Good Forest Governance in Lao PDR

1. Phetsoulaphonh N. Choulatida
Robin Aus der Beek
Potential of community-based NTFP management as
coping mechanisms (food security and income)
in response to climate hazards
Preliminary study from Phongsaly province, Lao PDR.

2. Objectives of the study
1) To explore the availability and use of NTFPs in
three districts (Phongsaly) and their contribution
for food, trade, and medicine
2) Understand knowledge, practice, and attitude of
communities in managing natural resources
3) To explore importance and potential of NTFPs
for community adaptation and coping with
climate change (particularly hazards)

3. Methodology
Main content in the questionnaires:
 Village profile (demographic data, infrastructure,
land/forest use)
 Non-Timber Forest Product: harvesting calendar and
gender role
 NTFP uses for food, trade, and medicine
 NTFP nutrition value (carbohydrate, protein, fat, sugar,
vitamins and minerals)
 Mapping of NTFP value chain
 Climate change adaptation (trends and changes, how
people forecast seasonal weather, etc.)

4. NTFP collection (purpose and gender roles)
Categories
Purpose
of use (%)
Gender role (%)
Home Girl Woman Boy Man
Forest food
Mushrooms (Russula spp.) 80 20 50 10 20
Bamboo and rattan shoots 60 15 50 5 30
Wild fruits 90 5 5 20 70
Wild vegetables 70 15 50 15 20
Wildlife 60 5 5 15 80
Fresh water aquatic wildlife 80 35 40 15 10
Insects 70 20 50 10 20

5. 1. NTFP contribution to healthy diet/nutrition
Energy Micronutrients
Carbohydrate Protein Fat Sugar Vitamins Minerals
Yam tubers,
roots, nuts,
dioscorea
hispida
Dennst,
Irvingia
nuts, bird,
deer, rat,
bird, bat,
fish,
squirrel,
Irvingia
nuts,
Livistona
saribus,
wild pig,
crab, fish
Sugar palm,
honey,
Arenga
westerhout
ii (Mak
Tao),
Baccaurea
berries
Honey (A),
insects larvae
and eggs (A and
B12), Flacourtia
indica (Burm.f)
Merr and malva
nuts (C), Thiara
aspernata (E),
bamboo and
rattan shoots
(beta-
carotene).
Snails,
crabs,
shrimps,
mushroom,
Termites,
dung, long
horn beetles,
wild fruits,
wild berries,
mushrooms

6. Medicine
NTFP trade
Forest food
NTFPs
Consumption
Domestic Sale
Export to
China, Vietnam
Home use
Pharmacy
Traditional
pharmacist
Village forest Villagers products Markets
Forest
managed
Group
strengthened
Supply chain Market chain
2. NTFP contribution to income generation

7. a). Bee keeping
Three villages do bee keeping in Khua
district
(1). Senlath village (12 HHs)
-800 log hives
-400 occupied with bees
-500 liters honey produced
(2). Khungkhuey village (14 HHs)
-200 hives
-150 occupied with bees
-150 liters honey
(3). Ommok village (7 HHs)
-500 hives
-300 occupied with bees
-370 liters honey produced

8. • Honey production per hive: about 1-2 liters
• Each village extracts 2-3 times per season and the
honey is stored in plastic buckets.
• The price per liter ranges from 18,000 - 28,000 Kip.
Wax sells for 15,000 Kip to 35,000 Kip.
• The variance in price is due solely to market
conditions-large honey harvests drive the prices
down.
NET PROFIT for 1x Jar/Honey:
15,000 Kip (income) - 2,940 Kip (cost) = 12,060 Kip/Jar profit
Bee keeping

9. b). Cardamom (Amomum spp.)
Cardamom
plantation
in farmer’s
plots
Ngot-Ou Samphan Khua Total
5 villages 5 villages 2 villages 12 villages
157 HHs 119 HHs 39 HHs 315 HHs
Cardamom
forest area
Ngot-Ou Samphan Khua Total
5 villages 5 villages 2 villages 12 villages
200 Ha 150 Ha 140 Ha 490 Ha
 2x varieties: Kuangtung (higher value) and Paksong
 Traders buy both fresh and dried fruits
 The market destination is China and Vietnam
 Selling price for dried fruits = about 50,000 kips/kg
 Selling price for fresh fruit = about 5,000 kip/Kg.

