Upland cultivation in Laos

Uncontrollable forest fires have become more intense and are occurring with higher frequency due to climatic and land use change (e.g. from swidden cultivation to commercial crops), causing severe environmental degradation, widespread air pollution, and health problems. The research will look at how upland communities design and organize firebreaks application for forest fire prevention and how these evolve over time in Laos. TRACE positions firebreaks as place-based knowledge systems, institutional arrangements, and farm households’ livelihood strategies.

Institutional partner
Comité De Coopération Avec Le Laos (CCL)

The research looks at the close interlinkages between Karen communities’ customary land tenure systems (the kaw), the evolution of place-based knowledge in forest conservation amidst climate and armed conflicts. It focuses on grassroots adaptation strategies, in particular how local communities identify and/or adjust traditional/natural indicators for climate adaptation.

Institutional partner
Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)

Sea nomads have been (re)adjusting their fishing territories, settlement areas, and connections with the outside world for centuries. The research looks at sea nomads’ strategies in creating spaces and (re)making territories, while relying on their knowledge on ethno-weather (e.g. ocean currents, wind directions among others), to sustain their livelihoods amidst climate related disasters, demographic pressures, and global trends in industrial fishing.

Institutional partner
Ateneo De Davao University (ADDU)

The research focuses on the institutional evolution of centuries old community-based irrigation institution, Subak, in Bali and the evolution of various traditional Javanese (cropping) calendar (mongso on Java, Wariga on Bali), while responding to climate and wider processes of agrarian change (e.g. tourism and labor availability due to out migration). Positioning institutional rules shaping in ceremonies and rituals as the main text, it unpacks grassroots adaptation strategies both spatially and culturally.

Institutional partner
Gadjah Mada University