Socio-Economic Survey and Analysis to Identify Drivers of Forest Changes in Houay Khing and Sop Chia Village Clusters
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Socio-economic Survey and Analysis to Identify Drivers of Forest Changes in Houay Khing and Sop Chia Village Clusters, Phonxay District, Luang Prabang January 2012 Vientiane, Lao PDR (left blank) Abbreviation and Acronyms CESVI Cooperazione e Sviluppo (Cooperation and Development) DAFO District Agriculture and Forestry Office GDP Growth Domestic Product GoL Government of Lao PDR GPAR Governance and Public Administration Reforms HH Household HK Houay Khing JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency MAF Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry MI Mekong Institute (Thailand) MoIC Ministry of Industry and Commerce MURC Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting NGPES National Growth and Poverty Eradication NTFP Non-Timber Forest Product PADETC Participatory Development Training Centre PAFO Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office PAREDD Participatory Land and Forest Management Project for Reducing Deforestation PDR Peoples’ Democratic Republic (Lao) PICO Provincial Industry and Commerce Office REDD+ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus SC Sop Chia TABI The Agrobiodiversity Initiative ToR Terms of Reference UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization VCA Value Chain Analysis i Table of Contents Abbreviation and Acronyms .................................................................................... i Chapter 1 Scope of the Survey ............................................................................... 1 1.1. Background .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Objectives ............................................................................................................................................. 2 1.3. Data and Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 2 1.4. Study Area: Houay Khing and Sop Chia Village Clusters ................................................................... 4 1.4.1. Land and People ............................................................................................................................. 4 1.4.2. Livelihoods .................................................................................................................................... 6 1.4.3. Road Access and Wage-labor ........................................................................................................ 6 Chapter 2 Household Samples and Survey Results ............................................. 8 2.1. Characteristics of Interviewed Households/Members .......................................................................... 8 2.2. Education .............................................................................................................................................. 9 2.3. Occupation ............................................................................................................................................ 9 2.4. Migration ............................................................................................................................................ 10 Chapter 3 Agricultural Land Use .......................................................................... 12 3.1. Historical Change in Land Size .......................................................................................................... 12 3.2. Land Size ............................................................................................................................................ 13 3.3. Rotational Periods of Upland Agricultural Plots ................................................................................ 16 3.4. Acquisition and Ownership of Agricultural Land .............................................................................. 18 3.5. Purposes of Agricultural Land Use .................................................................................................... 19 3.6. Access to Agricultural Land ............................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 4 People’s Perceptions about Livelihoods and Land and Forest Use ................. 22 4.1 Perception about Participation in Decisions on Land and Forest Uses ............................................... 22 4.2 Perception about Participation in Group Activities ............................................................................. 24 4.3 Perception About Forests and Forest Resource Use ............................................................................ 25 4.4. Perception About Values of Forest and Forest Resources .................................................................. 27 4.5. Perception About Livelihoods ............................................................................................................ 28 4.6. Perception about Quality of Life ........................................................................................................ 31 4.7. Alternative Livelihood Options .......................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 5 Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation .............................. 35 5.1. Socio-economic Situations ................................................................................................................. 35 5.2. Land Use............................................................................................................................................. 35 5.3. Perceptions about Collective Actions, Forest Resources and Livelihoods ......................................... 36 5.4. Potential Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation ................................................................ 37 5.4.1. Shifting cultivation/livelihood options ......................................................................................... 37 5.4.2. Demographic changes .................................................................................................................. 38 5.4.3. Market forces ............................................................................................................................... 39 ii Chapter 6 Conclusions .......................................................................................... 41 APPENDIXES .......................................................................................................... 46 iii (left blank) iv Chapter 1 Scope of the Survey 1.1. Background This study is part of the efforts of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to validate and register “Project on REDD+ through Participatory Land and Forest Management for Avoiding Deforestation in Lao PDR. Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) established a REDD taskforce in 2008 under the assistance of JICA and other organizations to initiate an approach to addressing potential and technical challenges towards implementing REDD+ (or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus). REDD+, if effectively implemented in Lao PDR, it is expected not only to work as a global warming mitigation scheme but also to contribute to establishing a forest management system in the country’s villages, and eventually to reducing poverty and conserving environment on a global scale. To promote REDD+, JICA has been conducting a project called “Participatory Land and Forest Management Project for Reducing Deforestation” or “PAREDD” since 2009 and the Validation and Registration of REDD+ Project (called PAREDD+) is to have the Houay Khing Village Cluster (called “kumban” in Lao language) in Phonxay district of Lao PDR’s Luang Prabang province validated and registered as a target area of the REDD+ project.1 The field surveys of PAREDD+ has just began in Figure 1 Location of Phonxay Disatrict, Luang Prabang Province February 2012 and social- economic surveys in five villages of Houay Khing village cluster, and around five villages of Sop Chia village cluster as a Reference Area are to be implemented by an independent Subcontractor, Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting (herein after referred to as “MURC”) appointed by JICA, in tandem with a local partner, NewEra+, (herein after referred to as “Subcontractor”) to identify the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and develop suitable REDD+ Source: National Geographic Department activities by the methods of rural people participation. Furthermore, application for validation and registration as a REDD+ project will be prepared using data developed through the project. 1 Phonxay district is one of the 4 poorest districts in Luang Prabang province and one of the ten priority poorest districts in the whole country. It shares borders with Pakseng district in the north, Phoukhoun and Xieng Ngeun district, Viengthong (Huaphan province) and Phoukood (Xiengkuang province) in the east, Luang Prabang town and Pak Ou district in the west. 1 1.2. Objectives The main objective of this survey is to conduct the socio-economic survey and analysis to contribute to the efforts in identifying drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, and developing suitable REDD+ activities of rural people participation. 1.3. Data and Methodology The analysis presented in this report is based on primary data collected between October and December 2012 through a variety of methods. The secondary data, figures, and reports were collected and reviewed. Following