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

Early findings: some figures and stories

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

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