글로벌 녹색경제 확산 및 협력체계 구축 = Global Green Economy Dissemination through Cooperation Network – Agricultural Sectors in Laos and Cambodia

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

As an important means to achieve sustainable development and address the poverty issue in developing countries, the green economy is now presented as a new direction for all mankind. In particular, emphasis is placed on the fact that sustainable agriculture must take priority in order to respond to the growth in global population and the subsequent rise in the demand for food. With a focus on eradicating poverty, enhancing social equity and minimizing factors harmful to the environment in Laos and Cambodia, which are countries prioritized by Korea for cooperative efforts, this study aims to discuss strategies for expanding the green economy in agriculture as the main driver of the economy in these countries, and suggest policy proposals from the perspective of international cooperation. Laos and Cambodia conform to the industrial structure of traditional agriculture-centered countries, with the agricultural sector accounting for more than 30 percent of the entire GDP and over 70 percent of the national workforce engaged in the agricultural industry. This indicates that the development of rural areas is necessary not only to exterminate absolute poverty, but also to enable continued economic development. The national strategies of these countries also center upon agricultural and rural development and environmental issues, including food security, poverty eradication, and climate change. In Laos, slash-and-burn agriculture has been identified as a major cause of deforestation and poverty, due to its prevalence in mountainous areas that comprise about 80 percent of the entire land. The Lao government attempted to address this issue by banning the controversial agricultural technique in the 1980s, but this move has instead resulted in spreading the destructive slash-and-burn practice, the main advantage of which is the short fallow period. This situation is driven not only by internal factors such as the growing population in the mountainous areas and lack of technology for paddy rice farming available to farmers, but also by external factors such as large-scale infrastructure development projects, expansion of industrial forestation projects, the Lao government`s policy to relocate or merge villages, and the Land and Forest Allocation program. This resulted in the destruction of forests in total contrast to the original objective, as well as reduced household income caused by the decreasing productivity corresponding to the deteriorating quality of soil. In addition, the cultivation of cash crops are rapidly expanding in the mountainous areas of Laos as a combined result of the abovementioned policy and the increasing demand for agricultural products in Vietnam and other neighboring countries, but concerns have been raised over income instability among the local residents and the food crisis possibly caused by unfavorable contracts and price volatility in the international markets. In Cambodia on the other hand, since 90 percent of all arable land is used for rice farming, the promotion of paddy rice farming is projected to have a significant influence over the country`s economic growth and increase in national income. In reality, however, Cambodia faces a range of challenges: rice productivity is low and the milling rate stands at a mere 63 percent; and although the country has abundant water resources provided by high precipitation as well as the Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake, the shortage and deterioration of irrigation facilities lead to frequent floods and droughts. In addition, while triple cropping is widespread in the Red River region in Vietnam and the Mekong Delta, even double cropping is rarely practiced in Cambodia. As the hydroponic agricultural system of Cambodia usually uses the sewage or wastewater flowing into wetlands in suburban areas, this enables the biological treatment of wastewater and cheap, large-scale output by water plants. Hydroponic vegetables are consumed on a near-daily basis by the Cambodian people, contributing to the high market demand, and therefore are known as an excellent source of income compared to other income sources in rural and urban areas. The recent increase in reclaimed wetlands driven by expanding urbanization and industrialization is raising concerns over greater water pollution and the resulting health and hygiene damages that may be caused by hydroponic agricultural products. Sewage and factory wastewater is often discharged into wetlands or artificial ponds made for wastewater treatment without undergoing proper treatment, and water quality is deteriorating due to the use of agricultural pesticides and chemical fertilizers by farmers unaware of potential consequences, along with mining activities and subpar urban sewage management. In an effort to protect the environment of water resources, the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia selects regions that supply water for public use, monitoring and managing the quality of public water each month, while the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology collects and analyzes water samples on a monthly basis. However, the effectiveness of such endeavor remains limited, largely due to the lack of a national strategy, shortage of expert manpower, and