Agricultural Land in the GMS (thousand hectare) in ... - GMS-EOC

Farmers in the GMS are increasingly optingfor ”green revolution” approaches andtechnologies rather than land expansion. Theseapproaches include more effective irrigation,improved plant varieties, increased use offertilizer, and better farming practices.Crop Diversity. The wide variety of cropsgrown across the subregion reflects nationalpreferences and the nature of availablefarmland. In Thailand, more than twice asmuch sugarcane—68.8 million tons (2010)—as rice is produced each year. Sugar is alsoimportant in Viet Nam, where it is about halfthe size of the rice crop, and in Myanmar.Other major crops are cassava and maize.Thailand produces large amounts of oil palm fruitand is the subregion’s leading rubber producer.Viet Nam produces most of the subregion’s coffeebeans, while Myanmar produces far more drybeans, groundnuts, and onions than the othercountries and is the only one producing plantains.Livestock. The main livestock raised in thesubregion are pigs, chickens, and cattle, withbuffalos and ducks being significant in somecountries as well. Quantities produced in thedifferent countries vary considerably, basedto some extent on differences in culturalvalues. The main product in Cambodia, theLao PDR, and Viet Nam is pig meat, while inMyanmar and Thailand it is chicken and heneggs. Thailand’s egg production was almost1 million tons in 2010, three times that ofViet Nam, the second largest egg producer.Land DegradationThe dramatic changes in land use andagricultural intensification have come at anenvironmental cost. According to the GreaterMekong Environment Outlook, land degradationaffects between 10% and 40% of land inthe GMS countries. Forest loss, agriculturalintensification, and overgrazing are the maincauses. Changes to natural landscapes associatedwith farming activities have disrupted vitalecological services by reducing the capacityof ecosystems to contain floods, controlerosion, and limit damage from pests.Fertilizer Consumption (kilogram per hectare of arable land)Country 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009Cambodia 6 4 5 20 22 21 6 7Myanmar 4 10 20 7 9 16 7 5Thailand 111 149 132 113 117 137 131 125Viet Nam 305 342 404 292 300 353 306 402Source: http://www.worldbank.org/data?qterm=fertilizer consumption&language=ENUpper: Pig farming, VientianeProvince, Lao PDR. Lower: Vegetablegrowing, Cambodia.GMS Primary Crops Production, 2010 (thousand ton)Cambodia PRC Lao PDR Myanmar Thailand Viet NamGuangxiYunnanRice 8,249 11,213 6,166 3,006 32,579 31,597 39,989Maize 773 2,087 6,130 1,084 1,376 4,454 4,607Pulses 39 a — 795 15 5,490 b 51 145Sugarcane 366 71,196 17,509 434 9,398 68,808 15,947Soy Bean 157 167 271 16 259 177 297Cassava 4,249 1,732 1,736 140 326 22,006 8,522Rubber 42 0.4 331 — 128 3,252 755Oil Palm — — — — 335 8,223 —a= 2008 data, b = 2009 data, - = not available.GMS = Greater Mekong Subregion, Lao PDR = Lao People’s Democratic Republic, PRC = People’s Republic of China.Source: See table on GMS Rice Production, 2000 and 2010.GMS Primary Livestock Products, 2010Cambodia PRC Lao PDR Myanmar Thailand Viet NamGuangxiYunnanPig (thousand head) 2,057 32,300 27,668 3,400 9,300 7,624 27,373Chicken (thousand17,448 — — 23,000 125,000 231,918 196,140 dhead)Cattle (thousand head) 3,485 3,199 a 4,971 b 1,400 13,600 6,498 5,916Duck (thousand head) 7,000 d — — 3,200 14,000 29,233 84,060 dBuffalo (thousand702 4,135 a 2,647 b 1,200 3,000 1,623 2,913head)Eggs (thousand ton) 22 200 208 16 302 981 326Milk (thousand ton) 27 82 504 7 1,603 851 341a= 2004 data, b = 2006 data, c = 2008 data, d = 2009 data. - = not available, GMS = Greater Mekong Subregion, Lao PDR = Lao People’s Democratic Republic, PRC = People’s Republic of China.Sources: See table on GMS Rice Production, 2000 and 2010; Guangxi Bureau of Statistics. Guangxi Statistical Yearbooks 2005 and 2011. Beijing; Yunnan Bureau of Statistics. YunnanStatistical Yearbooks 2008 and 2011. Beijing.156 Greater Mekong Subregion Atlas of the Environment