Linking agro-biodiversity, income diversification and food security in ethnically mixed region of northern Laos

Thang Sian Pau

Master's thesis

Abstract:

This study sought to analyse the contribution of home gardens to household food securityin the ethnically mixed region, located in the Khoun district of northern Laos. Specifically,it documents the food species grown in home gardens by both ethnic groups and to obtaintheir capacity and use using frequencies, estimate agrobiodiversity of food species grown inlocal home gardens using Margalef and Shannon- Wienner indices, analyse householdresources capacity and potential mutual effects with agrobiodiversity with multiple linearregression and tabulated the nutritional value of food species from home gardens withspecial respect to household consumption. A combination of convenience and snow ballsampling, non-probability sampling, were used to sample 59 and 41 home gardenhouseholds of the Lao Loum and Hmong ethnicities respectively making a total sample size100. The study results documented 132 plant species with most of these species used fordiverse purposes such as food, income generation, spices, ornaments, medicines, fodder,cultural purposes and materials for textiles and construction. It again document food to bethe dominant use although an increasing attention is given to the commercialization ofhome gardens. In all, 12 were identified as dominant with 14 species underutilized. TheMargalef and Shannon-Wienner indices also indicates an average level of species richnessand diversity with relatively higher levels of species density and abundance. The linearregression also established a positive mutual effect between agrobiodiversity and access toinformation and technology, off-farm income and livestock keeping whereas higher familylabour, usage and farm size were found to have inverse effect on agrobiodiversity. Foodcrops species grown in home gardens and consumed at the household level were also foundto be highly nutritious since majority of the domestically consumed species had highernutritional values relative to other species their food category. The study recommendstraditional local species rather than commercialising home gardens by both Lao Loum andHmong ethnicities.

Keywords

food security, diversity indices, home garden, Lao Loum and Hmong ethnic groups, Laos

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 26. 4. 2019

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Ing. Vladimír Verner, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / field:
Tropical Agriculture / International Development and Agricultural Economics