| Résumé: |
Mountainous regions of northern Laos are faced with high deforestation rates which are attributed mainly to agricultural expansion of local smallholders. The expansion of cash crop cultivations, such as sugarcane, banana, rubber and cardamom has, over the past 20 years, considerably influenced the socio-economic development of small-scale farmers and their relations to their local environment. Based on the qualitative data resulting from interviews with sixty Laotian villagers and six focus groups in four villages in northern Laos, this master’s thesis explores the evolution of the villagers’ well-being in light of those rapid land use changes. More precisely, this research seeks to figure out what capabilities and opportunities the villagers have to live a life they value and how it changed over the past 20 years. This study demonstrates that the cash crops have considerably improved the quality of life and the well- being of the villagers in the assessed villages over the past 20 years. The increase in income and in leisure time from the new agricultural activities, in addition to government investments in public services have been a crucial factor of improvement of the villagers’ well-being. These changes are however accompanied by considerable environmental degradations and the loss of numerous ecosystem services. |
Mémoire [2.1 Mo]