s:2959:"%T Review of policies and practices in upland areas of the Lao PDR 
%A Thomas, D.E. 
%X Under the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NPEP) overall visions for
agriculture integrated watershed management and forestry seek to coordinate
sectors in facilitating a holistic transformation of upland livelihoods to reduce
rural poverty and conserve natural resources. Operational policies however
still  centre  on  stabilising  shifting  cultivation  eliminating  opium  production
land use allocation land use planning and focal site development with village
relocation and consolidation. Responsibility for planning implementation and
meeting targets is increasingly delegated to provincial and district offices. As
a result the overall policy environment tends to segregate lowland agriculture
and  upland  forests  overwhelm  local  capacity  with  mandates  under
decentralisation and place strong constraints on land use while new livelihood
opportunities  are  still  vague.  The  impacts  of  this  are  disrupting  diverse
household  livelihood  systems  and  bringing  turbulence  and  uncertainty  to
many  upland  communities.
Government efforts to strengthen support for upland agriculture and forestry
focus  on  the  development  of  responsive  demand-driven  research  and
extension services. Although the National Agriculture and Forestry Research
Institute (NAFRI) is progressing initial visions of improved extension services
under the National Agricultural and Forestry Extension Service (NAFES) appear
promising and pilot projects are helping point the way much more effort is
needed to build capacity at increasingly important village to provincial levels.
In  terms  of  improving  livelihood  component  technologies  a  great  deal  of
progress  has  been  made  in  lowland  rice  production  livestock  health  and
some field and tree crops. Nonetheless much important work remains to be
done  in  horticulture  agroforestry  non-timber  forest  products  smallholder
timber irrigated production in small upland valleys community-based natural
resource  and  landscape  management  as  well  as  local  processing  micro-
enterprise and marketing chains. Organic and/or diverse niche products will
require  more  effort  to  develop  market  opportunities  local  identities  and
product  lines  local  entrepreneurial  skills  and  locally-adapted  technologies.
While  the  challenges  are  many  the  experienced  and  motivated  people
participating  in  this  workshop  may  be  able  to  help  expand  the  range  of
promising  alternatives  and  further  build  and  accelerate  efforts  under  NPEP
to  improve  livelihoods  in  upland  communities.
This  paper  provides  a  brief  overview  of  upland  policies  and  practices.  The
emphasis is on policy themes and directions implementation issues livelihood
impacts  as  well  as  emerging  institutions  technologies  and  approaches  to
commercial  production. 
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