Shifting Cultivation and Poverty Eradication in the Uplands of the Lao PDR 9 REVIEW OF POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN UPLAND AREAS OF THE LAO PDR

Under the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NPEP) overall visions for agriculture, integrated watershed management and forestry seek to coordinate sectors in facilitating a holistic transformation of upland livelihoods to reduce rural poverty and conserve natural resources. Operational policies, however, still centre on stabilising shifting cultivation, eliminating opium production, land use allocation, land use planning, and focal site development with village relocation and consolidation. Responsibility for planning, implementation and meeting targets is increasingly delegated to provincial and district offices. As a result, the overall policy environment tends to segregate lowland agriculture and upland forests, overwhelm local capacity with mandates under decentralisation, and place strong constraints on land use while new livelihood opportunities are still vague. The impacts of this are disrupting diverse household livelihood systems and bringing turbulence and uncertainty to many upland communities