Shifting Cultivation and Poverty Eradication in the Uplands of the Lao PDR 9 REVIEW OF POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN UPLAND AREAS OF THE LAO PDR

Under the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NPEP) overall visions for agriculture, integrated watershed management and forestry seek to coordinate sectors in facilitating a holistic transformation of upland livelihoods to reduce rural poverty and conserve natural resources. Operational policies, however, still centre on stabilising shifting cultivation, eliminating opium production, land use allocation, land use planning, and focal site development with village relocation and consolidation. Responsibility for planning, implementation and meeting targets is increasingly delegated to provincial and district offices. As a result, the overall policy environment tends to segregate lowland agriculture and upland forests, overwhelm local capacity with mandates under decentralisation, and place strong constraints on land use while new livelihood opportunities are still vague. The impacts of this are disrupting diverse household livelihood systems and bringing turbulence and uncertainty to many upland communities. Government efforts to strengthen support for upland agriculture and forestry focus on the development of responsive, demand-driven research and extension services. Although the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) is progressing, initial visions of improved extension services under the National Agricultural and Forestry Extension Service (NAFES) appear promising, and pilot projects are helping point the way, much more effort is needed to build capacity at increasingly important village to provincial levels. In terms of improving livelihood component technologies, a great deal of progress has been made in lowland rice production, livestock health, and some field and tree crops. Nonetheless much important work remains to be done in horticulture, agroforestry, non-timber forest products, smallholder timber, irrigated production in small upland valleys, community-based natural resource and landscape management, as well as local processing, microenterprise and marketing chains. Organic and/or diverse niche products will require more effort to develop market opportunities, local identities and product lines, local entrepreneurial skills, and locally-adapted technologies. While the challenges are many, the experienced and motivated people participating in this workshop may be able to help expand the range of promising alternatives, and further build and accelerate efforts under NPEP to improve livelihoods in upland communities. This paper provides a brief overview of upland policies and practices. The emphasis is on policy themes and directions, implementation issues, livelihood impacts, as well as emerging institutions, technologies and approaches to commercial production. Major upland visions and policies Given the nature of land use patterns, practices, and livelihoods in upland zones of Laos, agriculture, forest and natural resource management are closely intertwined in the government’s visions for development. The major guiding framework, strategic visions and core policies of most concern for upland development include: 10 NAFRI Workshop Proceedings Emerging National Poverty Eradication Framework The Lao Government recently launched its new framework for rural development, known as the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NPEP) (CPC 2003). This programme is central to the Government’s ambitious strategy for Laos to leave the ranks of least developed countries (LDC) by 2020. Efforts began with the articulation of criteria for operationally defining poor households, villages and districts, and a strategy to promote access to: Agriculture and forest technology. Markets through roads and information.