There has been considerable academic attention paid
to the important––and surprising––issue of labour
shortages in agriculture in high population density regions
in Southeast Asia. 11 The balance of causes,
though, are importantly different. Kelly (1999) stresses
the role of cultural change in making farming an unattractive
occupation and activity for many young people
in his Philippine study area in Luzon. Preston (1989) in
Java (Indonesia) and Rigg and Sakunee Nattapoolwat
(2001) in northern Thailand, while they note the role
that cultural change can play also emphasise the competition
for labour between farm and non-farm activities ––
a competition which farming tends to lose in the face of declining returns to agricultural work. But while
agriculture may be in decline, the livelihood effects of the
shift from farm to non-farm are generally positive. In
this Lao case study, however, the competition between
farm and non-farm is far from developmental.