Food Procurement Strategies of Swidden Agriculturalists in Central Laos: Analysis of Side Dish Ingredient Records in Food Diaries

Abstract

We conducted research on the seasonal diet and food-acquisition strategies of households in a village inhabited by an ethnic minority group (Mankon) in Xepon district, central Laos, who maintain a subsistence economy by engaging in swidden agriculture, fishery, animal feeding, hunting, and gathering. We adopted the food diary method in which we collected data on everyday side dish menus as well as data concerning who acquired the main ingredients of those menus. The results suggested that the production–expenditure balance in household food acquisition changed from minus to plus during the period when children were in their teens, and the contribution of children to household food acquisition was important.