The participatory landscape planning in Laos by Helvetas
In the centre of the village of Hadan in the Northern Uplands of Lao PDR stands a notice board showing two maps. One map demonstrates the allocation of different land uses over the village territory. Small symbols or roman letters overlying the different colours aid interpretation. For example, pale brown overlaid with a symbol of a cow is land reserved for livestock grazing, whilst forest is indicated in dark green together with a tree symbol.
Photo: © Helvetas/Jane Carter
The map to the right, on a slightly larger scale, specifically marks the areas on which different non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can be harvested – largely as determined by the suitability of the land for their growth. Ribbons of light green along streams, for example, mark areas on which cardamom is cultivated, while a large block of dark green indicates an area suitable for harvesting red mushrooms.
A smaller patch of brighter green is bamboo forest, where bamboo shoots are harvested, and an area of orange is allocated to broom grass.
The land use maps have been prepared as part of activities under the Helvetas project PHOLIN (Phongsaly Livelihoods), which is funded by several donors. Hadan lies in Khoua district of Phongsaly province and is one of 44 villages that will be supported through the project in its second phase from 2025 – 2028.
The Participatory Forest and Agriculture Land Use Planning, Allocation and Management (PFALUPAM) process is one highly familiar to the staff of the District Agriculture and Forest Office (DAFO), who provide technical assistance. The approach was designed with support from multiple donors and adopted by the Lao government more than twelve years ago. The government’s intention is to apply it across the entire country, but it is a time-consuming and expensive process.
In Hadan, the mapping exercise was completed in 2024. Village representatives joined the DAFO staff in visiting the village territorial boundaries, recording the important areas from which NTFPs are collected and then discussing how land should be allocated. Some land, such as the cardamom plots and the areas allocated for shifting agriculture (notably upland rice), is considered private (although titles have not been issued). Other lands, such as the red mushroom forest, are designated as community land. The area available for shifting cultivation has been reduced to five plots that will be rotated. This restriction is necessary as the income from red mushroom harvesting is so significant that everyone agrees that the forest in which they grow should be preserved.
Keeping the peace
According to Chanthy Inthavong, the district director of Namor in the neighbouring province of Oudomxay, the PFALUPAM process was already completed in all villages of the district in 2008 thanks to donor support. However, since that time, there have been many changes. The population is increasing, as is Chinese demand for commercial crops. Perhaps more importantly, the government has a policy of bringing remotely located villages together to make small towns. This necessitates a re-thinking of land use zoning, the district director says.
Apparently, a revision of the land use zoning is also becoming necessary in other villages of the project Lao Upland Rural Advisory Services (LURAS). LURAS is a Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) project implemented by Helvetas in partnership with the Lao Government Department for Agriculture Extension and Cooperatives.
Climate change preparedness
Under the LURAS project, a process of Climate Resilient Extension Development (CRED) is being piloted in 38 villages in 13 districts across four provinces in Laos. It is anchored in a participatory mindset of discussing livelihood changes with farmers, identifying key problems and then potential solutions – which the farmers prioritise by voting. Typically, farmers identify problems with water – too little (drought and drinking water shortages in the dry season) or too much (causing flash floods and landslides), a growing prevalence of agricultural pests and livestock diseases, and an interest in off-season vegetables as a source of income.
The farmers in the districts are particularly concerned about an increased frequency of extreme weather events causing very high levels of water runoff and water discharge – in other words, a high risk of landslides and floods. A considerable potential in land use planning is seen as a tool to discuss such future scenarios and ways to factor them into planning. Revisiting the PFALUPAM process (without repeating it in its entirety) represents a means to assess the implications of such future climate scenarios across the entire landscape – and to determine suitable responses.
This article is based on a report by Jane Carter, Khamkone Nanthepa and Pheang Xaydongvanh.
About the authors:
Jane Carter is Helvetas’ Senior Advisor for Natural Resource Governance.
Khamkone Nanthepa is Helvetas Laos’ Provincial Advisor and the head of the LURAS field office.
Pheang Xaydongvanh is the PHOLIN Project Manager at Helvetas Laos.
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