Shifting Cultivation and Poverty Eradication in the Uplands of the Lao PDR 149 VILLAGE LAND USE AND LIVELIHOODS ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH SHIFTING CULTIVATION, VILLAGE RELOCATION AND VILLAGE MERGING PROGRAMMES IN THE UPLANDS OF PHONXAY DISTRICT, LUANGPR

The Land Management component of the Lao-Swedish Upland Agriculture and Forestry Research Programme (LSUAFRP) is undertaking action research on land use issues in project target villages in the uplands of Phonxay and Namor Districts. The villages are located in lower-lying areas where land use is affected by the relocation of people from more isolated highland villages. This relocation is a consequence of district plans to eliminate/reduce shifting cultivation and opium production. The districts have introduced programmes to consolidate or merge villages to provide better infrastructure and government services. Research in study villages to date has indicated that the merging of Hmong families into the original Khmou settlements, while having some desirable outcomes, is giving rise to a range of land use, social and livelihood problems. This paper explains the type of action research that is being conducted in close cooperation with district authorities to identify problems that have arisen in study villages. It also provides quantitative and qualitative information on the consequences of village relocation, and makes suggestions on actions relating to land use planning that might be taken at district and village levels to ameliorate adverse consequences of the relocation programme. It puts forward some suggestions that could be considered by senior decision makers to ensure that well-intended livelihood improvement and poverty alleviation programmes are not adversely affected by ineffective land use planning procedures and activities