SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

5 - Peoples of the MekongIn many rural areas in Cambodia and Lao PDR,traditional land use systems support the needs ofsubsistence agriculture. They include land reserves topermit fields to recover after several years ofcultivation, as well as forests, lakes and rivers thatare designated as common property resources. Thesecommon property resources provide a range of nontimberforest products (NTFP) such as firewood, wildvegetables and herbs, medicinal herbs, wildlife andmaterials for construction and handicrafts, as well asfish. Fish and food from the forests are essential duringperiods of rice shortages. In Cambodia, however, theLand Law of 1992 does not clearly identify commonlands. 151 This makes it more difficult to ensure accessto these resources.Rapidly growing rural populations and other pressureson rural agricultural land are resulting in a growingincidence of landlessness, as has been widely studiedin Cambodia. 152 In Lao PDR, government policies toencourage upland communities to settle in one placeand cease shifting agriculture, have increased pressureLack of access to productive land andinsecure tenure are key issues in the LMBon the amount, quality and location of agricultural land. Forest concessions and large-scale holdingsfor commercial plantations and agriculture have the same effect in both Cambodia and Lao PDR. InViet Nam, the relocation of communities and the growing concentration of land holdings to supportlarge-scale production and tree plantations, has exerted pressure on land availability in rural areas.Poverty is both a cause and a result of these processes, with households forced to sell land to meetvital expenses. In Cambodia, the high cost of meeting medical expenses when family members fallill, has been identified as a principal cause of farm households selling their land and becominglandless. 153 Recent studies estimate that more than 20 percent of rural households in Cambodia arelandless, with the highest rates in Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhang and KandalProvinces. 154Agricultural productivity. Subsistence agriculture in the LMB is characterised by low inputsand low productivity. In Cambodia, much of the agricultural infrastructure, such as irrigationsystems, was destroyed during the period of conflict and instability, and has yet to be rebuilt. Inupland areas of Lao PDR, the terrain limitsthe potential for irrigated rice cultivation.Households in these areas use little if anyfertilisers or pesticides. All labour isprovided by humans or draft animals. Asa consequence, yields are low, contributingto the incidence of food shortages eachyear.Agricultural productivity is low in upland areasbecause farmers lack access to irrigation, inputs andmarkets for their produceMoreover, there is a severe shortage ofagricultural extension services and welltrainedpersonnel in rural areas to assistfarmers in adopting technologies andpractices that could enhance productivity.In Cambodia, for example, only 4 percent69