Dynamique des activités des ménages ruraux et des pauvretés dans les agro-écosystèmes diversifiés du lac Tonle Sap au Cambodge

The overall objective of the PhD researchis to understand the dynamics of rural households activities in the vicinity of the Tonle Sap Lake (TSL) in Battambang province, Cambodia and to identify their interactions with the transformations of the local agro-ecosystem.. The research deeply investigates the history of land use and of the households’ activity systems under various drivers of change (policy, flood pulse, demography). The study proposes different scenarios and assesses their consequences on the local households, taking into consideration their strategies to adapt to shocks and stresses. The findings highlight the close linkages between the rural livelihoods and the ecosystem services of TSL. Hydrological changes, added to climate change, reduce water availability and the land flooded (and silted) annually by the flood. The governmental policy significantly impacts on the transformation of the households economies, especially on land access, crops diversity, and fishing expansion. Population growth and food demand puts more and more pressure on natural resources. The study identifies six household types based on production factors, livelihood strategies and economic situation. The coping strategies mainly involve cultivation practices on paddy and other crops, fishing, animal husbandry, aquaculture and non-farms non-fishing activities. The better-off household types are those who are able to diversify their production, whereas the worse-off household types are the Landless people, the Rice mono-croppers, and Small fishermen. The study suggests that policy implication can however contribute to maximising the long-term economic situation of the three poor household types by regulating the extension of the cultivation over the inundated forest, securing the access and land tenure of the most disadvantaged stakeholders and creating oppportunities of access to capital and inputs to all three types, providing adapted credit and loan systems to the poor households, providing adapted agricultural extension to Landless and Rice mono-croppers, supporting floating gardens extension to the Small Fishermen; improving social healthcare services and good local governance at all local levels.Keywords: Transformation of Agrarian Systems, Diversification of Activity System, Agriculture, Fishery, Rural Household, Ecosystem Services, Tonle Sap Lake, Strategy, Poverty, Resilience, Battambang, Cambodia.L’objectif général de cette recherche est de comprendre les dynamiques économiques des ménages ruraux en bordure du Lac Tonle Sap dans la province de Battambang au Cambodge, et de relier celles-ci aux transformations de l’agroecosystème local. La recherche s’intéresse à l’histoire de la mise en valeur des terres et du Lac sous l’influence des évolutions démographiques, des politiques publiques et des changements environnementaux, en particulier dans le régime de crue du Grand Lac.Les résultats soulignent la relation entre les systèmes de production des ménages et les services assurés par l’écosystème. Les changements hydrologiques et climatiques réduisent l’accès à l’eau agricole et restreignent les espaces inondés et fertilisés par la crue annuelle. Les politiques publiques contribuent à la transformation des économies familiales, en particulier au travers de l’accès au foncier, aux ressources génétiques cultivées et aux droits de pêche.La recherche identifie six types de systèmes de production, sur la base des moyens de production, des stratégies mises en place par les familles et des résultats économiques qu’elles obtiennent. Les stratégies d’adaptation au changement portent sur les systèmes de culture et d’élevage, sur les modes de pêche et d’aquaculture, ainsi que sur les activités complémentaires hors pêche et hors agriculture. Les mieux placés pour profiter des changements sont ceux qui ont les moyens de diversifier leurs activités, alors que les catégories « sans–terre », « monocultivateurs de paddy » et « petits pêcheurs » sont plutôt pénalisés. Les politiques publiques peuvent néanmoins contribuer à maximiser la résistance et la résilience de ces trois catégories, en particulier en régulant l’expansion des cultures sur la foret inondée, en y sécurisant l’accès au foncier des moins bien dotés, en subventionnant certains inputs essentiels, en organisant des systèmes de crédit adaptés les ménages pauvres, en organisant des services de conseil adaptés pour les ménages sans terre et les monocultivateurs de paddy, en soutenant l’extension des jardins flottants pour les petits pêcheurs et enfin en favorisant la santé publique et la bonne gouvernance locale.Mots clés: Transformation des systèmes agraires, Diversification des Systèmes d’activité, Ménages ruraux, Agriculture, Pêche, Services environnementaux, Stratégie, Pauvreté, Résilience, Lac Tonle Sap, Battambang, Cambodia

