IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v3y2014i2p414-436d36266.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Agrosilvopastoral Systems in Northern Thailand and Northern Laos: Minority Peoples’ Knowledge versus Government Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Chalathon Choocharoen

    (Institute for Social Sciences of the Agricultural Sector, Rural Communication and Extension (430a), University of Hohenheim, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany)

  • Andreas Neef

    (Center for Development Studies, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand)

  • Pornchai Preechapanya

    (Chayada Ltd., Co., 143 M 13, InThaKhin, Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai 50150, Thailand)

  • Volker Hoffmann

    (Institute for Social Sciences of the Agricultural Sector, Rural Communication and Extension (430a), University of Hohenheim, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany)

Abstract

Traditional agrosilvopastoral systems have been an important component of the farming systems and livelihoods of thousands of ethnic minority people in the uplands of Mainland Southeast Asia. Drawing on a combination of qualitative and participatory inquiries in nine ethnic minority communities, this study emphasizes the complex articulation of local farmers’ knowledge which has been so far excluded from governmental development and conservation policies in the northern uplands of Thailand and Laos. Qualitative analysis of local knowledge systems is performed using the Agroecological Knowledge Toolkit (AKT5) software. Results show that ethnic minorities in the two countries perceive large ruminants to be a highly positive component of local forest agro-ecosystems due to their contribution to nutrient cycling, forest fire control, water retention, and leaf-litter dispersal. The knowledge and perceptions of agrosilvopastoral farmers are then contrasted with the remarkably different forestry policy frameworks of the two countries. We find that the knowledge and diversity of practices exercised by ethnic minority groups contrasts with the current simplified and negative image that government officials tend to construct of agrosilvopastoral systems. We conclude that local knowledge of forest-livestock systems can offer alternative or complementary explanations on ecological cause-and-effect relationships which may need further scientific investigation and validation.

