Ban LakSip residents are involved in a variety of on-farmactivities,though
annual cropping –mainly glutinousrice forsubsistence and Job’stear (Coix
lacrima-jobi)soldtoexport companiesbasedin LuangPrabang–constitutes
the singlemost important activity for almost all village households.Annual
cropping takes place within a rotational shifting cultivation system and is
generally concentrated along the slopes, in the upper parts of the village
land.
Over the past 30 years, land use for annual cultivation have been strongly
intensified through an acceleration of the agricultural rotations. Fallow
periodshavedeclined byalmost twothirdssince1970 andcroppingperiods
havenearlydoubledafter1995.Whiletheannualcroppingplotswereusually
cultivated during oneyear beforebeing let under fallowduring eight years,
they are now commonlycultivated for oneor two successive yearsbeforea
three year fallow period. As reported by the villagers, this land use
intensificationhasbeenaccompaniedbyastrongincreaseinlabourrequired
forweeding and tillage operations.