Dynamique des activités des ménages ruraux et des pauvretés dans les agro-écosystèmes diversifiés du lac Tonle Sap au Cambodge

The overall objective of the PhD researchis to understand the dynamics of rural households activities in the vicinity of the Tonle Sap Lake (TSL) in Battambang province, Cambodia and to identify their interactions with the transformations of the local agro-ecosystem.. The research deeply investigates the history of land use and of the households’ activity systems under various drivers of change (policy, flood pulse, demography). The study proposes different scenarios and assesses their consequences on the local households, taking into consideration their strategies to adapt to shocks and stresses. The findings highlight the close linkages between the rural livelihoods and the ecosystem services of TSL. Hydrological changes, added to climate change, reduce water availability and the land flooded (and silted) annually by the flood. The governmental policy significantly impacts on the transformation of the households economies, especially on land access, crops diversity, and fishing expansion. Population growth and food demand puts more and more pressure on natural resources. The study identifies six household types based on production factors, livelihood strategies and economic situation. The coping strategies mainly involve cultivation practices on paddy and other crops, fishing, animal husbandry, aquaculture and non-farms non-fishing activities. The better-off household types are those who are able to diversify their production, whereas the worse-off household types are the Landless people, the Rice mono-croppers, and Small fishermen. The study suggests that policy implication can however contribute to maximising the long-term economic situation of the three poor household types by regulating the extension of the cultivation over the inundated forest, securing the access and land tenure of the most disadvantaged stakeholders and creating oppportunities of access to capital and inputs to all three types, providing adapted credit and loan systems to the poor households, providing adapted agricultural extension to Landless and Rice mono-croppers, supporting floating gardens extension to the Small Fishermen; improving social healthcare services and good local governance at all local levels.Keywords: Transformation of Agrarian Systems, Diversification of Activity System, Agriculture, Fishery, Rural Household, Ecosystem Services, Tonle Sap Lake, Strategy, Poverty, Resilience, Battambang, Cambodia.L’objectif général de cette recherche est de comprendre les dynamiques économiques des ménages ruraux en bordure du Lac Tonle Sap dans la province de Battambang au Cambodge, et de relier celles-ci aux transformations de l’agroecosystème local. La recherche s’intéresse à l’histoire de la mise en valeur des terres et du Lac sous l’influence des évolutions démographiques, des politiques publiques et des changements environnementaux, en particulier dans le régime de crue du Grand Lac.Les résultats soulignent la relation entre les systèmes de production des ménages et les services assurés par l’écosystème. Les changements hydrologiques et climatiques réduisent l’accès à l’eau agricole et restreignent les espaces inondés et fertilisés par la crue annuelle. Les politiques publiques contribuent à la transformation des économies familiales, en particulier au travers de l’accès au foncier, aux ressources génétiques cultivées et aux droits de pêche.La recherche identifie six types de systèmes de production, sur la base des moyens de production, des stratégies mises en place par les familles et des résultats économiques qu’elles obtiennent. Les stratégies d’adaptation au changement portent sur les systèmes de culture et d’élevage, sur les modes de pêche et d’aquaculture, ainsi que sur les activités complémentaires hors pêche et hors agriculture. Les mieux placés pour profiter des changements sont ceux qui ont les moyens de diversifier leurs activités, alors que les catégories « sans–terre », « monocultivateurs de paddy » et « petits pêcheurs » sont plutôt pénalisés. Les politiques publiques peuvent néanmoins contribuer à maximiser la résistance et la résilience de ces trois catégories, en particulier en régulant l’expansion des cultures sur la foret inondée, en y sécurisant l’accès au foncier des moins bien dotés, en subventionnant certains inputs essentiels, en organisant des systèmes de crédit adaptés les ménages pauvres, en organisant des services de conseil adaptés pour les ménages sans terre et les monocultivateurs de paddy, en soutenant l’extension des jardins flottants pour les petits pêcheurs et enfin en favorisant la santé publique et la bonne gouvernance locale.Mots clés: Transformation des systèmes agraires, Diversification des Systèmes d’activité, Ménages ruraux, Agriculture, Pêche, Services environnementaux, Stratégie, Pauvreté, Résilience, Lac Tonle Sap, Battambang, Cambodia

