Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Trier. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-296).

Proefschrift Wenen.

Zugl.: Wien, Univ. für Bodenkultur, Diss., 2008 u.d.T.: Ribeiro, Maria Miguel: Modelling the factors influencing the commercialisation of paper mulberry bark (Broussonetia papyrifera (L) Vent)

The Mekong River, an important transnational river in Southeast Asia, passes through six counties including China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. About 70 million people live in the Mekong Basin, and the basin provides many resources of people to make a living, and help to sustain the daily life routines of local community. The development of mainstream dams on the Mekong River is a potential major trans-boundary geopolitical issue for the Mekong countries, placing at risk millions of people who are closely linked to the Mekong and the resource it supports. The riverbank gardens and forests are going to be inundated, facing the situation of waterfront change and the land use competition, thus communities are under threats of food security and livelihood. This project is going to explore ways to sustain food security and to enhance the livelihood of local community, to adopt the potential changes raised by the Mekong dams as an opportunity rather than constraints, to improve the food security and enhance the benefit to local communities in terms of their livelihood by taking advantage of the water change to reorganize the riverside community, provide them space and guide the productive activities of local villagers, thus to increase the environmental and social benefit of the whole river system in a regional scale of the Mekong. Through this project a balance will be maintained in terms of the performance of river system and the livelihoods for local community. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

This dissertation engages with processes of social and spatial organisation of the Brao, a Mon-Khmer language-speaking ethnic group whose approximately 60,000 members reside mainly in the provinces of Attapeu and Champasak, in the southern-most part of Laos; and Ratanakiri and Stung Treng, in the northeastern-most part of Cambodia. Divided broadly into eight different sub-groups—the Jree, Kavet, Hamong, Ka-nying, Lun, Umba, Kreung and Brao Tanap—the Brao are, historically, swidden cultivators whose livelihoods were, and often remain, heavily dependent on fishing, hunting and the collection of various forest products, and who have particular ways of organising spatially, with concomitant rules and norms, including spatial taboos. Over the last number of centuries, various powers have tried to dominate the Brao and Brao spaces, including the Khmer, Lao and Siamese, followed by the French, Japanese, Vietnamese, Americans, Lao (royalist and communist), Khmer (royalist and communist), and the present-day Lao and Cambodian governments working together with international development agencies. These various groups, including those typically considered to be precolonial and postcolonial, are theorised in this thesis as representing different forms of colonialism, each with particular objectives and implications for the Brao. This dissertation examines these various forms of colonialism and their effects on the Brao over history. The role of the international border between Lao and Cambodia in constituting Brao 'places of resistance' is also examined. I demonstrate how differing forms of colonial domination have had varying impacts on the Brao; through effecting social and spatial change that in turn impact—amongst other things—Brao places. These places are constituted with meaning by the Brao, and are closely linked to their identities. All forms of colonialism have spatial repercussions, and frequently include processes of (re)territorialisation and attempts to rescale the spatial systems of dominated groups like the Brao. However, colonial powers are never omnipotent or fully successful. Their efforts are frequently resisted, even if negotiation, compliance and other nuanced responses are important. Overall, human agency is crucial for determining the outcomes of attempts to dominate.

Agriculture remains a dominant economic sector in many developing countries. Rice constitutes a staple food for more than half of the world's population and is the main meal of all Lao people (FAO, 2005). However, rice production faces many problems, including the effects of floods, drought and poor soil quality. These challenges combine to reduce rice productivity below what might be possible. However, before new agricultural policies are put in place, it is important to identify the factors associated with rice production efficiency. This thesis analyses technical and socio-economic factors that influence rice production and estimates the level of technical efficiency of individual rice farmers in Ban Home, Laos. / Survey data were collected in the region in 2003, for both wet season and dry season rice production. Using these data, a Cobb-Douglas frontier production function was estimated for each season using two approaches, deterministic and stochastic. During the wet season, several factors were statistically significant and positive in their effect on rice yield: area in rice production, level of fertilizer use, total labour, the use of a modern variety, sandy soil and contact with a professional agricultural advisor. During the dry season, only area in rice production and fertilizer were significant. Based on the frontier production functions, it is possible to conclude that the average technical efficiency of farmers is higher during the dry season than the wet season, for both the deterministic and stochastic approaches. / However, socio-economic factors were unable to explain the level of technical efficiency among farmers, when evaluated using a standard regression approach. By using a simple t-test to compare the mean level of efficiency of different groups of farmers, some significant differences emerged. Farmers who used credit were found to be more efficient than those who did not. Moreover, experienced farmers were more efficient than less experienced farmers. Also, farmers with less than 7 years of education were more efficient than more educated farmers.

This dissertation engages with processes of social and spatial organisation of the Brao, a Mon-Khmer language-speaking ethnic group whose approximately 60,000 members reside mainly in the provinces of Attapeu and Champasak, in the southern-most part of Laos; and Ratanakiri and Stung Treng, in the northeastern-most part of Cambodia. Divided broadly into eight different sub-groups—the Jree, Kavet, Hamong, Ka-nying, Lun, Umba, Kreung and Brao Tanap—the Brao are, historically, swidden cultivators whose livelihoods were, and often remain, heavily dependent on fishing, hunting and the collection of various forest products, and who have particular ways of organising spatially, with concomitant rules and norms, including spatial taboos. Over the last number of centuries, various powers have tried to dominate the Brao and Brao spaces, including the Khmer, Lao and Siamese, followed by the French, Japanese, Vietnamese, Americans, Lao (royalist and communist), Khmer (royalist and communist), and the present-day Lao and Cambodian governments working together with international development agencies. These various groups, including those typically considered to be precolonial and postcolonial, are theorised in this thesis as representing different forms of colonialism, each with particular objectives and implications for the Brao. This dissertation examines these various forms of colonialism and their effects on the Brao over history. The role of the international border between Lao and Cambodia in constituting Brao 'places of resistance' is also examined. I demonstrate how differing forms of colonial domination have had varying impacts on the Brao; through effecting social and spatial change that in turn impact—amongst other things—Brao places. These places are constituted with meaning by the Brao, and are closely linked to their identities. All forms of colonialism have spatial repercussions, and frequently include processes of (re)territorialisation and attempts to rescale the spatial systems of dominated groups like the Brao. However, colonial powers are never omnipotent or fully successful. Their efforts are frequently resisted, even if negotiation, compliance and other nuanced responses are important. Overall, human agency is crucial for determining the outcomes of attempts to dominate.

Diss. Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2004.

Zugl.: Münster (Westfalen), Univ., Diss., 2007

Nürtingen, FH, Diplomarb., 2004. / Betreuer: Hans-Karl Hauffe ; Christian Küpfer.