Suggested Citation

  • Chalathon Choocharoen & Andreas Neef & Pornchai Preechapanya & Volker Hoffmann, 2014. "Agrosilvopastoral Systems in Northern Thailand and Northern Laos: Minority Peoples’ Knowledge versus Government Policy," Land, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-23, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:3:y:2014:i:2:p:414-436:d:36266
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/3/2/414/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/3/2/414/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rupert Friederichsen & Andreas Neef, 2010. "Variations of Late Socialist Development: Integration and Marginalization in the Northern Uplands of Vietnam and Laos," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 22(4), pages 564-581, September.
    2. Thorne, P. J. & Tanner, J. C., 2002. "Livestock and nutrient cycling in crop-animal systems in Asia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 71(1-2), pages 111-126.
    3. Stur, W. W. & Horne, P. M. & Gabunada Jr., F. A. & Phengsavanh, P. & Kerridge, P. C., 2002. "Forage options for smallholder crop-animal systems in Southeast Asia: working with farmers to find solutions," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 71(1-2), pages 75-98.
    4. Devendra, C., 2002. "Crop-animal systems in Asia: implications for research," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 71(1-2), pages 169-177.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Isabel Fischer & Tina Beuchelt & Tom Dufhues & Gertrud Buchenrieder, 2010. "Risk management networks of ethnic minorities in Viet Nam," Asia-Pacific Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 17(2), pages 83-118, December.
    2. Edo Andriesse & Anouxay Phommalath, 2012. "Provincial Poverty Dynamics in Lao PDR: A Case Study of Savannakhet," Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 31(3), pages 3-27.
    3. Epper, C.A. & Paul, B. & Burra, D. & Phengsavanh, P. & Ritzema, R. & Syfongxay, C. & Groot, J.C.J. & Six, J. & Frossard, E. & Oberson, A. & Douxchamps, S., 2020. "Nutrient flows and intensification options for smallholder farmers of the Lao uplands," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    4. O.M. Joffre & S.A. Castine & M.J. Phillips & S. Senaratna Sellamuttu & D. Chandrabalan & P. Cohen, 2017. "Increasing productivity and improving livelihoods in aquatic agricultural systems: a review of interventions," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(1), pages 39-60, February.
    5. Lisa Hiwasaki & Thai Thi Minh, 2022. "Negotiating marginality: Towards an understanding of diverse development pathways of ethnic minorities in Vietnam," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(8), pages 1455-1475, November.
    6. Nguyen, Huu Nhuan & van de Fliert, Elske & Nicetic, Oleg, 2015. "Towards a holistic framework for impact assessment of agricultural research for development – understanding complexity in remote, culturally diverse regions of Vietnam," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 23, March.
    7. Maxwell, T.W. & Songly, You & Ung, Boratana & Peou, Leakhna & Reid, Jenny, 2012. "The social and other impacts of a cattle/crop innovation in Cambodia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 83-91.
    8. Stür, Werner & Khanh, Truong Tan & Duncan, Alan, 2016. "Transformation of smallholder beef-cattle production in Vietnam," IFPRI book chapters, in: Devaux, André & Torero, Maximo & Donovan, Jason & Horton, Douglas E. (ed.), Innovation for inclusive value-chain development: Successes and challenges, chapter 6, pages 201-228, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. repec:dau:papers:123456789/11437 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Nhan, Dang K. & Phong, Le T. & Verdegem, Marc J.C. & Duong, Le T. & Bosma, Roel H. & Little, David C., 2007. "Integrated freshwater aquaculture, crop and livestock production in the Mekong delta, Vietnam: Determinants and the role of the pond," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 445-458, May.
    11. Aubry, Christine & Paillat, Jean-Marie & Guerrin, Francois, 2006. "A conceptual representation of animal waste management at the farm scale: The case of the Reunion Island," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 88(2-3), pages 294-315, June.
    12. Fabien Stark & Jean-Louis Diman & Alexandre Regis & Christiane Diman & Gisèle Alexandre, 2011. "Cadre conceptuel d’un projet de développement agricole portant sur les systèmes polyculture-élevage en Guadeloupe : articulations entre acteurs, objectifs, méthodes et objets d’étude," Post-Print hal-02810744, HAL.
    13. Broegaard, Rikke Brandt & Vongvisouk, Thoumthone & Mertz, Ole, 2017. "Contradictory Land Use Plans and Policies in Laos: Tenure Security and the Threat of Exclusion," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 170-183.
    14. Guillaume Duteurtre & Emmanuel Pannier & Nathalie Hostiou & Mai Huong Nguyen & Jean-Daniel Cesaro & Duy Khanh Pham & Pascal Bonnet, 2022. "Economic Reforms and the Rise of Milk Mega Farms in Vietnam: Governing the Post-socialist Transition," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(4), pages 2098-2125, August.
    15. Rupert Friederichsen & Thai Minh & Andreas Neef & Volker Hoffmann, 2013. "Adapting the innovation systems approach to agricultural development in Vietnam: challenges to the public extension service," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(4), pages 555-568, December.
    16. Joanne Millar & John Connell, 2010. "Strategies for scaling out impacts from agricultural systems change: the case of forages and livestock production in Laos," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 27(2), pages 213-225, June.
    17. Cramb, R. A. & Purcell, T. & Ho, T. C. S., 2004. "Participatory assessment of rural livelihoods in the Central Highlands of Vietnam," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 81(3), pages 255-272, September.
    18. Minh, Thai Thi, 2019. "Unpacking the systemic problems and blocking mechanisms of a regional agricultural innovation system: An integrated regional-functional-structural analysis," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 268-280.
    19. Lapar, Ma. Lucila A. & Ehui, Simeon K., 2004. "Factors affecting adoption of dual-purpose forages in the Philippine uplands," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 81(2), pages 95-114, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:3:y:2014:i:2:p:414-436:d:36266. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.