Moglia, Magnus

Alexander, Kim S

Larson, Silva

(Giger)-Dray, Anne

Greenhalgh, Garry

Thammavong, Phommath

Thephavanh, Manithaythip

Case, Peter

2020-07-01

<p>Traditional lifestyles of lowland rice farmers of the southern provinces of Lao People's Democratic Republic are rapidly changing, due to two important trends. Firstly, there is a push towards modernization and commercialization of farming. Secondly, though farmers still focus on rice farming as a key activity, there is an increasing move towards diversification of livelihoods. The changes have seen the uptake of non-rice crops, livestock husbandry and forest and river utilization" as well as non-farming activities. This has influenced gender relations, impacting household agricultural production decisions and amplified transitional trends. To explore the processes, we analyzed data from a study of innovation adoption amongst rice farmers in southern Lao PDR. The study revealed nuances of gender-based differences in the priorities and attitudes towards farming and off-farm activities, as well as differences in behaviour related to the adoption of new practices. Women were more focused on non-farming practices and considered engaging in the modern, non-traditional, economy more so than men. Women also reported experiencing greater challenges when engaging and trading in the agricultural marketplace. The study supports the importance of taking a gendered approach to understanding the inherent complexities within agrarian change.<p>

Sustainability, 12(13), p. 1-20

2071-1050

https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/63265

en

MDPI AG

Attribution 4.0 International

Gendered Roles in Agrarian Transition: A Study of Lowland Rice Farming in Lao PDR

Journal Article

Publication