10. c). Galangal (Alpinia spp.)
Galangal is planted in larger scale in upland fallow land
after upland rice cultivation.
Galangals Plantation
Ngot-Ou Samphan Khua Total
7 villages 9 villages 12 villages 28 villages
192 Ha 117 Ha 254 Ha 563 Ha
48 Tons 57 Tons 87 Tons 192 Tons

11. Hazard Year Effects Coping strategies
Animal
Disease
outbreaks
2009 A bird flu outbreak has been
confirmed in Khua district (no
risk to humans)
Protein found in form of
aquatic animals and wildlife
(except wild poultry).
Freezing
2010
Loss of crop production
Source of food can be
mainly NTFP and some
stock grains in the house
Storm and
flood
2011 Serious crops losses (floods)
(NTFP losses =100 million Kip.)
Cultivation/planting of
commercial NTFPs
Pests (rats
eat rice)
2013 After bamboo flowering rats
damaged rice crops
Yam tubers and roots (as
carbohydrate).
Late rainy
season
2014
Loss of rice production
Grow less water-consuming
crops and harvest NTFP for
income
3. Importance of NTFPs as coping strategy after
hazards

12. 4. Traditional weather forecasting based on the
observation of nature
• Ants move from ground to higher placeFlooding
• Toads and frogs make noise
• Firefly beetles move around
• Some fruit tress give many flowers
Raining
• Tree gives flowers but no fruit
• Washing face (morning) is not smooth
• Elders feel pain in some body parts
• Cicada insects make noise during half day
Drought
• Cattle/buffalo behave in panic
• Large movement of birds to safe places
Storm

13. 4. How to enhance NTFP’s contribution for climate
change adaptation …
Ensure the sustainable and efficient use of NTFP
(stop depletion due to foreign market demand):
 Secure access to natural resources
 Promote sustainable NTFPs cultivation
(production systems)
 Increase marketing profit (less waste, better
harvesting and processing, etc.)
 Domestication of NTFPs in agro-forestry system
and community-based NTFPs management.
 Community / village forest management
regulations.

14. 5. Conclusions
 In target villages, seven categories of forest foods contribute
to food security and nutrition
 Many NTFPs are very important for both nutrition and income
generation (e.g. bee keeping, Cardamom, and Galangals)
 All communities consider NTFPs for coping with climate
hazards (forest food can afford to give nutrition to people and
still earn profit from selling them).
 Given the importance of good forest governance, future
works could also delve into establishing and strengthening
community-based groups manage their sustainable use of
forest and NTFPs.

15. 6. Recommendation
Policy makers (local governmental authorities):
 Implement LUP
 Prepare forest management plan
 Support nursery and plantation
 Set up E&D plots
 The local traders and agro-business companies require formal permission
from the Agriculture Offices (PAFO, DAFOs) and from the Trade Department
at the Province and District Trade Office.
 Quota giving to each agro-business company should be monitored
 Facilitate multi-stakeholder workshop to evaluate progress and challenges
 Enforce formal ban for trading of endangered NTFPs (e.g. Rattan, Cinnamon,
Wild orchid)
 Add qualitative and quantitative criteria for formal permits (quantity, prices and
the products’ quality)

16. Recommendation
Extension staff (INGOs, CSOs):
 Facilitate organised/collective production
 Promote market information and information exchange
 Enforcement of forest regulation
 Improve livestock rearing practices and enforce community (social)
disciplines
 Provide technical knowledge and skills
 Focus plan

17. Recommendation
Community-Based Groups (Farmer leaders and women
representatives):
 Formulation the group
 Complete LUP
 Complete village forest management plan
 Make forest inventory in each three years
 Set up demonstration treatment (harvesting plots)
 Secure access to natural resource in form of communal land titling
 Conduct annual forest monitoring
 Test different types of business modalities
 Fee collection system for maintaining forest

18. Recommendation
Private sector (village collectors, and local traders):
 The agri-business companies collected the products through
assigning the local agents (usually the local villagers).
 provide facilities for proper storage to the local agents who
normally use their own house to keep the products temporarily.
 Promote sustainable harvesting technique to villagers
 Apply fair contract farming for WIN-WIN
 Provide market information
 Pay fee for village forest maintaining and monitoring

19. Thank you