Assessment of opium-based farming systems: a case study in the Nahom area, Oudomxay Province in Northern Laos

Abstract

SUMMARY An interdisciplinary team of 10 completed an exploratory one-month survey of villages in Nahom, Oudomxay Province, Laos, an area representative of upland farming systems based on opium and shifting cultivation. The study included investigation of the physical and socioeconomic environments and assessment of the farming systems. Due to the relatively low population density, there is enough land for villagers to practice shifting cultivation with a one year cultivation cycle, followed by 10–12 years of fallow. The soil degradation commonly caused by shifting cultivation was not significant in this area and the soil fertility is still relatively high. However, most of the original forests had been cut down and used for shifting cultivation and some degradation of the vegetation has occurred, showing that the ecological sustainability has been threatened by prevailing practices. Thirty-six percent of the households had food supply problems for more than three months of each year. The extremely low return for labour from upland rice cultivation, only 5.64 kg per labour-day, was the critical factor that caused the food shortage. Because of poor technique, rice yield from paddy fields was also low, thus shifting cultivators have no enthusiasm to expand their paddy fields. Income from opium provided 80.5% of household income. Opium was extremely tempting to local people due to the very high return for labour, 5700 kip (US$6) per labour-day, low investment, and good labour availability (mostly during the off-season of rice cultivation). However, opium was also a ‘two-edged sword’. It did not bring real wealth, health and happiness but instead brings poverty, poor health and disappointment.