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Access to Seeds and Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Their Role in Improving Rural Livelihoods in Lao PDR

Year of publication 2007

Pages 53 p.

Author Sescon, J.T. ;Salazar, R.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (series)

Series title LSP Working Paper

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Laos depends heavily on rice based agriculture systems and there is evidence that the traditional diversified diet and income base is being eroded, resulting in a negative effect on the livelihoods of the people. The opportunity to gather food in forests is diminishing and dietary diversity is being narrowed. In order to gain a better understanding of the relationship between this situation and access to and use of PGRFA, a project entitled “Plant Genetic Access and Utilization: Understanding an d Contributing to Sustainable Livelihoods in Lao PDR” was carried out in the Vientiane province (May 2005 to February 2006).

Language English

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    This study uses a livelihoods perspective to facilitate understanding of the role played by seeds and PGRs in rural people’s livelihoods and considers how a livelihood perspective may strengthen understanding of issues of access. A sustainable livelihoods perspective offers a way of thinking about the linkages among vulnerability, poverty and environmental or natural resource management. It is grounded and contextual, looking at how different people pursue a range and combination of livelihood strategies given a particular vulnerability context, combination of assets and set of opportunities and constraints presented by institutional structures and processes.
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    As one of the outstanding representatives of Chinese traditional alpine agriculture, Rice-Fish-Duck Agro-ecosystem can date back to Eastern Han Dynasty. Within thousands of years, this farming practice has been handed down by minority communities of Guizhou, Hunan, and Guangxi Province, particularly by Dong people of Southwest Guizhou. This agro-ecosystem is an evolving result from co-evolution of human culture and natural environment, and it developed an extraordinary living model of sustainab le use of water and soil resources. Dong people in Southwest of Guizhou used to cultivating rice and simultaneously stocking fish and duck, which in nature is a kind of wisdom condensed by countless agricultural practice. Different in approaches but equally satisfactory in results, Traditional Dong’s Rice-Fish-Duck Agro-ecosystem and modern organic, vertical and ecological agriculture stand on the same footing in terms of sustainable produce concepts and techniques. They both stress importance t o high-efficiency, low toxicity and healthy food. Xianghe glutinous rice is one of those excellent products of Rice-Fish-Duck model. However, due to the influence of modern economic and societal change, traditional values gradually fade away, whist the excellent agricultural traditional culture confronted with threats and challenges from many aspects. Immediate action should be taken to conservation it. Values of this system need to be explored and assessed.
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