Sustainable development is an evolutionary process in which all ethnic groups live in harmony with a healthy environment. For approximately forty years, Laos has been subjected to many disruptions. Minority groups, like the Hmong, have felt the full impact of the numerous socio-political and economic changes that took place in the country. The Hmong, in particular, who live in mountainous regions and practice slash and burn agriculture, have suffered from economic and social inequality policies practiced by previous governments. The progressive transformation of their methods of land use, their mode of production and their migrant lifestyle must clearly be understood before any attempt at a sedentary lifestyle with a view to a sustainable development be undertaken. The underprivileged Hmong aspire to better living conditions comparable to those of people living in the plains
