Organic Crops or Energy Crops? Options for Rural Development in Cambodia and the Lao People's Democratic Republic
Markandya, Anil; Setboonsarng, Sununtar | March 2008
Abstract
This paper examines the prospects for organic agriculture (OA) and the production of biofuels as strategies for rural development in Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Both agricultural activities are growing worldwide, although there are some questions as to how effective they are, environmentally and socially. These questions are discussed in the first part of the paper. The second part looks in detail at the potential for OA and biofuels in the two countries. The benefits of both activities in terms of poverty reduction and environmental sustainability to developing countries such as Cambodia and the Lao PDR are likely to be significant, although the full extent of that is subject to market access (particularly for organic foods) and the costs of certification. Poverty impacts appear to be greater for OA than for biofuel but since the growing areas do not generally overlap, both could be promoted. Since the present agricultural environment in both countries is generally regarded as ‘clean’ with a low level of chemical inputs, production of safe food for a high-value market may be a preferred strategy than to intensify agriculture through conventional methods and compete with more developed countries. Assistance from external organizations in overcoming challenges will be critical for the success of any programs to promote both OA and biofuels.
Citation
Markandya, Anil; Setboonsarng, Sununtar. 2008. Organic Crops or Energy Crops? Options for Rural Development in Cambodia and the Lao People's Democratic Republic. © Asian Development Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/11540/3690. License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.Keywords
Agriculture
Health
Health Impacts
Public Health
Sustainable agriculture
Commercial agriculture
Public Health Care
Education, Health and Social Protection
Access to Health Services
Health Aspects of Poverty
Health Objectives
Diseases
Agricultural education
Sustainable development
Environmental management
Disease Control
Prenatal Care
Safety Education
Water Quality
Animal Diseases
Agricultural diversification
Agricultural resource
Farm produce
Rice farming
Soil science
Agricultural information network
Agricultural landscape management
Farm management
Agricultural innovations
Technological innovations
Agricultural processing industry
Alternative agriculture
Organic dairy farming
Organic floriculture
Organic viticulture
Produce trade
Crop
Organic gardening
Export
Import
International competition
Commercial policy
International trade
Farm population
Agricultural population
Health of workers
Cost of medical care
Prevention of disease
Sickness
Health status indicators
Food
Food Supply
Farm supply industry
Produce trade
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http://hdl.handle.net/11540/3690Metadata
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