Author : Sengsavang Sisouraj

Summary : Phine and Sepone districts in Savannakhet Province are engaged in cassava farming because of the policy of the Government of Lao PDR to support the cassava industry for both local and foreign markets. This study focused on cassava farming system in Phine and Sepone districts of Savannakhet Province. The specific objectives were to characterize the cassava farming system; to compare the differences in the production and income of cassava farming; to assess the relationship of cassava production, income, and food security; and to formulate recommendations for the two rural communities. Data were collected from September to October 2016, having 92 cassava farmers as respondents. Research methods used were survey, key informant interview, and review of documents. Data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics.

The results showed that geography, farming system, and other biophysical characteristics were almost the same for both districts. The important factors in cassava farming pertain to capital, tools and equipment, soil fertility, and irrigation. The occurrence of drought and seasonal rain highly contributed to the seasonality of cassava farming, while other farm risks with highest percentage were poor techniques and pests. The higher land availability and soil fertility resulted to higher yield in Phine than Sepone. However, the main problem was marketing the goods due to poor road condition, which negatively affected their production and income. Meanwhile, strong linkages with the NGOs, market accessibility (high selling price), and availability of transportation had been advantageous for Sepone. Nevertheless, both districts had available land and manpower. The high production led to high income, thereby increasing the financial accessibility to food, resulting to availability of daily food for consumption. There was food security at the household level since the farmers consume nutritious meals thrice a day from the available agricultural products in their farm. The farmers had food access since they had the ability to purchase food and non-food items in the market. The level of food sufficiency was enough, which was associated to own farm production for household consumption and income derived from farming. It was recommended that the Lao PDR government develop programs and projects to support the policy on the sustainability of cassava farming such as support in cassava production research, promotion and marketing of cassava products, and improvement in infrastructure for cassava production.