Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Smallholder rubber in Hadyao is based on simple, labour-intensive technology
imported from estates in China, consistent with Barlow's 'early agricultural trans-
formation' stage. The technology has been easily adopted by upland farmers as it
readily fits with their current shifting cultivation system. However, the technology
is not at the lowest level posited in Barlow's framework, as farmers are planting
clones such as RRIM600 and GT1, terracing their hillsides, and maintaining their
holdings to a reasonable standard, showing the potential for technological catch-up
in 'late developing' regions. Accordingly, Hadyao farmers' yields are comparable
to smallholders elsewhere in the region, e.g. Southern China and North East
Thailand. However, they do not fertilise their rubber trees and the latex is sold in
raw form as 'tub lump' without even processing into sheets. In the future farmers
are likely to adopt higher levels of rubber production and processing technology in
order to get a better return from their rubber holdings, moving into Barlow's 'late
agricultural transformation' stage. However, as in the main rubber-producing coun-
tries, various support services for rubber development will need to be established
in Laos, including technical support, extension, credit, and marketing.
Research on rubber could be undertaken as part of the development of more
diverse agroforestry and livelihood systems, including the incorporation of other
crops, non-timber forest products, and livestock, to reduce the risk from the boom-
bust cycle of rubber, ensure food security, increase income, and reduce the potential
for negative environmental impacts from monoculture rubber (loss of biodiversity,
increased soil erosion, and reduced watershed functions).
Improving road access should be considered a high priority for the development
of the rubber industry (as well as being part of a general poverty-reduction strat-
egy), given that the economically suitable areas for rubber are mostly concentrated
in the more accessible areas along the main roads. When National Road No.3 is
completed in 2007, linking China to Thailand through north-western Laos, it will
open new marketing opportunities for many Lao upland farmers. However, upgrad-
ing village cart tracks to all-weather roads is also needed to make marginally suita-
ble land more profitable for tree crop development.
As more farmers seek to expand their rubber holdings, this will create inevitable
pressure to reallocate village lands for tree crop production. Land use policy should
discourage farmers from clearing village forests for rubber planting, but instead
continue to encourage them to grow rubber on their degraded fallow land. This is
consistent with the government goals of reducing deforestation and shifting cultiva-
tion. However, the category of 'plantation forest' could be considered as potentially
available for rubber planting, requiring further comparative research into the market
and non-market costs and benefits.
In general, then, the roles for government, as in other countries where small-
holder rubber has played a significant role in rural development, are to provide
research and technical support, to assist financially during the long investment
period when no income is generated, and to invest in roads and marketing infra-
structure. In particular, maintaining secure access to the China market will be cru-
cial for the growth of smallholder rubber in Northern Laos. More generally, the
socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the expansion of rubber planting
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