This document summarizes research on migration and land use change within swidden agriculture landscapes in Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam. The research found that migration affects land use in various ways, including agricultural intensification through remittances, knowledge exchange, and labor changes. Case studies from villages in each country showed different outcomes from migration depending on factors like land availability, policies, and markets. Migration both increases pressures on land through intensification but also allows for forest regrowth in some areas.

1. Migration, land use change and resilience within
swidden landscapes in Indonesia, Laos and
Vietnam
Indah 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

2. Background
- ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry
and Climate Change (ASFCC) 2013-now.
- Ph 1: focus on social network of swidden
communities. Migration is important fabric in
swidden landscape.
- Ph 2: How does migration affect the ways
people manage forest and agricultural lands in
rural areas?

3. 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, Lambin
and Meyfroidt 2011)
Agricultural intensification/
shortened fallow
Agricultural expansion
Prolonged fallow/
forest re-growth/
agroforest system

4. Research sites and methods
 4 villages in Kapuas Hulu,
Indonesia
 3 villages in Con Cuong
and Van Ho, Vietnam
 3 villages in Vienthong
and 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 Sites
Ph 1: 2013-2015
Ph 2: 2015-2016
Ph 3: 2017-now

5. Early findings: some figures and stories

6. Households migration history
Sites
Indonesia
- 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
24
84
60
30
44
93
26
100
60
79
67
69
63
95
44
58
54

7. Story 1: Keluin, Indonesia
Migration enables agricultural intensification
Indonesia Laos Vietnam
Percentage of HH
Benua
tengah
(n=38)
Bunut
Lalau
(n=37)
Keluin
(n=10)
Sung.
Telian
(n=25)
Huay
Moey
(n=40)
Moeng
Kau
(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 31.7
Depend 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 9.8
Remittance 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?

8. 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)

9. 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

10. 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?

11. 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

12. - 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

13. 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

14. cifor.org
blog.cifor.org
ForestsTreesAgroforestry.org
i.waty@cigar.org
cifor.org/asfcc
Thank you