Migration, land use change and resilience within
swidden landscapes in Indonesia, Laos and
VietnamIndah Waty Bong, Moira Moeliono, Grace Wong, Maria Brockhaus, Pham Thu Thuy, Cynthia Maharani, Rob Cole
Resilience 2017 – Resilience Frontiers for Global Sustainability
Stockhlom, 20-23 August 2017
Background
- ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC) 2013-now.
- Ph 1: focus on social network of swiddencommunities. Migration is important fabric in swidden landscape.
- Ph 2: How does migration affect the ways people manage forest and agricultural lands in rural areas?
Migration and land use change in swidden context
Migration
3 aspects of migration: - Remittance - Labor loss- Knowledge/technology exchange
(Adger et al 2002, Chen et al 2014, Davis 2015, Lambin et all 2001, Curran 2002, Etwisle et all 1998, Taylor et al 2006, Lambinand Meyfroidt 2011)
Agricultural intensification/ shortened fallow
Agricultural expansion
Prolonged fallow/ forest re-growth/ agroforest system
Research sites and methods
4 villages in Kapuas Hulu, Indonesia
3 villages in Con Cuongand Van Ho, Vietnam
3 villages in Vienthongand Hiam, Laos
Phase 2:- 30 gender and age
disaggregated FGDs- 369 social network and
household surveys
Swidden agriculture is dominant.Proximity to or presence of industrial agriculture (oil palm, rubber, maize, acacia) and/or protected area
Con Cuong
Nghe An
Van Ho
Son LaVienthong
and Hiam
Huaphan
Kapuas Hulu
West Kalimantan
ASFCC Project SitesPh 1: 2013-2015Ph 2: 2015-2016Ph 3: 2017-now
Households migration history
SitesIndonesia
- Keluin
- Bunut Lalau
- Benua Tengah Hilir
- Sungai Telian
Laos
- Sa Kok
- Houay Moey
- Muang Kao
Vietnam
- Que
- Lay
- Muong An
% HH interviewed who are not of village origin (migrated-in)
% HH interviewed whose one
or more members
have left the village
(migrated-out)
10
41
26
2484603044
93
26
100
60
79
67
69
6395
44
5854
Story 1: Keluin, Indonesia
Migration enables agricultural intensification
Indonesia Laos Vietnam
Percentage of HH
Benuatengah(n=38)
BunutLalau
(n=37)
Keluin(n=10)
Sung. Telian(n=25)
HuayMoey(n=40)
MoengKau
(n=40)
Sakok(n=45)
Lay (n=43)
Muong An (n=50)
Que (n=41)
Received remittance? 36.8 13.5 90 16 20 42.5 40 2.3 12 31.7Depend on remittance as important part of livelihood/income (yes) 21.1 10.8 80 8 2.5 7.5 15.6 2.3 8 17.1
Rely on remittance for farming? 21.1 18.9 90 8 7.5 20 26.7 8 9.8Remittance allow investment in farming assets and inputs
21.1 18.9 90 12 2.5 13.3 6 4.9
Land use and agriculture or forest practices changed as a result?
18.4 13.5 90 2.5 13.3 2.4
- All households had/have member(s) who left/migrated out of village (100%)
- 90% of these migrants sent remittance home
- All remittance receiving HHs relied on remittance for farming.
- Remittance allows intensification through purchase of herbicides and
compensates loss labor through hiring people to work on the field.
How this affects swidden resilience?
Allow forest re-growth (far)
Pressure on close-to-settlement land?• Shortened fallow, • Intensive use of herbicides and chemical fertilizers
Vulnerable?• Swidden mainly for subsistence• Crop disease and pests was mentioned as the most often
and severe shock experienced by hhs in 2015-2016.• Tenure security? When land is left ‘unused’, they might
loose their claim (as state claims it as national park)
Story 2: Houay Moey, Laos
- Resettlement was part of gov. program to
eliminate swidden and poppy, and rural
development.
- 60% of households were not of village origin
(Resettled from several uphill villages)
- In the new location, gov. promoted permanent
agriculture. But land was insufficient (each hh
received 0.2ha) and yield was low.
- Most hhs experienced food shortage. Hhs
returned to the upland to do swidden.
Resettlement leads to dual localities
Resettlement to re-store upland forests?
Dual localities: coping strategies and pathway to agricultural intensification and expansion- HHs travel back and forth between upland and the new village, creating and maintaining dual-
localities.
- Opened access to market and opportunities (esp.neighboring Vietnam)
- Increased connectivity to the old village (self-initiated). This allows introduction of agricultural technology (e.g. tractor) and easier mobility between both localities as well as transportation of harvest.
Intensification, particularly seeds for cash crop production (maize)
Fallow and forest were converted to cash crops.
Improved livelihoods?- Vulnerable to market change
- Policy change?
Rural-rural migration agriculture expansion and intensification
Story 3: Lay, Vietnam
- 92% of households were not of village origin. They came from another district mainly in
search of arable land for swidden.
- Started with few hhs in early 1980’s network for the movement of later settlers
0
20
40
60
80
Keluin Bunut Lalau Benua Tengah Sungai Telian Sa Kok Houay Muay Muang Kao Que Lay Muong An
Indonesia Laos Vietnam
Why respondent moved to the village(% of responses)
Work-related School/studies Marriage Other family reason Better service/housing Land availability Government policy/resettlement Other
- In the past: after land was exhausted,
people left it fallow and moved to a new
place.
- National part established. Swidden is
prohibited. Land allocation program in
other places but not in Lay.
- Unsuccessful attempts of resettlement by
gov. (the targeted area is less fertile).
- Land conversion and intensification of cash
crops (esp.maize). Sale of crops is the main
income for 91% of hhs).
- Swidden to terraced permanent farm
Conclusion
Immediate outcomes on land use might be similar,
But…
Overarching impacts on resilience and how migrations affects land use within swidden landscape are different from one place to other and involves multiple processes.
- Land availability (physically and ‘legally’)- Social and culture- Policy- Market