What should be done to preserve more land for agriculture?

Fewer farmers are growing rice, especially in Vientiane, as many have given up farming while more and more land around the city is being appropriated for the construction of commercial property. The Ministry of Agriculture is formulating a decree aimed at banning the use of agricultural and irrigated land for commercial construction, aiming to preserve 4.5 million hectares of land for agricultural production over the next 30 years.

Mr Vandy Duanvilay, a resident of Borikhamxay province: It’s true that the amount of land available for farming is shrinking. Some rice fields lie empty and it’s clear that no one is growing anything, especially in Vientiane. A lot of agricultural land is under threat from development projects, and more and more land is being used for construction purposes. I don’t think it’s good that so much arable land is being used for construction, including industrial parks. It’s good that the government will issue a decree to preserve land for crop cultivation, to safeguard the government’s food security strategy and enable sustainable agricultural production. This decree should be put into practice urgently and effectively. The authorities should provide more information to the public to ensure that they understand the situation and realise the importance of this issue. 

Ms Xeun, a government official in Vientiane: I’m glad that the government is allowing investors to lease land or obtain concessions to operate a business. Such projects will speed up the development of Laos, but unfortunately some project operators have broken the regulations and have harmed the soil, water and forests in some areas. The state and some individuals have suffered because of these projects. I don’t know if the authorities ever check documents in detail before approving a development project, or maybe they are paid off by the investors. But the government should consider the possible effects of any project before approving it. I think it’s more difficult to tackle the illegal occupation of land if the authorities don’t respect the laws.
 
Ms Vongdeun, a resident of Luang Prabang province: Many farmers in Vientiane have stopped growing rice because of rising costs. And it’s quite difficult to hire workers to help with farming because young people want to do other kinds of work. No one wants to do farming because it’s hard work and dirty, so if they have another option they will take it. And of course, farm labourers don’t get paid much. A lot of villages around here have a large number of older people and children, and they can’t work in the fields. So we end up selling our land to investors and companies that inevitably want to build on it. It’s good that the government intends to preserve farmland, but they should also give more support to farmers in the way of information, modern technology, and funding. This would encourage more people to continue farming and grow the crops we need.   
 
Mr Lae Luangxay, a government official in Xaysettha district, Vientiane: Yes, a lot of farmland has been given over to other uses, especially in large towns. Now there are lots of apartments and factories being built and some parts of the country have been completely transformed because land has been sold to developers. I think the sectors responsible should allocate land more wisely and ensure there is sufficient farmland for crop cultivation. We need land to support the government’s food security strategy and ensure that enough crops can be grown to feed everyone. We don’t want to continue to import more food.

By Lamphone Pasanthong
(Latest Update June 24, 2022)