Dynamics of Rural household activities and poverty at diversified agro-ecosystems of Tonle Sap lake in Battambang province, Cambodia

L’objectif général de cette recherche est de comprendre les dynamiques économiques des ménages ruraux en bordure du Lac Tonle Sap dans la province de Battambang au Cambodge, et de relier celles-ci aux transformations de l’agroecosystème local. La recherche s’intéresse à l’histoire de la mise en valeur des terres et du Lac sous l’influence des évolutions démographiques, des politiques publiques et des changements environnementaux, en particulier dans le régime de crue du Grand Lac.Les résultats soulignent la relation entre les systèmes de production des ménages et les services assurés par l’écosystème. Les changements hydrologiques et climatiques réduisent l’accès à l’eau agricole et restreignent les espaces inondés et fertilisés par la crue annuelle. Les politiques publiques contribuent à la transformation des économies familiales, en particulier au travers de l’accès au foncier, aux ressources génétiques cultivées et aux droits de pêche.La recherche identifie six types de systèmes de production, sur la base des moyens de production, des stratégies mises en place par les familles et des résultats économiques qu’elles obtiennent. Les stratégies d’adaptation au changement portent sur les systèmes de culture et d’élevage, sur les modes de pêche et d’aquaculture, ainsi que sur les activités complémentaires hors pêche et hors agriculture. Les mieux placés pour profiter des changements sont ceux qui ont les moyens de diversifier leurs activités, alors que les catégories « sans–terre », « monocultivateurs de paddy » et « petits pêcheurs » sont plutôt pénalisés. Les politiques publiques peuvent néanmoins contribuer à maximiser la résistance et la résilience de ces trois catégories, en particulier en régulant l’expansion des cultures sur la foret inondée, en y sécurisant l’accès au foncier des moins bien dotés, en subventionnant certains inputs essentiels, en organisant des systèmes de crédit adaptés les ménages pauvres, en organisant des services de conseil adaptés pour les ménages sans terre et les monocultivateurs de paddy, en soutenant l’extension des jardins flottants pour les petits pêcheurs et enfin en favorisant la santé publique et la bonne gouvernance locale.Mots clés: Transformation des systèmes agraires, Diversification des Systèmes d’activité, Ménages ruraux, Agriculture, Pêche, Services environnementaux, Stratégie, Pauvreté, Résilience, Lac Tonle Sap, Battambang, Cambodia.The overall objective of the PhD researchis to understand the dynamics of rural households activities in the vicinity of the Tonle Sap Lake (TSL) in Battambang province, Cambodia and to identify their interactions with the transformations of the local agro-ecosystem.. The research deeply investigates the history of land use and of the households’ activity systems under various drivers of change (policy, flood pulse, demography). The study proposes different scenarios and assesses their consequences on the local households, taking into consideration their strategies to adapt to shocks and stresses. The findings highlight the close linkages between the rural livelihoods and the ecosystem services of TSL. Hydrological changes, added to climate change, reduce water availability and the land flooded (and silted) annually by the flood. The governmental policy significantly impacts on the transformation of the households economies, especially on land access, crops diversity, and fishing expansion. Population growth and food demand puts more and more pressure on natural resources. The study identifies six household types based on production factors, livelihood strategies and economic situation. The coping strategies mainly involve cultivation practices on paddy and other crops, fishing, animal husbandry, aquaculture and non-farms non-fishing activities. The better-off household types are those who are able to diversify their production, whereas the worse-off household types are the Landless people, the Rice mono-croppers, and Small fishermen. The study suggests that policy implication can however contribute to maximising the long-term economic situation of the three poor household types by regulating the extension of the cultivation over the inundated forest, securing the access and land tenure of the most disadvantaged stakeholders and creating oppportunities of access to capital and inputs to all three types, providing adapted credit and loan systems to the poor households, providing adapted agricultural extension to Landless and Rice mono-croppers, supporting floating gardens extension to the Small Fishermen; improving social healthcare services and good local governance at all local levels.Keywords: Transformation of Agrarian Systems, Diversification of Activity System, Agriculture, Fishery, Rural Household, Ecosystem Services, Tonle Sap Lake, Strategy, Poverty, Resilience, Battambang, Cambodia

