivationFallow

forest

Rubber plantation

Secondary forest

Primary forest

Process of Forest Conversion

Demographic Change: 1995-2005

1995 2001 2005

Ethnic DistributionEthnic 1995 Ethnic 2005

ETHNIC GROUPDistrict boundary

OTHER FEATURES µRoad network 0 10 205 KM

Akha Dam, Phunoi Hmong Khmu

Leu Lue, Nua Nua Mien Mekong River

• Normally, the upland people practice shifting cultivation and lowland practice paddy rice farming

• Long fallow periods are no longer practice due to government policy and population pressures

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1985 1990 1995 2000 2004

Th

ou

san

ds H

ecta

res

Paddy rice

Upland rice

Source: DAFOE

Rice planting area (sing)

Changing of Livelihood and Farming System

Upland Lowland

Farming system shifting cultivation with NTFP, livestock and rubber

Paddy, cash crops and rubber

Farm size 3-5 ha 1-3 ha

Land tenure owned, open access ownedAccess to Market local market local and regional

Off-farm activities weaving, NTFP, labor weaving, labor and handicraft

Mechanization manual manual, tractorLabor family family, hiredLivestock pigs and poultry cows, buffalo and

poultry

Constrains insufficiency water, high labor for weeding

low price

Characteristic of Farming System

Lowland• Subsistence agriculture• Cooperative rice

farming• Livestock

o Upland • Subsistence• Shifting cultivation• Livestock raising

Before After

Changing of Livelihood and Farming System

o Upland• Subsistence and semi-

commercial • Shifting cultivation in

rotation and some paddy• Off farm activities• NTFPs• Rubber plantation

Lowland

• Market oriented

• Commodity crops

• Off farm activities

• Rubber plantation

13

Land Investment Self-investment

Concession

Collaborative investment (villagers and company) Two-plus-three (2+3)

“3” refers to capital, technique and market (companies)

“2” refers to land and labor (farmers)

One-plus-four (1+4) “1” refers to land (farmer/government)

“4” refers to capital, labor, technique and market (companies)

Cash Crops and Rubber Plantation in Sing District

Land Tenure

• Different communities have different ability access to land

• Different groups within the community have different ability access to land

• Early settlers have more access to agricultural land (both lowland and upland)

• New migrants have limited access to agricultural land

• Wealthier households have more access to land and labour for agricultural production

• Poor households concentrate on staple food production and have limited resources (land and labour)

Different understanding on legal status of land ownership among villagers and local authorities

Most affected group is the poorest households because of their inability to mobilize labor and influence in defense of their livelihoods

16

Problems Facing by Investment Companies

Shortage of skill labor for tending and managing plantation

Land investment is difficult in finding land and to negotiate with local villagers

Implementation of planting is halt, currently no solution and agreement yet

Investment has been changed from concession to other form of collaboration model

Conclusion

Commercial crops and rubber affect on forest cover and rural livelihoods

LUPLA is intersected by land investment for rubber plantation

The development of road and infrastructure has attracted the immigrant to the lowland area

Land investment is moving from concession to collaboration

Consideration• There should be an SIA or EIA before approving land

investment/concession

• Careful consideration for land lease and the strategies should

enhance small scale investment activities

• Land use planning and management should be multiple stakeholder discussions to avoid overlap and encourage integrated planning

• Strengthen local agencies’ capacity to follow-up land use plan

Other Issues Related to Investment

• What form should plantation forestry take (concession-based versus smallholder)?

• How to find land for investment companies to fulfill the approved investment quota

• What/where is state land, and what/where is customary village land? What is ‘degraded forest land’?

• What rules should govern recognition of village assets vs. legal entitlements? How should loss be compensated?

• How to deal with land use planning and natural resource management in the future

Thank you for your kind attention