Evolution des systemes de production ruraux en republique democratique populaire du laos

Evolution of the lao rural production systems in lao pdr

• Auteur / Autrice : Laurent Chazée
• Direction : Pierre-Bernard Lafont
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Etudes indiennes et extrême-orientales
• Date : Soutenance en 1997
• Etablissement(s) : Paris 7

Résumé

L'objectif de ce travail est de decrire les systemes de production ruraux du laos, en particulier ceux du nord du pays, et d'analyser leur evolution entre 1975 et 1995. Lorsque le parti communiste lao prit le pouvoir en 1975, les activites vivrieres caracterisaient ces systemes. La production rizicole, le maraichage, l'elevage extensif, la peche, la cueillette et la chasse en etaient les principales composantes. Les premieres annees de production et d'economie planifiees entre 1976 et 1985 n'ont fait que renforcer les habitudes paysannes traditionnelles et le comportement autarcique des societes rurales. A la veille de l'ouverture economique du pays en 1986, les systemes agraires laotiens avaient pris un retard considerable face a la thailande et aux autres pays membres de l'asean. Cette ouverture economique representait un defi lourd a relever vis a vis du contexte historique, politique, economique et social du pays et face a la puissance economique des pays voisins. Pourtant, a partir de 1986, les communautes rurales oriente spontanement et progressivement leurs systemes de production vers la demande des marches locaux et thailandais. Cette tendance fut particulierement nette chez les agriculteurs de plaine. Leur integration dans l'economie de marche etait facilitee par les nouvelles politiques nationales et par l'abondance des ressources naturelles que le parti communiste avai su preserver. Elle etait aussi catalysee par le dynamisme economique de l'asie du sud-est. Les essarteurs, plus isoles et moins informes, s'integraient beaucoup plus lentement a l'economie nationale. Ils y sont encourages par le gouvernement qui poursuit son programme de relocalisation des villages et sa politique restrictive vis a vis des pratiques de defriche-brulis. Les tendances montrent que l'agriculteur laotien progressiste se refere aux modeles ruraux de la thailande. Il les adapte au contexte social qu'il souhaite encore garder authentique. Neanmoins, les conditions relativement bonnes d'environnement et de demographie en zone rurale le confortent encore dans un comportement de production de subsistance. Seules les activites a forte productivite du travail comme l'elevage et les activites non agricoles de transformation et de service le motivent a modifier son attitude. Le bond d'un systeme traditionnel de subsistance a un systeme oriente sur l'entreprise privee represente u

The objective of the work is to describe the rural production systems in laos, particularly in the northern provinces, and to analyse their evolution between 1975 and 1995. When the lao communist party took the power in 1975, the production systems of the rural lao communities were based on food-sufficiency. The rice production, the vegetable gardens, the traditional animal husbandry, the fishing, the gathering and the hunting activities were the main components of those systems. The first period of the centrally planned production and economy between 1975 and 1985 have strengthened the traditional habits of the rural societies and their autarky behaviour. In 1985, before the economic reforms, the lao agrarian systems accounted a considerable delay comparing to those of thailand and other asean countries. These economic reforms were a difficult challenge to undertake with the historical, political, economic and social context of the country and in front of the economic power of the neighbouring countries. Nevertheless, since 1986, the rural communities have spontaneously and progressively oriented their production systems towards the local and thai market demands. This tendency was particularly visible for the farmers living in the plain areas. Their integration in the market economy was facilitated by the new national policies and by the important natural resources that the communist party had been able to preserve. This integration was equally boosted by the economic dynamism of the south-east asia. The shifting cultivators, more isolated and less informed, benefited to a less extent to the national economy. Their integration is encouraged by the government, through village resettlement programme and restrictive policies against slash and burn techniques. The tendencies show that for progressist lao farmers, the thai production systems are the reference. These models are adapted in the lao social context that the farmer would like to keep authentic. Nevertheless, the good environmental and demographic situations in most of the lao rural areas usually do not oblige the farmers to modify their traditional subsistence-based farming attitude. The farmers respond positively only for the high work productivity activities such as livestock raising and off farm processing and service oriented activities. The switch from a subsistence-based farming system to a entr