Learnings from policy baseline research of SRI-LMB

2.  Critical insights & contextual analysis of the current
policies and practices of public and private sectors
that affect smallholders - including rain-fed rice
farmers - in attaining sustainable livelihoods,
productivity and profitability while facing the
pressure of climate change.
 Research findings and recommendations for policy
advocacy work to inform the policy advocacy and
communication activities supported by the SEMIL-SRI-
LMB.
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3.  Small holder Farmers (Women)
 Overall Policy Framework which has
implication on smallholder farmers

5.  Transitioning agriculture (affecting smallholders)
 Farmers’ choice (all 4)
 Rural finance (all 4)
 Rural industries or processing (all 4)
 Access to inputs – including labor (all 4)
 Access to markets (all 4)
 Private sector partnerships (all 4)
 Access to Land and the Rule of Law (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam)
 Irrigation (Cambodia, Lao PDR)
 Farmers’ groups (Lao PDR, Vietnam)
 Contract farming: Thailand
 Women representation ( all 4)
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6.  4 agro-ecozones: coastal, plain, Plateau and
Tonle-Sap
 2 categories: commercial (1-3 ha) and
subsistence (<1 ha)
 Very low yield (2.8t/ha avg) and poor value
 Persistent difficulty access to food security
 Increasing diversification and use of other
income sources, incl. migration
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7. New Extension policy is recently launched,
 Public investment to implement this policy is still a
question.
Women’s representation is still a question but good signs
Increased influence of the private sector
Development of a cohesive extension policy’s monitoring
and evaluation framework and resources investment plan
needs to be established.
 Adequate incentives for extension staff/system
 Coordination of all extension providers (TWG can be the
mechanism)
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8. Focus on supplementary irrigation (reduce risk, but low
return) and large scales (not adapted to topography)
Difficult transfer to user groups because of low
incentive to invest.
Advocate for the development of (dry season) small
scale irrigation schemes that are more likely to benefit
small farmers (women)
 Capacity building of Gvt staff to train farmers and to
transfer schemes to user groups
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9. Insufficient evidence of the impacts of CC on small
farmers.
CCCSP is ready, but translation into practical plans
coordinated intra- and inter- ministries is very arduous
 Development of evidence of the impact of climate change
on poor farmers and women (micro-economic studies
necessary)
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10.  Key rice producing area: 7 plains.
 2 distinct small farmers: plain (about 3.5 T/h)
and upland (about 1.9 T/ha)
 92 % glutinous rice
 Plain farmers are increasingly commercial
 Upland farmers are switching to cash crops
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11. Industrialization of the agricultural sector
Use of natural resources to generate income (“turning
land into capital”)
Little coordination between ministries with opposite
goals.
 MAF decided to transform from service provider to
facilitator  good opportunities.
 New Law -Farmers cooperative/Association will bring
a good opportunity to SEMIL project.
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12. Schemes are under-performing because:
 poor non-participatory designs
 lack of investment (most channels are earthen) / mismatch design vs
resources
Disconnection between irrigation schemes and markets (input and
output)
Positive move towards reinforcing user groups.
Guidelines for co-management between user groups and gvt
 Participatory design of irrigation scheme with focus on small-
scale and sustainability. Balance between supplementary and
dry irrigation.
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13. Very positive development
MAF transitions from service provider to facilitator
commercial farmers cooperatives are created.
Strengthen enabling environment for farmers cooperatives to
ensure that they do not become a relay for political
structures, but serve their members.
 Women in extension services
Provide networking opportunities for farmers cooperatives.
Advocate for direct provision of seed fund to cooperatives.
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14.  Third largest exporter of rice.
 Mature agricultural sector for the region.
 Rice smallholders: 56% of rice farmers <3.2 ha
 Central region: rice bowl of Thailand.
 Northeast: rice farming with low productivity.
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15. The Philosophy of Self-Sufficiency and the New Theory
are guiding agricultural development (articulated in the
11th NESDP).
 Positive view of farming based on diversified farms for
sustainability.
Use the Philosophy of Self-Sufficiency as a platform to
interact with gvt.
 Reinforce the role of women farmers
Advocate for increasing number of options for farmers
(some have become stuck in credit cycle).
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16. Market intervention, now terminated.
Has affected the whole value chain
Did not benefit small farmers.
Space available for advocacy as there is now a vacuum.
Gov’t will be especially sensitive to better focus of
subsidies towards the poorest.
Opportunity to call for research on the impact of global
markets and how small farmers may benefit (position
in the value chain).
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17. Thailand is one of the pioneer and is now actively exporting the
model to neighboring countries.
Model mostly benefited the better-off farmers by mitigating state
deficiency.
Benefit for most vulnerable with low bargaining power is less than
evident (debt, landlessness…).
Strengthen implementation of legal framework to protect smallest
farmers and lobbying agri-business for long-term mutually beneficial
approach.
Reinforce capacity of extension staff, smallholders and cooperatives to
deal with agri-business.
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18. Successful promotion by Thai government
Slow uptake as organic certification is too expensive for
smallholders or cooperatives.
Reinforce attractiveness for farmers by raising profile of
Thai organic rice /or SRI rice on domestic and
international markets and by awareness campaign on the
benefits (fits with the New Philosophy)
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19.  Doi Moi in 1986.
 Increased yield and diversification into non-
farm activities.
 Smallholders <
 0.5 ha with fragmented land.
 30-35% of rural population poor or near poor.
 Smallholders mainly live in disadvantaged
areas: North and central highlands. Rice is not
as important for them as for others. 19

20. Continues to guide Gvt policy intervention with - results in low-
quality high-volume.
Gvt’s strong interventionism in export and less focus on domestic
rice market
Focus on rice quality for policy intervention on domestic
market and ensure this is enshrined in next SEDP (drafting is
starting)
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21. 95% of farmers have a land use certificate.
 Farmers’ opportunities to diversify into other areas and increase
incomes are limited by factors like water consumption, labor use,
carbon emissions.
 The designated rice land policy and difficulties in land-use
transformation (Decree No. 42/2012/NĐ-CP dated 11 May 2012
requires the Prime Minister's approval for any change of land-use
purpose from designated rice land to non-farm usage).
 Review the new agriculture restructuring re potential benefit
to smallholder farmers.
Constructive dialogue with Provincial govt/ Farmer Union for
possible way to promote/strengthen small holder farmers to
gain more benefit from rice production policy.
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22. Various services are offered, including technical trainings, field
demonstration workshops, on-site consultation, and provision of
market information.
However extension services is mostly to response to govt’s
objectives (not really focus on demand-driven), with insufficient
budget and not wider reaching to the poor.
Recent positive evolutions have seen increased budget for extension.
Emphasis on the quality of services and women as the audience.
 Incentives for private or farmer-led extension services
(including transparent input registration…)
Facilitation of contract farming arrangements with
development of regulations and mechanisms to protect the
poorest
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23.  The Philosophy of Self-Sufficiency and The New Theory
in Thailand
 Lao PDR’s focus on farmers’ cooperatives and on public
extension as a facilitator
 Rice Production Policy- support to reduce input cost in
Viet Nam
 Thailand experiment with precision farming and support
to organic agriculture.
 New Extension policy ‘s monitoring and implementing
and monitoring resource allocation for extension in
ASDP2014-2018 for Cambodia
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