The Adoption of Smallholder Rubber Production by Shifting Cultivators in Northern Laos: A Village Case Study - Smallholder Tree Growing for Rural Development and Environmental Services - page 130

should be carefully monitored. Land use and livelihoods are undergoing rapid
change in the uplands due to the expansion of rubber. If carefully managed, this
change has the potential to make a significant contribution to sustainable rural
livelihoods.
Acknowledgements We would like to thank staff from the Soil Survey and Land Classification
Centre, the GIS Unit, and the Socio-Economic Unit of the National Agriculture and Forestry
Research Institute (NAFRI), Lao PDR, for providing data, maps and advice. Special thanks to Mr.
Thavone Inthavong for assistance in producing maps. Thanks also to the staff of the Provincial
Agriculture and Forestry Office and the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Extension Services of
Luangnamtha Province for providing valuable information. Particular thanks go to Mr. Bounthon
Sisavan for his role as research assistant. We also acknowledge the authorities and farmers of
Hadyao Village who shared their time for interviews and group discussions. Financial support for
this research was generously provided by the Swedish International Development Agency.
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