tailieunhanh - Research evaluation of economic, social, and ecological implications of the programme for commercial tree plantations: case study of rubber in the south of Laos PDR

In Africa after independence, many countries attempted to ‘modernize’ their agricultural sectors through large-scale farming, providing subsidized credit, machinery, and land. These efforts almost universally failed (Eicher and Baker 1992). One of the largest and most well-documented cases was mechanized large scale sorghum and sesame production in Sudan that originated in attempts by financiers from the Gulf following the 1970s oil price spike, to transform the country into a regional breadbasket. Schemes with very favorable access to land and subsidized credit for machinery attracted civil servants and businessmen who mostly hired managers for farms of over 1,000 ha, with some. | Summary Report Research evaluation of economic social and ecological implications of the programme for commercial tree plantations case study of rubber in the south of Laos PDR Collaboration between Centre for Research and Information on Land and Natural Resources National Land Management Authority Office of Prime Minister Lao PDR Faculty of Social Sciences Chiang Mai University Thailand Foundation for Ecological Recovery Bangkok Thailand. August 2009 1 Introduction This research project is a collaboration between the Centre for Research and Information on Land and Natural Resources of the National Land Management Authority Office of Prime Minister Laos the Foundation for Ecological Recovery and the Faculty of Social Sciences Chiang Mai University list of researchers in annex with the aim of evaluating the economic social and ecological impacts of large-scale land concessions to plant rubber and making recommendations for the future management of land in Lao PDR. Two provinces were selected in the south of Laos Champassak and Salavane to conduct research over the course of one year from July 2007 to July 2008. Project Objectives 1. To contribute and develop research capacity and information resources on large scale plantations in Lao PDR. 2. To study and analyse the socio-economic and ecological impacts of large-scale plantations in Lao PDR at local provincial and national level. 3. To initiate and encourage cooperation through collaborative research between different partners namely the government of Lao PDR Centre for Information and Research of Land and Natural Resources National Land Management Authority Non-Government Organisations Foundation for Ecological Recovery Thailand and other NGOs in Lao PDR and academics Chiang Mai University Thailand and other researchers within Lao PDR . 4. To provide the opportunity for exchange forums among the actors impacted or interested in the large scale plantation issues including government officials at all levels .