Presentation from the WCCA 2011 conference in Brisbane, Australia.

1. Accompanying the agrarian
transition in Laos
Opportunities and challenges for conservation
agriculture in maize production areas
G. Lestrelin & J-C. Castella

2. Research Questions
• CA deemed knowledge- and capital-intensive, hence
poorly compatible with smallholder farming (e.g.
Erenstein 2003; Bolliger et al. 2006; Giller et al. 2009)
• Dissemination should concentrate on “socio-ecological
niches” (Giller et al. 2009: 31) where CA is the most
likely to be adopted by smallholders
• Two questions:
To what extent can CA compete with more conventional
forms of agricultural intensification in a context of
smallholder farming?
What is the value of a “socio-ecological niche” approach to
the dissemination of CA?

3. Research Sites
Sayaboury Xieng Khouang
Two CA research and
development initiatives
active between 2003
and 2008:

4. Research Sites
• From 2003 to 2008:
• Network of experimentation and demonstration plots
• Establishment of CA farmer groups (44 villages in Sayaboury and 17
villages in Xieng Khouang)
• Technical support to farmers and extension agencies
• Various direct seeding mulch-based cropping (DMC)
systems disseminated, including:
Maize mono with Associations Rotations
residues management food - fodder crops grass - legume crops

5. Methods & Data
• Exhaustive village censuses: on household
composition, land, labor, capital, farm equipment, etc.
• Questionnaire surveys:
Sayaboury: Annual surveys (2005-2008) among 2084
households in 21 villages; data on household
livelihoods and adoption of CA
Xieng Khouang: Rapid and detailed surveys (2009)
among 600 households in 20 villages; data on
household livelihoods, farm economics and adoption
of CA; re-study of farming systems 2003
• Qualitative interviews and focus groups: Village
histories, perceptions of the advantages and limits of
CA, constraints for adoption and dissemination, etc.
• Land cover and land use change analysis (LANDSAT)
• Scenario analysis: Technical and economic simulations
with Olympe software

6. Results
• Contrasted situations
– CA dissemination efforts
– Topography and ecology
Geomorphology of southern Sayaboury province
Steep slopes
Productive
Mod. slopes Schists
Productive
Schists
Steep slopes
Erosion-prone
Sandstone

7. Results
• Similar transitions and driving forces
– Strong market demand for maize
(w/ Thailand and Vietnam)
1,200,000
1,000,000
Maize production (tons)
800,000
Maize
600,000
boom
400,000
200,000
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Sayaboury Xieng Khouang Lao PDR

8. Results
• Similar transitions and driving forces
– Rapid agricultural expansion and
intensification
Land cover change in Xieng Khouang province (2002-2010)
2002 2006 2010
Forest land
Upland crops (maize)
Paddy rice

9. Results
• Similar transitions and driving forces
– Smallholder agriculture is still the norm
Average rainfed land tenure
per household
Sayaboury (2008) 3 ha (1.1 – 5.3 ha)
Xieng Khouang (2009) 2.2 ha (0.8 – 5.2 ha)

10. Four Agro-Ecological Zones
Representative of successive stages in a historical pattern
of land use intensification

11. Transition Stages & CA adoption
Sayaboury Province (21 villages, n=2084) Xieng Khouang Province (9 villages, n=270)
Agroecological
transition (stages) Adoption* Extent of CA♣ Abandon♠ Adoption* Extent of CA♣ Abandon♠
(2008) (2008) (2004-2008) (2008) (2008) (2006-2008)
Productive lands
1 Subsistence
Extensive systems
-
High adoption levels
- - 4% 76% 8%
Productive lands
2 Commoditization
Intensification
40% 50% 30% 27% 61% 11%
Degrading lands
3 Commercial agriculture
Intensive monocropping
13% 31% 54% 13% 32% 55%
Degraded lands Low adoption levels
4 Diversification
Intensive mixed systems
41% 65%
≠ 30% - - -
Total 24% 53% 36% 12% 53% 21%
* Percent of farming households
♣ Percent of total farmland among CA farmers
♠ Average abandon rate between year n and year n+1 of CA practice

12. Transition Stages & CA adoption

13. Conclusions
• Two critical windows of opportunity for CA-related interventions in
the maize production areas of Laos
– Early stage of commoditization and intensification of agriculture:
“Attractive option for smallholders willing to engage in commercial agriculture
with a limited increase in production costs”
– Latest stage of land degradation and economic diversification:
“Economically- and ecologically-sound alternative to conventional intensive
monoculture”
• No particular “socio-ecological niches” or “hotspots” for
dissemination BUT key moments for intervention along specific
agro-ecological transition pathways
• Appropriate timing + adequate research and extension endeavours
 CA can become a viable and accepted alternative – even in a
context of small-scale farming

14. Thank you!
For further information: g.lestrelin@gmail.com
References
Slaats J, Lestrelin G (2009), Improving cropping systems by introducing Conservation Agriculture: Taking stock of
the results and methodology of research-development in southern Sayaboury province, Lao
PDR, PCADR, Vientiane, 115 p.
Lestrelin G, Nanthavong K, Jobard E, Keophoxay A Khambanseuang C Castella J-C, Lienhard P (2011), “To till or
not to till?” Opportunities and constraints to the diffusion of Conservation Agriculture in Xieng Khouang
Province, Lao PDR, Outlook on Agriculture (in press).
Lestrelin G, Tran Quoc H, Jullien F, Rattanatray B, Khamxaykhay C, Tivet F (2011), Conservation agriculture in Lao
PDR: Diffusion and determinants for adoption of DMC systems in smallholder agriculture, Renewable
Agriculture and Food Systems (under review).