Dynamic Land Use Change in Sing District, Luang Namtha Province, Lao PDR

Sing district is the northern most districts in Luang Namtha province bordering China and Burma. The current study examines demographic change, and its impact on land use in Sing district. Furthermore, it compares the process of land use intensification in seven villages and looks into how land use intensification affects local resource tenure, and the economic relationship between villages and households. The study incorporates spatial analysis and analysis of agricultural production systems in order to understand the dynamic process of land use and agrarian changes taking place in Sing district. Our analysis illustrates the concentration of population in lowland areas of Sing district over the last decade due to a combination of causes including the pressures of government policies restricting upland shifting cultivation and opium production, and spontaneous migration caused by increased development and new economic opportunities in the lowland as increased farmers become engaged in cash crop production. At the same time, we also observe increased land use intensification in areas of lower elevation, particularly along the road. The transition is also accompanied by a transformation of rural farmers' production basis from subsistence to commercial cash crop production. This is changing the communal land and resource use practices, as privatization of resources increases competition over communal land and resources.