Proletarianization and gateways to precarization in the context of land-based investments for agricultural commercialization in Lao PDR

Nanhthavong, Vong; Bieri, Sabin; Nguyen, Anh-Thu; Hett, Cornelia; Epprecht, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105885

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 106 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Agrarian transitions encompass complex narratives of development, primarily triggered by the expansion of capitalist agricultural production models and agricultural commercialisation (Sugden et al 2022). In the LMB, these transitions involve issues regarding state-imposed land controls for lease, transfers, and concessions (Baird 2020;Diepart and Sem 2018;Nanhthavong et al 2022;Schoenberger et al 2017), local and trans-border dynamics of livelihood change, poverty reduction, and rural development (Barney 2013;IOM 2021;Rigg 2006), as well as mounting household debts incurred from the shift towards commodified agricultural production (Green 2022b;Guermond et al 2023).…”

Section: Agrarian Transitions In the Lmbmentioning

confidence: 99%

How agricultural extension responds to amplified agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia: experts’ reflections

Tran,

Touch

2024

Agric Hum Values

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent decades have witnessed widespread agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia. This paper examines how agrarian transitions are shaped by multiple drivers of change, and how these interwoven processes have triggered shifts in agricultural extension practices in three countries in the Lower Mekong Basin: Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Drawing on interviews with experts working on the fields of agrarian studies and rural development, this paper argues that agrarian transitions not only put a strain on agricultural extension systems in responding to evolving needs, but they also stimulate the co-production of innovative agricultural extension models to address gaps left by the limited presence of extensionists. The study gains insight into challenges faced by extensionists, including a lack of resources, skills, and capacities to meet growing needs, which simultaneously urged them to excel in their work performance. The paper highlights the proactive role of ‘champions’ in orchestrating collective efforts towards the co-production of innovative agricultural extension models (e.g. Metkasekor), and the formulation of pluralistic extension platforms in enabling such ‘co-learning-to-act’ practices. By translating these insights into the broader contexts of agricultural and rural development in the Mekong region and beyond, this paper aims to make a two-fold contribution. First, it will assert how the ‘business-as-usual’ extension model has failed to adequately address emerging needs as a result of agrarian transitions. Second, it will provide pathways for the recognition and legitimisation of the pluralistic extension approach that fosters stakeholders’ co-learning and productive engagement in extension practices.

show abstract

Section: Agrarian Transitions In the Lmbmentioning

confidence: 99%

How agricultural extension responds to amplified agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia: experts’ reflections

Tran,

Touch

2024

Agric Hum Values

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Shifts to export cash crops have increased the formality of market requirements (e.g., in standards for produce or contracts for delivery) (Bonnin & Turner, 2014), mirroring moves towards contract farming globally (Vicol et al, 2022). These processes can heighten climate precarity by forcing intensification on smaller land areas, increasing inequality between smallholders, constraining social connections as class differentiation increases and inducing outmigration for those unable to maximize and standardize production (Potter, 2001; Rigg et al, 2012; Tong, 2017), leaving even more low‐wage and seasonal work for those who stay (Nanhthavong et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate precarity in rural livelihoods: Agrarian transformations and smallholder vulnerability in Vietnam

McElwee

Tuyến

Hue

et al. 2023

Journal of Agrarian Change

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent decades, agrarian transformations in Southeast Asia have resulted in significant environmental and social change, yet insufficient attention has focused on the particular pathways by which these changes have increased vulnerability to climate change. In particular, climate precarity, a situation in which class, social, labour and/or gender inequities amplify negative impacts from climate change, has been on the rise for many smallholders. Using case studies in Vietnam of changes to swidden agriculture in upland areas and the loss of deepwater rice systems in the Mekong Delta lowlands, the paper examines social differentiation and ecological outcomes of these processes and how they have increased climate precarity, particularly for poor households and women. Based on longitudinal fieldwork in affected regions, we identify key changes contributing to climate precarity as farming systems intensify. In particular, loss of flexibility in farmer decision‐making, loss of voluntary engagement with markets, and declining access to social capital and entitlements have increased risks for households and reduced adaptation options. Suggestions are made to more directly address these elements in future agricultural and climate policies, rather than current approaches to climate adaptation that often promote even more intensification of agriculture, which runs the risk of exacerbating precarity.

show abstract

Coffee and the agrarian questions in Laos and Rwanda: Taking a bottom-up perspective

Illien

2024

Journal of Rural Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Proletarianization and gateways to precarization in the context of land-based investments for agricultural commercialization in Lao PDR

Cited by 12 publications

References 106 publications

How agricultural extension responds to amplified agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia: experts’ reflections

How agricultural extension responds to amplified agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia: experts’ reflections

Climate precarity in rural livelihoods: Agrarian transformations and smallholder vulnerability in Vietnam

Coffee and the agrarian questions in Laos and Rwanda: Taking a bottom-up perspective

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About