Land use management and plant utilization of a swidden system in Northern Laos: A case study of Kachet Village, Nam Bak District, Luang Phabang Province

Abstract

Swidden agriculture is an important food production system for rural communities in Kachet village, northern Laos. In swidden system, land is cleared and abandoned for several years to allow regeneration. These fallow areas provide non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as benzoin, and cardamom, and can be used for other purposes. In Laos, “Forest Law” and factors associated with population growth shortened the fallow period to less than 4 years. This study aimed to clarify the plant utilization and its temporal-spatial distribution in fallow forest and to rethink present land use management based on these information. We used interviews with villagers, geographic information system data, vegetation surveys, and satellite imaging data from 2000 to 2010. Swidden area information was used to estimate the swidden cycle. The farmers in Kachet village used 120 plant species. The results show that the numbers of plant species in edible and medicine use subcategories dramatically increased as the fallow period became longer, and most NTFPs with economic value were observed in forests with a relatively long fallow period (6 or 7 years). The fallow period was maintained by exchanging fields among villagers for swidden agriculture, which is conducted by the whole village. The average area used for swidden agriculture from 2000 to 2010 was 160 ± 11 ha year−1, and the average swidden cycle was about 7 years, which is longer than that found in other regions in northern Laos. Recently, market economy has infiltrated to mountain villages and some villagers start to select commercial crops in swidden fields. However, villagers also have conducted sustainable land use to match the situation. Keeping the land use management and plant utilization in the fallows is important for sustainable development of this area.