The paradoxical values of traditional deep water floating rice systems

Deep water floating rice (DW-FR) production has declined substantially across Asia, despite being a source of nutritious, culturally-important and flood-adapted food. Low perceived commercial value, and the desire for increased rice exports, has led to intensified farming of high yielding variety (HYV) rice. We used a commodity value-chain analysis to investigate the values of DW-FR in Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Poor communication and value-transference along the supply chain lead to farmers receiving poor returns for DW-FR despite its high ecological, cultural and commercial value in downstream markets. With minor adjustments, DW-FR systems could provide more sustainable livelihoods for farmers and greater food system security. For better returns we suggest implementation of improvements to breeding, farming, transport, processing, better access to finance, improved communication and development of other rice products.This work was supported by the Mitsui & Co., Ltd. Environment Fund 2016 project number R16-0701

Termite mounds in Cambodian paddy fields. Are they always kept for improving soil quality?

International audienceThe utilization of termite mounds for the improvement of soil fertility is a worldwide practice and usually explained by the specific properties of this biogenic material. In Cambodia, farmers also use termite mound soils as amendments with the aim to improve the fertility of paddy fields. The first objective of this study was, therefore, to describe the physical and chemical properties of this material and, consequently, to determine its potential for improving soil fertility. A second objective was to consider farmer’s perception and to quantify the diversity of services provided by termite mounds. We confirmed the specific soil properties of termite mounds but showed that their positive influence on soil chemical fertility and water retention are only significant in very sandy soil (-40-80% sand) while they remain limited in less sandy soil (~40 and 60% of sand). However, termite mounds are considered useful by farmers independently of the soil condition, mostly because this soil material is considered to positively increase soil fertility but also because they host a specific biodiversity which can be used for medicinal purposes or because consumed, then increasing population livelihood. Our work shows the discrepancy between the perception of farmers and the real impact of termite mounds on soil fertility as well as the diversity of services delivered by biodiversity in paddy fields

Abundance, perceptions and utilizations of termite mounds in Cambodia

International audienceIn the Lower Mekong Basin, paddy fields often appear as mosaics, with soil mounds covered by trees or other plants in a spotty distribution. These soil mounds are commonly named termite ‘lenticular mounds’ because termite bioturbation is considered to be at their origin. Termite mounds host a large diversity of animals and plants, increasing landscape patchiness. Because the preservation of these islands of biodiversity is threatened by modern agricultural practices, the aim of this study was to quantify their abundance and the services they provide to the local population. The abundance of mounds and their use by the population were quantified in a catchment in Cambodia. We found that mounds density reached ~2 mounds ha−1. Interviews carried out within the catchment showed that most of the interviewees used mounds for increasing the fertility of their field and for the cultivation of rice and other plants (e.g. sponge gourd and pumpkin). In addition to their potential to increase plant productivity, the survey revealed that animals (rats and snakes), mushrooms and 13 plant species found on or in mounds were consumed by the population. In addition to potentially contributing to an increase in food diversity, mounds also impacted farmers' health by allowing access to 20 medicinal plant species and indirectly via a reduction in pesticide use. In conclusion, this study is the first attempt to quantify the large number of services provided by termite mounds in Cambodia. This increase in the knowledge of the diversity of environmental and socioeconomic services provided by termite mounds is likely to contribute to their preservation and provide a basis for the sustainable management of biodiversity in paddy fields in the Lower Mekong Basin regio

