Situational Analysis Report: Xishuangbanna Autonomous Dai Prefecture Yunnan, China

This report summarizes the situation of rural development, agriculture and environment as it is perceived by expert opinion and literature evidence, as of 2014/2015. It is written as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics (Humidtropics; http:// humidtropics.cgiar.org/), which takes an integrated systems approach to transform the lives of the rural poor, in the humid tropical parts of the world. Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, southwest China, is a small area of land (20,000 km 2 ) which historically had extremely high cultural and biological diversity, and is one of only two places in China which are considered to have a tropical climate. The region is renowned for producing high quality tea, but it is the rubber boom that has caused the greatest impacts on the landscape and economy of Xishuangbanna. Rubber has been planted since 1955, but during the late 1990s rubber prices boomed and small holder farmers rapidly planted increasing amounts of rubber. Now almost all natural forests of the lowlands (altitude 500-700m) and more than half of the mid-elevation land (700-900m) is planted with rubber. Land at higher elevations still supports mostly forest cover, tea and other farming systems, but rubber has encroached in recent years, despite expert doubts about the yield potential. The environmental impacts have been high, although not well quantified by academic literature. Habitat loss and biodiversity loss are obvious, and there are numerous reports of reduced water availability, increasing water pollution, soil hardening in some of the older plantations, and generally declining soil fertility (probably due to erosion and excessive agrochemical use). The economic impacts have also been great, with those farmers who manage successful rubber plantations making unprecedented profits for this region.In recent years (since 2012) the price of rubber has crashed to about 50% of its peak value. This has led many farmers to question whether or not they should continue with rubber as their main crop; although for now most farmers have chosen to wait and see if prices rise again. The other major popular cash crop is banana, which requires greater upfront investment, offers greater profits and causes even greater environmental impacts. The institutional context is in some ways very strong, but there are some crucial gaps which hamper progress. There are some excellent agricultural research facilities and groups operating in the region, and the government departments are well funded. There is also a well-functioning market system for major crops and companies can access most areas. The governmental style of leadership has moved on from ‘command and control’ towards individual decision making by every small holder. However, the communication between small holders and ‘experts’ is still unidirectional and sporadic. There is a vital disconnect between those with the knowledge and power to implement changes and those who manage the land through their small holdings. Generally, the living conditions and quality of life are better than average for rural people of the Mekong region. The average income for a rural person in Xishuangbanna is approximately $1,100 usd per year. However, there is great variation between the wealthiest areas ($3,000 per person per year) and the poorest areas ($600 per person per year). The people living at the high elevations tend to be poorer and less educated, and in some cases practice more mixed and traditional farming systems. The main challenges faced in Xishuangbanna at present are how to convince the large number of small holders to manage their rubber plantations for reduced environmental impact; how to cope with the rubber price crash; and how to aid the development of those peoples living in the higher elevations without further compromising ecosystem services.

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5716/WP14255.PDF

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