Population dynamics and paddy holding in a Remote Rural Village in Northern Laos

Abstract

This study clarified the population dynamics and changes in paddy field holdings over three generations in two villages located in a basin with limited arable land in Ngoi District, Luang Pabang Province, northern Laos. In the study area, people from mountainous areas have migrated since the 1970s, but many of them are still engaged in swidden agriculture because of the lack of paddy fields. Many households have to go to urban areas to work. Residents who migrated from the mountainous areas had to choose between staying in the basin, where paddy fields are scarce, or moving to the urban areas.