the fiscal crunch. The reclamation of lakes to expand the urban area has resulted in the forced eviction of low-income residents and decrease in the area of land used for hydroponic cultivation, thereby posing a threat to the livelihood of farmers and increasing the number of the urban poor. In response to the situation, some farmers have learned advanced hydroponic techniques from neighboring countries to establish facilities for artificial hydroponic agriculture and cultivate high-quality hydroponic crops. However, such cases are extremely rare, and most ordinary farmers do not possess the necessary level of technical knowhow and cannot even make such an attempt due to the financial burden. Against this backdrop, the main areas for international development cooperation to help sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas in Laos and Cambodia in consideration of the green economy are as follows. For the slash-and-burn agriculture in the mountainous areas in Laos, the introduction of high added-value agricultural management suitable for the climate and soil of the mountainous areas is necessary in order to protect forestry resources and prevent soil deterioration caused by crop cultivation, and as a replacement for the slash-and-burn method, which is on the rise following the government ban. As part of the countermeasures, this study proposes that the Lao government embark on an international cooperation project designed to distribute technology to improve plant breeding, in order to facilitate region-rotational and eco-friendly livestock industry in accordance with national strategies. Except for the plains around the Mekong River basin, most crops in Laos are cultivated during the wet season due to the insufficient irrigation facilities. Particularly in the mountainous areas occupied for slash-and-burn farming, irrigation facilities are inadequate for the small minority share of paddy rice farming. The restructuring of irrigation will facilitate not only rice farming, but also greater stability in the cultivation of many other crops, contributing to the improvement of diet and income among Lao residents. Under the current agricultural conditions in Laos, it is necessary to establish eco-friendly irrigation facilities with high field adaptability that may be managed by the tightly knit local communities of Laos, instead of facilities such as pumping stations and tube wells that require large installation costs as well as significant costs and efforts for maintenance. A primary concern for irrigation agriculture in Cambodia is improving rice productivity in rainfed paddy fields during the wet season, and it will be more desirable to enhance management efficiency than to increase the irrigation ratio by undertaking medium- or large-scale projects for water resources development that will require investments and incur environmental impacts to a significant degree. Secondly, productivity must be improved by enhancing technical efficiency from developing high-yielding seeds for example, and it is particularly imperative to develop varieties that deter the use of a large quantity of farm inputs such as chemical fertilizers and agricultural pesticides. Thirdly, instead of extending the rice-farming area to hilly areas where obtaining a supply of water resources is difficult, it is worth considering the reduction of excessive dependence on rice farming in such regions and instead discovering and distributing alternative crops for higher income generation and commercialization. Due to the rapid urban development in Phnom Penh, and the resulting industrialization and the reclamation of natural wetlands, concerns have been constantly raised over the possibility of reduced areas for hydroponic cultivation, which is the main source of income for the poor strata in the suburban areas, and deteriorating water pollution, thus posing a threat to the livelihood of the poor and public health and hygiene. In response to these problems, it is necessary for the government to provide financial support for the early settlement and vitalization of eco-friendly artificial hydroponic agriculture, which will enable the large-scale production of clean and high-quality vegetables all year round regardless of harvest conditions, as well as clean cultivation environment to reduce unfavorable conditions for labor practices. In addition, farmers must be given appropriate support to enhance their capabilities in terms of technical skills. In order to prevent water pollution, one of the major environmental challenges caused by urbanization, it is urgent to establish basic environmental facilities for the treatment of sewage and wastewater, cultivation of crops in the river area, and disposal of waste, and to systemically restructure relevant policy and legislation. The area of international cooperation proposed in this study is where Korea has a comparative advantage in terms of agricultural experience and technology, and the area coincides with the sectors included in the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) of Laos and Cambodia. Furthermore, it is advisable for the two countries, which are designated as priority countries for official development aid (ODA) provided by Korea, to pursue systemic development and cooperation projects based on a strengthened multilateral cooperative system requiring joint participation by the private sector, government and other aid-providing institutions.