improved fallow systems in the luang prabang area, lao pdr - Afaci

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Improved fallow systems in the Luang Prabang area, Lao PDR – an analysis based on farmer experiencesIntroductionIntroductionLao People's Democratic RepublicLao PDR or Laos, is landlocked country with a totalarea of 237,000 km 2 and 4.8 million residents (Sida1996). The income per capita is among the lowest inthe world and aviculture is the most importanteconomic sector. It the main source of income forabout 85 % of the labour three and more than 80% ofthe cultivated area is devoted to the main staple food,rice (Saphangthong 1998).About 75%) of Laos is hilly to mountainous withaltitudes Taming from 1000 to 2000 m. The restconsists of lowland, alluvial plains and terraces nearthe Mekong, River (Souvanthong 1994.). Monsoonforests and upland cropping cover the hills andmountains, while the lowlands mainly are used in wetrice production.••The Luang Prabang AreaFigure 1. Laos and surrounding countries.Luang Prabang City lies by the Mekong River in the northern part of the country (Figure 1). Thesurroundings are mountainous and covered by forests. Roads are few and generally in poorcondition which makes transportation a serious problem. Many villages in the area are at a fewhours walking distance from the nearest road, affecting their access to markets. This conservespoverty and exposes upland villagers to starvation in years of bad crops.The area has a mix of different ethnic groups. These are often divided into the Lao Lum (LowlandLao). Lao Theung (Upland Lao) and Lao Sung (High Lao). The division of ethnicity into "heightclasses” may be questionable, but is used widely. A very simplified view of the division of landbetween these groups is that the Lao Lum lives in the valleys and alone the rivers, cultivating wetpaddy rice. Lao Theung and Lao Sung are mainly cultivators of dry upland rice on less fertile landand in less accessible areas (Souvanthong 1994).Two seasons characterise the weather pattern: arainy season from April through October, and a dryfrom November to March. The dry season includesa cool period from November to February and ahot period starting in February and extending intothe rains season (Figure 2). About 90% of theannual precipitation is accounted for by the rainyseason. Large variations occur in the annualrainfall pattern, with a range during 1970 -90 of1035 - 1841 mm. The onset of the monsoon-rainsalso varies, with precipitation figures in Aprilranging from 0 to 267 mm. This exposes the earlyestablished crops to a risk Hansen et al. 1996).Figure 2. Climatic data Luang Prabang WeatherStation (305 m a.s.l.), average 1971-1990.IMPROVED FALLOW SYSTEMS IN THE LUANG PRABANG AREA, LAO PDR - AN ANALYSIS BASED ON FARMEREXPERIENCES.20040940 1
Improved fallow systems in the Luang Prabang area, Lao PDR – an analysis based on farmer experiencesIntroductionElevations vary in the study area from about 300 to 1400 m. The altitude range induces differentclimatic conditions, which in turn affect soil properties, vegetation, crop suitability, etc. Hill slopestake up most of the area and soils found there are mainly Haplic Alisols, and Dystric and FarallicCambisols. Common rock types are siltstone, sandstone, limestone, schist and phyllite. About 70percent of the cultivated upland areas are planted with upland rice. Other crops include paddyrice, maize, sesame, Job's tear, beans, cotton, tobacco vegetables, etc. (Sodarak et al. 1997).Shifting cultivationConceptsShifting cultivation is quite undefined and is often called "slash-and-burn" or "swiddening".Generally it consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and burning it for croppingthe land. This is followed by a fallow period longer than the cropping phase (Chazee 1994).There are several types of shifting cultivation and there are many opinions on how they should bedefined. One quite simple view is that there are two main types- pioneering- (or transitional-) androtational shifting cultivation.Pioneering shifting cultivation comprises land-less and small farmers who enter the forests oftenin the wake of forest harvesting operations. They often lack the knowledge of sustainable use ofshifting cultivation and upset the balance between people and land. This is a real problem for theindustry and threatens the environment (Sandewall et al. 1998).Rotational shifting cultivation is based on short periods of cultivation altering with longer periodsof fallow, when natural vegetation will again cover the land. If the fallow is sufficiently long soilfertility is restored and potential weeds are repressed by forest re-growth. With fallow periods of 5to 15 years, shifting cultivation can sustain repeated cycles of cropping (LSFP 1994). An exampleof the plot rotation in a very short, three-year cycle is presented in Figure 3.The rotational system, if well managed,allows a diversified production with steadypotential yields and virtually no soildegradation. The plant takes nutrientsfrom the soil mineralised thanks toburning, and structured by the roots andbiological activities linked to the precedingnatural vegetation. Yields are irregular,since they highly depend on climate andcrop pests (Chazee 1994).Year 1Year 2Year 3ricefallowfallowfallowricefallowfallowfallowriceFigure 3. Rotational shifting cultivation systemwith a three-year cycle.Shifting cultivation in upland LaosShifting cultivation is widely practised in the uplands of Laos, particularly in the northern parts ofthe country. The traditional system typically consists of upland rice cropping for one year andthen a long fallow until the next use of the plot. However, the fallow periods are becoming shorterwith an unsustainable cropping system as a result.The shortening of fallow periods is caused by a number of factors. Government restrictions onshifting cultivation and clearing of older forest and a land allocation program force farmers toreduce the number of plots in the shifting cultivation cycle. The tendency is strengthened by arising population density through migration to areas with access to roads.IMPROVED FALLOW SYSTEMS IN THE LUANG PRABANG AREA, LAO PDR - AN ANALYSIS BASED ON FARMEREXPERIENCES.20040940 2
Page 1 and 2: Minor Field Studies No. 110IMPROVED
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