A Market Survey of Commercial Crop and Utilized Plants in Xiengkhouang and Houaphan Provinces in Northern Laos, 2014

A field survey was conducted from 16th October to 1st November, 2014 in remote minority living areas of northern Laos to investigate the crop status of cultivation and distribution at markets and farming area as a part of Grant-in-Aid for Overseas Scientific Research (Program code No. 25257416, Program Leader: Prof.Dr. Kazuo Watanabe, University of Tsukuba) of Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences. In this survey, we visited the markets and farmers’ fields in Xiengkhouang and Houaphan Provinces of northern Laos and observed distribution and cultivation of local landraces and improved varieties. In the market, few native landraces such as eggplant and cucumber were still observed whereas foreign vegetables such as cabbage, chayote and so on were frequently seen to be sold regardless of the market size. In addition to the wild plant including a bamboo shoot and the potherb, hunted wild small birds and animals could also be found in markets and along roadside at individual stores. The conventional food use was continued as well as an investigation in last year. The vegetable seeds of improved varieties were sold in the small markets of towns and villages which were mainly imported from China, Thailand and Japan and this substitution from landraces to improved varieties is matter of major concern in these villages and town. It is necessary to continue the future research around the northern Laos where traditional food is used and traditional farming such as slash-and-burn is still conducted.科学研究費基盤(A)海外学術調査「辺境少数民族地帯での植物利用及び伝統知の遺存と地域発展活動や国際経済の影響評価」（研究課題番号25257416 研究代表者筑波大学渡邉和男）の調査の一環として，ラオス人民民主共和国を平成26年10月15日より11月3日の日程で訪問し，少数民族居住地域にて市場や農村地域で作物の栽培及び流通状況の調査を行った．今回の調査ではラオス北部シェンクアン県，フアパン県等の少数民族居住地域にて市場や農家圃場等を訪問して在来作物や改良品種の栽培・流通状況を調査するとともに遺伝資源の収集を行った．市場ではキャベツやハヤトウリなどの外国野菜も市場規模に関わらず販売が見られたが，ナスやキュウリなどで在来品種が認められた．また筍や香味野菜など野生の植物に限らず，小鳥や小動物など野生個体を狩猟したものが市場や道路脇の個人商店等で見られるなど昨年の調査同様，従前の食品利用が継続されていた． 今年度の調査でも，できるだけ多くの市場及び農家を訪問するため主要幹線道路沿いに調査した．規模のあまり大きくない町や村の市場でも中国やタイ，さらには日本で育成された野菜の改良品種の種子が販売されており，小規模な村でも在来品種との交代が進んでいることが懸念される．今後も伝統的な食品利用と焼畑など伝統的農法が残るラオス北部を中心として調査を継続したいと考えている