No. 1 Transboundary Production in Agriculture: A Case Study of Maize Contract Farming in Cambodia

Author : Poch Kongchheng

Detail : This study examines the nature of transboundary production of maize, the key benefits to farmers from contract farming (CF) and the factors influencing a farmerûs decision to participate in CF. Farmers who are suppliers in CF were surveyed to answer the study objectives and statistical analysis was employed. The findings reveal that the market for maize in Cambodia  is too small which makes farmers extremely vulnerable to price fluctuation. Contract farmers are usually poor and have low
education. While CF is predominantly dependent on verbal contracts, contractors who are middlemen are likely to gain high profit margins in the market chain for maize. But the income of farmers is not helped by CF and CF does not improve their livelihood. Access to credits and seeds is what attract farmers to CF. The findings suggest that a legal framework is needed for CF and better market access is important for agricultural and economic development in Cambodia.

Keywords: Transboundary Production, Maize, Contract Farming

No. 2 Labor Migration in East-West Economic Corridor: A Case Study of Vietnam

 Author : Nguyen Thi My Van

 Detail : Labor migration is considered to be one way to reach the goal of poverty reduction and economic development by the Vietnamese Government. The Government has been trying to expand its overseas labor market. However, Vietnamese migration to the countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion has receives less attention from policymakers. Many Vietnamese migrants cross the border with countries in the region illegally for working purposes. This spontaneous migration process has implications for the socio-economic development of the origin as well as the destination country.

This research was conducted in two poor communes in Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam where the number  of migrants  travelling  to Lao PDR  for work  is  the  highest  in  the  country. Focusing  on spontaneous migration to countries along the East West Economic Corridor (EWEC), the field survey was administered to 250 migrants and state officials. The study results show the economic potential and social challenges of spontaneous migration from Vietnam to other countries in the EWEC. Easy
transportation to EWEC countries, fast and cheap official document processing at the border and the availability of jobs at the destination are identified as the potentials of labor migration. The study also explores the role of social networks in supporting this process. It considers the social links with the
origin and destination country and between the migrants and those who stay behind. Social networks are  seen  as providing protection  and  security  for migrants  at  their destination. However, migrant workers have to face numerous challenges during their migration, including difficulties in accessing
social welfare in their destination country, being abused, exploited and becoming illegal workers due to the lack of legal documents. The research finds that spontaneous migration to EWEC countries is a survival strategy for the poor in Thua Thien Hue province. Therefore the study suggests that in
developing a national poverty reduction strategy policy makers and development aid agencies should pay more attention to the spontaneous migration of the poor.

Keywords: Economic potentials, Social challenges, Livelihoods, Social network

No. 5 Impact of Land and Forest Policies on the Livelihood of Ethnic Minorities in Lao PDR

 Author : Simon Freund and Syvay Gervan

Detail : Along with other GMS countries Lao PDR has adopted land and forest policies aimed at reducing poverty. In 1996, the Government of Lao PDR (GoL) officially adopted a nationwide program on land use planning and land allocation (LUP/LA). The aim of the program was to provide villagers with access to additional land resources as well as at safeguarding the nationûs forest areas. The LUP/LA program has now been drastically decreased due to budget constraints after having been implemented  to varying degrees  in most parts of  the country.  Implementation of LUP/LA varied throughout the country, but studies on the impacts have shown that several of the expected results have not been achieved. It is reported that in general, LUP/LA has been beneficial in the delineation of village boundaries and resource use zones, has helped to reduce land conflicts and improve forest protection. On the other hand, land allocation has led to a reduction in agricultural and forest areas available for use by households living in upland areas. In many cases this has resulted in decreased yields and insecure livelihoods.

"Reassessment of  the  land-forest  allocation programme  is needed, particularly  as  it  is  applied  to upland areas where shifting cultivation is widespread; there are shorter fallow periods and population pressures because of declining yields and the hardship experienced in some upland areas." (Lao PDR NGPES).

This study confirmed most of the impacts identified in previous surveys.

The GoL's strategy for the development of remote areas has been to push for "economic integration."This has translated into a policy of swidden agriculture eradication, which is commonly understood to be an  important way  to develop  the uplands. Following  the GoL  line,  swidden  is  focused on producing a diversity of crops for subsistence which keeps ethnic minorities poor, especially where fallow cycles have been reduced. Thus, the villagers have to be taught how to farm like lowland Lao farmers - to focus on a narrow range of crops in order to produce a surplus which will generate cash, increase market linkages and decrease poverty. Recognizing that many upland areas are unsuitable for paddy cultivation, and given the remoteness of so many upland minority villages, thousands of villages have been resettled - often with disastrous consequences due to the lack of support during the  actual move,  lack  of  basic  infrastructure  in  the  new  villages  and  difficulties  faced  by  the communities in adapting to new environments, diseases and agricultural practices. Itûs not surprising, then that the figures from many studies conducted in Laos show an increase in all poverty  indicators,  including  decreased  food  production  and  increased  mortality  rates  in  new villages.

In  recent  years, Laos  has  experienced  an  increase  in  demand  for  its main  national  resource,  the countryûs land. Huge areas of land have been conceded to foreign investors, mainly to Chinese and Vietnamese rubber plantations. These land concessions have put further pressure on upland minorities by increasing land scarcity and reducing forest areas which are vital to these minoritiesû livelihoods. Furthermore, there lands
has  often  been  conceded  to  the  foreign  investors  -  sometimes  without  any  or  with  too  little compensation - leaving villagers as day laborers on their own land with no alternatives means of livelihood.

This study seeks to contribute to a better understanding of how institutional arrangements governing ethnic minoritiesû rights to access and control over land and forest areas impacts on their livelihoods, based on a field study in 5 ethnic minority villages in the Sekong province.

Keywords: Land Policy, Land Rights, Land Concessions, Land Titles, Lao PDR