Assessment of food access in Laos from macro and micro perspectives

摘要

This study assesses the current status of food access in Laos from both macro and micro perspectives. Food security in Laos is evaluated from a macro perspective utilizing the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data. In terms of accessibility offood security, Laos faces acute issues among the Southeast Asian countries. From a micro perspective, we analyze a case study of food access of households in a semi-mountainous village in central Laos, with a focus on plant and animal foodstuffs. Plant foodstuffs were mainly acquired through production (cultivation) and collection during the wet season. Plant foodstuffs during the dry season were primarily obtained through collection and making purchases at a market. By contrast, animal foodstuffs weremainly acquired by collection and purchase in both dry and wet seasons. When comparing other methods for acquiring foodstuffs, during both seasons, villagers were highly dependent on the collection methods irrespective of seasons and kinds of foodstuffs.People appeared to rely on collecting foodstuffs from nature to secure access to food. Collecting from nature was supplemented by production and purchasing foodstuffs at a market. To generalize these results, further research targeting larger areas is required to analyze factors effecting food access by household.