Lao PDR - Rural life - Hmong woman harvesting brown sticky rice in Phongsaly province

A Hmong woman harvesting 'khao kam' (brown sticky rice) in the village of Ban Chalern, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The remote and roadless village of Ban Chalern is situated along Nam Ou river and will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.

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Filename: A0026317cc_1.jpg
Copyright: Tessa Bunney
Image Size: 4000x2999 / 2.0MB; Southeast Asia Southeast Asia Laos Lao PDR Lao PDR Tessa Bunney rural life Phongsaly Phongsali remote countryside environment land landscape mountainous hilly hill hills slash and burn slash burn brown sticky rice harvest harvesting swidden hai crop crops field farm farming subsistence work working food production agriculture female woman Hmong scythe tool hill tribe hill tribes khao kam Ban Chalern Nam Ou river village farmer ethnic minority minorities tribe bamboo basket
Contained in galleries: Lao PDR - Nam Ou River, Tessa Bunney - All pics

A Hmong woman harvesting 'khao kam' (brown sticky rice) in the village of Ban Chalern, Phongsaly province, Lao PDR. Slash and burn cultivation or ‘hai’ in Lao PDR consists of cutting the natural vegetation, leaving it to dry and then burning it for temporary cropping of the land, the ash acting as a natural fertiliser. Shifting cultivation practices, although remarkably sustainable and adapted to their environment in the past, have come under increasing stress in recent decades and are now starting to be a major problem in Lao PDR, causing widespread deforestation and watershed degradation. The remote and roadless village of Ban Chalern is situated along Nam Ou river and will be relocated due to the construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.