000 02396nab|a22003257a|4500
999 _c63999
_d63991
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022 _a2073-4395 (Online)
024 8 _ahttps://doi.org/10.3390/land10030330
040 _aMX-TxCIM
041 _aeng
100 1 _aCastella, J.C.
_921591
245 1 0 _aRural roads are paving the way for land-use intensification in the uplands of Laos
260 _aBasel (Switzerland) :
_bMDPI,
_c2021.
500 _aPeer review
500 _aOpen Access
520 _aRoad expansion has played a prominent role in the agrarian transition that marked the integration of swidden-based farming systems into the market economy in Southeast Asia. Rural roads deeply altered the landscape and livelihood structures by allowing the penetration of boom crops such as hybrid maize in remote territories. In this article, we investigate the impact of rural road developments on livelihoods in northern Laos through a longitudinal study conducted over a period of 15 years in a forest frontier. We studied adaptive management strategies of local stakeholders through the combination of individual surveys, focus group discussions, participatory mapping and remote-sensing approaches. The study revealed the short-term benefits of the maize feeder roads on poverty alleviation and rural development, but also the negative long-term effects on agroecosystem health and agricultural productivity related to unsustainable land use. Lessons learnt about the mechanisms of agricultural intensification helped understanding the constraints faced by external interventions promoting sustainable land management practices. When negotiated by local communities for their own interest, roads may provide livelihood-enhancing opportunities through access to external resources, rather than undermining them.
546 _aText in English
650 7 _aRoads
_2AGROVOC
_914640
650 7 _aMaize
_gAGROVOC
_2
_91173
650 7 _aLandscape
_2AGROVOC
_94296
650 7 _aLivelihoods
_2AGROVOC
_92558
651 7 _2AGROVOC
_912696
_aLao People's Democratic Republic
700 1 _aPhaipasith, S.
_921592
773 0 _tLand
_gv. 10, no. 3, art. 330
_dBasel (Switzerland) : MDPI, 2021.
_x2073-445X
_w10411586
856 4 _yClick here to access online
_uhttps://doi.org/10.3390/land10030330
942 _cJA
_n0
_2ddc