Supporting stakeholders to anticipate and respond to risks in a Mekong River water-energy-food nexus

The water-energy-food nexus concept is criticized as not yet fit for deeply integrated and contested governance agendas. One problem is how to achieve equitable risk governance and management where there is low consensus on priorities, poor inclusion and coordination of risk assessment procedures, and a weak emphasis placed on cross-scale and sectoral interactions over time. Participatory system dynamics modeling processes and analyses are promising approaches for such challenges but are currently underutilized in nexus research and policy. This paper shares our experience implementing one such analysis in the Mekong river basin, a paradigmatic example for international nexus research. Our transdisciplinary research design combined participatory causal loop diagramming processes, scenario modeling, and a new resilience analysis method to identify and test anticipated water-energy-food risks in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces in northeastern Cambodia. Our process generated new understanding of potential cross-sectoral and cross-level risks from major hydropower development in the region. The results showed expected trade-offs between national level infrastructure programs and local level food security, but also some new insights into the effects local population increases may have on local food production and consumption even before hydropower developments are built. The analysis shows the benefit of evaluating risks in the nexus at different system levels and over time because of how system dynamics and inflection points are taken into account. Additionally, our case illustrates the contribution participatory system-thinking processes can make to risk assessment procedures for complex systems transitions. We originally anticipated that any new capacity reported by partners and participants would come from our modeling results produced at the end of the process. However, participants in the modeling procedures also found the experience powerful the information sharing, rapid risk assessment, and personal learning it enabled. A lesson from our experience reinforces a message from the transdisciplinary research field that has not yet been absorbed into the nexus research and policy field wholeheartedly: we do not have to wait for perfect data and incontestable results before making a positive contribution to anticipating and responding to risks that emerge from nexus relations if we apply participatory and systems-thinking informed approaches

Supporting stakeholders to anticipate and respond to risks in a Mekong River water-energy-food nexus

The water-energy-food nexus concept is criticized as not yet fit for deeply integrated and contested governance agendas. One problem is how to achieve equitable risk governance and management where there is low consensus on priorities, poor inclusion and coordination of risk assessment procedures, and a weak emphasis placed on cross-scale and sectoral interactions over time. Participatory system dynamics modeling processes and analyses are promising approaches for such challenges but are currently underutilized in nexus research and policy. This paper shares our experience implementing one such analysis in the Mekong river basin, a paradigmatic example for international nexus research. Our transdisciplinary research design combined participatory causal loop diagramming processes, scenario modeling, and a new resilience analysis method to identify and test anticipated water-energy-food risks in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces in northeastern Cambodia. Our process generated new understanding of potential cross-sectoral and cross-level risks from major hydropower development in the region. The results showed expected trade-offs between national level infrastructure programs and local level food security, but also some new insights into the effects local population increases may have on local food production and consumption even before hydropower developments are built. The analysis shows the benefit of evaluating risks in the nexus at different system levels and over time because of how system dynamics and inflection points are taken into account. Additionally, our case illustrates the contribution participatory system-thinking processes can make to risk assessment procedures for complex systems transitions. We originally anticipated that any new capacity reported by partners and participants would come from our modeling results produced at the end of the process. However, participants in the modeling procedures also found the experience powerful the information sharing, rapid risk assessment, and personal learning it enabled. A lesson from our experience reinforces a message from the transdisciplinary research field that has not yet been absorbed into the nexus research and policy field wholeheartedly: we do not have to wait for perfect data and incontestable results before making a positive contribution to anticipating and responding to risks that emerge from nexus relations if we apply participatory and systems-thinking informed approaches