1. Can family rubber-farms match
global challenges?
P Thaler, B Chambon, F Gay, R Lacote, PM Bosc, A Brauman
H Robain, P Kasemsap, K Sajjaphan, S Sdoodee, P Chantuma
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2. The challenges ahead to agriculture
• Feeding the planet but also
feeding the farmers
• Food and non food products to
meet growing demands
• Corporations investments in largescale agriculture
• Natural resources management
and environment sustainability
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3. The challenges ahead to agriculture
Will family farming be
able to answer to
complex and
interdependent
challenges?
Repartition of holdings by class area
in the 81-country subset of FAO-WCA
Source: HLPE 2013
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4. The planter’s bet
Conditions will remain favourable for rubber
plantations during more than 20 years
Immature plantation
Tapped plantation
Felling the trees
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5. A reasonable bet?
A permanently changing environment
Going back to Myanmar?
Climate
changes
Land use
changes
Fox and Castella 2013
Socio-economic
changes
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6. Climate changes
Not only a matter of temperature and drought
• Difficult to predict the local effect of a global increase in T°
• Most model predict a more variable climate (risk)
• Erratic and irregular rain pattern
• Higher risk of both flooding and drought
• Difficulties to know when to tap trees (risk of loss of yield)
• Consequences on trees functioning?
• How can farmers adapt harvesting systems to such irregular
conditions?
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7. Land Uses
Sustainability in new plantation areas
• Expansion in NE and N Thailand
• A drier and less balanced climate
(5 month-dry season)
• Poor soils in some areas
(sandy, low fertility)
• Lack of experience to assess
long-term behavior of trees
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8. Land Uses
Sustainability in ancient plantation areas
• Repeated planting in South Thailand
• Third to fourth rubber cycle on
the same land
• Export of wood / loss of minerals
• Soil degradation / Decrease
in fertility?
• Increase in disease hazard
(leaf and root fungi)?
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9. Socio-economic changes
Global uncertainties and local mutations
• Volatility of the rubber price
• Global demand driven by transport
industry
• Global market with major
tire companies
• The issue of labor
• Population increasing and ageing
• Migrant workers (Myanmar/NE)
• New investors, new challenges
• Dependence of livelihood on rubber
vs diversification?
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10. Rubber plantations and the environment
The impact depends largely on
the previous land use
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11. Rubber plantations and the environment
• Soil sustainability
• Fertility preservation (Soil C, SOM)
• Functional diversity (macro and
microrganisms)
• Externalities.
• Water use (water balance and competition
with other uses)
• Erosion (sloppy land)
• Loss of habitat for biodiversity.
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12. Rubber plantations on the environment
Many adverse effects are related to the monospecific
nature of plantations
Permanent intercropping up to complex agroforest
may limit risk and multiply sources of income
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13. The sustainable rural livelihoods framework
Context and
trends
Structure
Activities and strategies
Performance /
sustainability
capabilities and functionnings
National and
international
trends and
context.
Local trends and
context
Shocks
Social relations
Institutions
Organisations
Tangible &
intangible
(claims) assets
Natural capital
Physical capital
Human capital
Financial capital
Social capital
Naturel ressources
based activities
Cultivation, cattering,
livestock
Others NR based non
farm activities
Non naturel
ressources based
activities
Wages, trade, services,
manufacture, etc.
Livelihood
Strategies
Specialization,
Diversification,
Intensification,
extensification,
migration,
rental,
combined, etc.
Source: Sourisseau and al. 2012 adapted from various authors
Social and human
sustainability
Economical
sustainability
Environmental
sustainability
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14. Thank you for your attention
The Hevea Research Platform in Partnership
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