Balancing cash and food: The impacts of agrarian change on rural land use and wellbeing in Northern Laos.

ABSTRACT: This study investigates the effects of improved market accessibility on agricultural land use and basic wellbeing, defined by income and rice sufficiency, in Xayaburi province, Lao PDR through a meso-scale and actor-oriented approach with data collection at both district and household level. It also investigates farmers' decision-making as it relates to regional markets. Increasing market accessibility in rural areas facilitates cash crop trade leading to agrarian change from subsistence to commercial agricultural systems. This transformation raises concerns about food security and vulnerability to market uncertainties as farmers are likely to grow cash crops intensively and in place of food crops, leading to lower food production. Meanwhile incomes from cash crop trade are highly vulnerab

SUBMITTER: Thanichanon P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6312269 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature