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Rural Roads Are Paving the Way for Land-Use Intensification in the Uplands of Laos

Author

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  • Jean-Christophe Castella

    (SENS, IRD, CIRAD, UPVM, Univ Montpellier, F34080 Montpellier, France)

  • Sonnasack Phaipasith

    (Department of Geography and Information Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, National University of Laos, Vientiane, Laos)

Abstract

Road expansion has played a prominent role in the agrarian transition that marked the integration of swidden-based farming systems into the market economy in Southeast Asia. Rural roads deeply altered the landscape and livelihood structures by allowing the penetration of boom crops such as hybrid maize in remote territories. In this article, we investigate the impact of rural road developments on livelihoods in northern Laos through a longitudinal study conducted over a period of 15 years in a forest frontier. We studied adaptive management strategies of local stakeholders through the combination of individual surveys, focus group discussions, participatory mapping and remote-sensing approaches. The study revealed the short-term benefits of the maize feeder roads on poverty alleviation and rural development, but also the negative long-term effects on agroecosystem health and agricultural productivity related to unsustainable land use. Lessons learnt about the mechanisms of agricultural intensification helped understanding the constraints faced by external interventions promoting sustainable land management practices. When negotiated by local communities for their own interest, roads may provide livelihood-enhancing opportunities through access to external resources, rather than undermining them.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Christophe Castella & Sonnasack Phaipasith, 2021. "Rural Roads Are Paving the Way for Land-Use Intensification in the Uplands of Laos," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-19, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:3:p:330-:d:522438
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Suhardiman, Diana & Keovilignavong, Oulavanh & Kenney-Lazar, Miles, 2019. "The territorial politics of land use planning in Laos," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 346-356.
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    4. Guillaume Lestrelin & Olga Vigiak & Aurélie Pelletreau & Bounmy Keohavong & Christian Valentin, 2012. "Challenging established narratives on soil erosion and shifting cultivation in Laos," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 36(2), pages 63-75, May.
    5. Vicol, Mark & Pritchard, Bill & Htay, Yu Yu, 2018. "Rethinking the role of agriculture as a driver of social and economic transformation in Southeast Asia’s upland regions: The view from Chin State, Myanmar," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 451-460.
    6. Deborah Fahy Bryceson & Annabel Bradbury & Trevor Bradbury, 2008. "Roads to Poverty Reduction? Exploring Rural Roads' Impact on Mobility in Africa and Asia," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 26(4), pages 459-482, July.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Mar Ortega-Reig & Carsten Schürmann & Adrian Ferrandis Martínez & Andrew Copus, 2023. "Measuring Access to Services of General Interest as a Diagnostic Tool to Identify Well-Being Disparities between Rural Areas in Europe," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-30, May.
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    4. Bauernschuster, Sonja & Pichler, Melanie & Ingalls, Micah & Thongmanivong, Sithong & Gingrich, Simone, 2022. "Discursive and biophysical dimensions of land sparing policies in Laos: Implications for greenhouse gas emissions and food security," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).

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