Risk Perception and Lowland Rice Farming Change in Savannakhet Province, Southern Laos

Lowland rice cultivation is changing in southern Laos. A formalised survey and informal interviews in the lowlands of Savannakhet Province indicate that while some farmers still raise water buffaloes, farmers now mainly use hand-held mechanised ploughs to till their fields. More chemical fertilisers are being used, and improved seed varieties have become dominant, with native varieties disappearing. Due to these changes, rice yields have increased substantially, with many more farmers selling surplus rice. The trade-offs are, however, not simple. Through applying the lens of risk perception, this article presents data about how lowland rice farming—the main occupation for rural people in Savannakhet Province—has changed over the last twenty years, critically assessing how farmers perceive and act upon risk during this time of rapid agrarian change.