Abstract
The Lao government introduced a new period of economic liberalisation with the New Economic Mechanism (NEM) in 1986. The present study examines whether market liberalisation and women’s participation translated into changes in women’s decision-making power in the coffee growing region of the Bolaven Plateau in southern Lao PDR. While women have always been involved in coffee farming, their participation increased when the more labour-intensive arabica coffee plants were introduced to replace the less popular robusta variety in the region. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, the study examines gender decision-making within coffee-farming households. The findings show an increase in women’s participation in decision-making with the introduction of the arabica coffee plants; however, men still hold higher decision-making power in farming households. While the NEM has brought about economic growth and provided better livelihoods for coffee farmers, this has not necessarily translated into women’s empowerment. Economic growth is not enough to bring about gender equality, and there is still a need for specific policy interventions.
Highlights
Introduction and BackgroundThe government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) introduced a new period of economic liberalisation with the New Economic Mechanism (NEM) in 1986 (Rigg, 2012)
Has the New Economic Mechanism brought about empowerment for women in Lao PDR? This study focuses on decision-making as an indicator of empowerment (Kabeer, 1999)
Findings from the interviews and focus group discussions indicated that farmers switched to growing arabica coffee which produce more and better-quality coffee beans that can be sold at a higher price than robusta coffee beans
Summary
Introduction and BackgroundThe government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) introduced a new period of economic liberalisation with the New Economic Mechanism (NEM) in 1986 (Rigg, 2012). The agricultural sector has been transformed from subsistence to commercial production, substantially increasing agricultural exports (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2014). These agrarian reforms have brought about landscape and economic changes in the uplands, lowlands, and plateau regions of Lao PDR (Manivong, 2014; Rigg, 2009, 2012; Sisouphanthong et al, 2002). Arabica coffee, which is much more popular in the international market than robusta, was introduced to the Bolaven Plateau in southern Lao PDR in the 1990s. Farmers transitioned from a subsistence economy of growing rice via shifting cultivation, to more labour-intensive arabica coffee agriculture that served the global market. The new crop has brought economic growth to the region and provided better livelihoods for farmers
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