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Household andcommunity level practices toward attaining food security in Long District, Luang Namtha Province, Lao PDR
Thesis Abstract:
The study determined the practices of the households and the communities in attaining food security in Long District, Luang Namtha, Lao PDR. Specifically, it aimed to: (1) describe the social and economic characteristics of the respondents, and the natural and physical resources in the villages; (2) describe the household and community practices aimed at attaining food security; (3) determine the food security situation in the study sites based on food availability, access, and utilization; (4) determine the relationship between sociodemographic and economic characteristics with household and community level practices on food security; and (5) determine the relationship between household and community level practices and food security.
The study was conducted in six villages in Long District, Luang Namtha. From these villages, 122 farmers were randomly selected as survey respondents. One focus group discussion was conducted in each village to validate the results of the survey and gather data on community activities. Six village officials and two district officials were purposively selected for the key informant interviews. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the data analyses.
The respondents were male adults, married, unschooled and farmers like their spouses, who resettled and lived in their village for more than 20 years, and had small families and low income. The majority had streams/rivers near their village, fertile black soil, non-timber forest products, pigs and chickens, manual farm tools, unregistered lands, cellular phones, motorcycles, and potable water. However, majority had no irrigation system and electricity.
To attain food security at the household level, the respondents planted upland rice using the native varieties and manual tools, raised swine and poultry in traditional way, declined loaning money, and practiced husband-and-wife equal sharing of farming and household tasks. At the community level, livelihood programs were scarce but the respondents benefitted from food distribution programs.
Based on food availability, access, and utilization, the study found that the six villages were all food secure, foremost of which was Chamai. Household level practices on food security were related to the respondents’ sex, educational attainment, length of stay in the area, and total household income. Meanwhile, community level practices were generally correlated with the respondents’ age, sex, educational attainment, length of stay in the area, household size, and total household income.
Food security was found to be related to the variety of wetland rice planted, quantity of upland rice planted, method of raising pigs, and method of raising poultry. The study found that sufficiency of income and level of sufficiency of crop production were significantly related to access to livelihood programs. Generally, food security was significantly related to all of the community level practices.