accompanying the agrarian transition in laos. guillaume lestrelin
DESCRIPTION
Presentation from the WCCA 2011 conference in Brisbane, Australia.TRANSCRIPT
Accompanying the agrarian transition in Laos
Opportunities and challenges for conservation agriculture in maize production areas
G. Lestrelin & J-C. Castella
Research Questions
• CA deemed knowledge- and capital-intensive, hence poorly compatible with smallholder farming (e.g. Erenstein 2003; Bolliger et al. 2006; Giller et al. 2009)
• Dissemination should concentrate on “socio-ecological niches” (Giller et al. 2009: 31) where CA is the most likely to be adopted by smallholders
• Two questions:To what extent can CA compete with more conventional
forms of agricultural intensification in a context of smallholder farming?
What is the value of a “socio-ecological niche” approach to the dissemination of CA?
Research SitesSayaboury Xieng Khouang
Two CA research and development initiatives active between 2003 and 2008:
Research Sites• From 2003 to 2008:
• Network of experimentation and demonstration plots• Establishment of CA farmer groups (44 villages in Sayaboury and 17
villages in Xieng Khouang)• Technical support to farmers and extension agencies
• Various direct seeding mulch-based cropping (DMC) systems disseminated, including:Maize mono with
residues managementAssociations
food - fodder cropsRotations
grass - legume crops
Methods & Data• Exhaustive village censuses: on household
composition, land, labor, capital, farm equipment, etc.
• Questionnaire surveys:Sayaboury: Annual surveys (2005-2008) among 2084 households in 21 villages; data on household livelihoods and adoption of CAXieng Khouang: Rapid and detailed surveys (2009) among 600 households in 20 villages; data on household livelihoods, farm economics and adoption of CA; re-study of farming systems 2003
• Qualitative interviews and focus groups: Village histories, perceptions of the advantages and limits of CA, constraints for adoption and dissemination, etc.
• Land cover and land use change analysis (LANDSAT)• Scenario analysis: Technical and economic simulations
with Olympe software
Results
• Contrasted situations– CA dissemination efforts– Topography and ecology
Geomorphology of southern Sayaboury province
Steep slopesErosion-proneSandstone
Mod. slopes ProductiveSchists
Steep slopesProductiveSchists
Results
• Similar transitions and driving forces– Strong market demand for maize
(w/ Thailand and Vietnam)
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 20090
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
Sayaboury Xieng Khouang Lao PDR
Mai
ze p
rodu
ction
(ton
s)
Maize boom
Results
• Similar transitions and driving forces– Rapid agricultural expansion and
intensification
2002 2006 2010
Forest land
Upland crops (maize)
Paddy rice
Land cover change in Xieng Khouang province (2002-2010)
Results
• Similar transitions and driving forces– Smallholder agriculture is still the norm
Average rainfed land tenureper household
Sayaboury (2008) 3 ha (1.1 – 5.3 ha)
Xieng Khouang (2009) 2.2 ha (0.8 – 5.2 ha)
Four Agro-Ecological ZonesRepresentative of successive stages in a historical pattern of land use intensification
Transition Stages & CA adoption
Agroecological transition (stages)
Sayaboury Province (21 villages, n=2084) Xieng Khouang Province (9 villages, n=270)
Adoption*
(2008)Extent of CA♣
(2008)Abandon♠
(2004-2008)Adoption*
(2008)Extent of CA♣
(2008)Abandon♠
(2006-2008)
Productive landsSubsistenceExtensive systems
- - - 4% 76% 8%
Productive landsCommoditizationIntensification
40% 50% 30% 27% 61% 11%
Degrading landsCommercial agricultureIntensive monocropping
13% 31% 54% 13% 32% 55%
Degraded landsDiversificationIntensive mixed systems
41% 65% 30% - - -
Total 24% 53% 36% 12% 53% 21%
* Percent of farming households
♣ Percent of total farmland among CA farmers
♠ Average abandon rate between year n and year n+1 of CA practice
1
2
3
4 ≠
High adoption levels
Low adoption levels
Transition Stages & CA adoption
Conclusions• Two critical windows of opportunity for CA-related interventions in
the maize production areas of Laos– Early stage of commoditization and intensification of agriculture:
“Attractive option for smallholders willing to engage in commercial agriculture with a limited increase in production costs”
– Latest stage of land degradation and economic diversification:“Economically- and ecologically-sound alternative to conventional intensive monoculture”
• No particular “socio-ecological niches” or “hotspots” for dissemination BUT key moments for intervention along specific agro-ecological transition pathways
• Appropriate timing + adequate research and extension endeavours CA can become a viable and accepted alternative – even in a context of small-scale farming
Thank you!For further information: [email protected]
References
Slaats J, Lestrelin G (2009), Improving cropping systems by introducing Conservation Agriculture: Taking stock of the results and methodology of research-development in southern Sayaboury province, Lao PDR, PCADR, Vientiane, 115 p.
Lestrelin G, Nanthavong K, Jobard E, Keophoxay A, Khambanseuang C, Castella J-C, Lienhard P (2011), “To till or not to till?” Opportunities and constraints to the diffusion of Conservation Agriculture in Xieng Khouang Province, Lao PDR, Outlook on Agriculture (in press).
Lestrelin G, Tran Quoc H, Jullien F, Rattanatray B, Khamxaykhay C, Tivet F (2011), Conservation agriculture in Lao PDR: Diffusion and determinants for adoption of DMC systems in smallholder agriculture, Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (under review).