2022 年 66 巻 4 号 p. 113-129
Rapid globalization and road development have affected rural livelihoods in montane mainland Southeast Asia. This study investigated livelihood dynamics and strategies over a 20-year period in four villages, based on criteria such as ethnic groups, livelihoods and accessibility. The study took place in Sone District, Houaphan Province, Laos, near the border with Vietnam. Results showed that livelihoods changed substantially over the 20 years. Local people maintained a level of subsistence agriculture and reclaimed new paddy fields. Although the influence of global markets increased throughout the period, change accelerated with the large-scale paving of roads. Local people started to collect and commercialize new non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and traditional tree crops, as well as cultivating new cash crops and wild plants. They used their opportunities flexibly even after a sharp drop in the price of some cash crops. To adapt to globalization influences, these people combined their various livelihood activities. Het daeng, a species of mushroom (Russula sp.), contributed the most as an income source and other NTFPs contributed to both total household income and income diversity, especially in villages with poor accessibility, which were more sensitive to price fluctuations in commercial commodities than those with better accessibility. Livestock were also important to local people for both income stability and asset enhancement. Their ability to adapt flexibly mainly came from goods provided by agricultural and forest ecosystems. These are important for progressive income diversification in this area.
