Broom grass in Lao PDR: a market chain analysis in Luang Prabang Province

Pachas, Anibal Nahuel Alejandro; Newby, Jonathan C.; Siphommachan, Phonekham; Sakanphet, Somphanh; Dieters, Mark J.

doi:10.1080/14728028.2020.1722259

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We have not been able to determine why the collectors in Taunggya Village do not process fresh grass but there might be physical or socio-economic difficulties. However, grass processing is a common practice for collectors in other mountainous countries (Tiwari et al 2012;Pathak et al 2014;Pachas et al 2020) where they use various methods of drying, such as bamboo rack drying with a combination of drying on the ground (Pachas et al 2020) and drying by hanging on bamboo poles (Tiwari et al 2012) or bamboo frames (Pachas et al 2020). In Lao PDR, the prices of dried tiger grass were 2 3 times higher in Luang Prabang Province and 3.88 times higher in Houaphanh Province than that of fresh tiger grass (Pachas et al 2020;BNDA 2020).…”

Section: Value-adding Process For Tiger Grass Production From Taunggy...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Domestic and export markets for Myanmar tiger grass brooms: A case study of Taunggya Village, Shan State

Ishizuka

Toda

Kuramoto

et al. 2023

Tropics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tiger grass (Thysanolaena latifolia Honda), a perennial grass often found in the swidden fallows of South and Southeast Asia, is one of the most important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Myanmar. It is traditionally used to make brooms for not only domestic consumption but also for export to other countries. This note presents preliminary analyses on domestic and export markets for Myanmar tiger grass brooms based on an interview survey on the market chain of tiger grass products from Taunggya Village in the Southern Shan State in January 2020 and export statistics for past 10 years. To aid our survey, we reviewed information on prices of tiger grass and its products in Myanmar. From the interview survey, we estimated that value-added prices of tiger grass products between producers and traders increase by almost double at the grass processing stage and by 5 8 times at the broom manufacturing stage around the Taunggya Village. On the other hand, exports of tiger grass (as raw material and broom products) drastically increased from 2014, suggesting increasing demand for tiger grass supply from local communities. The recent decline of swidden farming in Myanmar, however, replaced by permanent farming may result in habitat loss of tiger grass that grows only in the early stages of swidden fallows, which might lead to need for cultivation in some region to meet increasing demand for tiger grass.

show abstract

Section: Value-adding Process For Tiger Grass Production From Taunggy...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ex Hornem.) Honda) also widely known as broom grass is often the main NTFP collected from the forest area (Tiwari et al 2012;Pachas et al 2020;Hashiguchi et al 2021). The inflorescence of tiger grass develops fully during the dry season and is traditionally used to make the soft broom that is popular in Asia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domestic and export markets for Myanmar tiger grass brooms: A case study of Taunggya Village, Shan State

Ishizuka

Toda

Kuramoto

et al. 2023

Tropics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Broom grass is neither a food nor a feed crop but similar to agroforestry systems, it is grown under trees. Thus, the management practice may possibly increase the overall productivity (biomass, economic yield [45,47]) of the plot, by making an optimal use of the resources (water and nutrients), that would otherwise not be utilized by a single crop, consumed by plant species at different soil layers depending on their root length [80]. Although it seems to be more productive when grown in full light [30], broom grass can be grown under teak trees, similar to other shade-tolerant crops, such as patchouli [78].…”

Section: Broom Grass Grown In Teak Tree Plantations: Agronomic Aspects and Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, in this paper, we hypothesized that conserving understory such as broom grass, which provides income to farmers through broom making and selling [45], protects soil, limits surface runoff, and helps to reduce soil erosion in teak tree plantations. The overarching goal of this study, conducted in the teak tree plantations of Ban Kokngew, northern Lao PDR, was thus to find the best strategy to contribute to sustainable agricultural production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understory Limits Surface Runoff and Soil Loss in Teak Tree Plantations of Northern Lao PDR

Song

Boithias

Sengtaheuanghoung

et al. 2020

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many mountainous regions of the humid tropics experience serious soil erosion following rapid changes in land use. In northern Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), the replacement of traditional crops by tree plantations, such as teak trees, has led to a dramatic increase in floods and soil loss and to the degradation of basic soil ecosystem services such as water filtration by soil, fertility maintenance, etc. In this study, we hypothesized that conserving understory under teak trees would protect soil, limit surface runoff, and help reduce soil erosion. Using 1 m2 microplots installed in four teak tree plantations in northern Lao PDR over the rainy season of 2017, this study aimed to: (1) assess the effects on surface runoff and soil loss of four understory management practices, namely teak with no understory (TNU; control treatment), teak with low density of understory (TLU), teak with high density of understory (THU), and teak with broom grass, Thysanolaena latifolia (TBG); (2) suggest soil erosion mitigation management practices; and (3) identify a field visual indicator allowing a rapid appraisal of soil erosion intensity. We monitored surface runoff and soil loss, and measured teak tree and understory characteristics (height and percentage of cover) and soil surface features. We estimated the relationships among these variables through statistics and regression analyses. THU and TBG had the smallest runoff coefficient (23% for both) and soil loss (465 and 381 g·m−2, respectively). The runoff coefficient and soil loss in TLU were 35% and 1115 g·m−2, respectively. TNU had the highest runoff coefficient and soil loss (60%, 5455 g·m−2) associated to the highest crusting rate (82%). Hence, the soil loss in TBG was 14-times less than in TNU and teak tree plantation owners could divide soil loss by 14 by keeping understory, such as broom grass, within teak tree plantations. Indeed, a high runoff coefficient and soil loss in TNU was explained by the kinetic energy of rain drops falling from the broad leaves of the tall teak trees down to bare soil, devoid of plant residues, thus leading to severe soil surface crusting and soil detachment. The areal percentage of pedestal features was a reliable indicator of soil erosion intensity. Overall, promoting understory, such as broom grass, in teak tree plantations would: (1) limit surface runoff and improve soil infiltrability, thus increase soil water stock available for both root absorption and groundwater recharge; and (2) mitigate soil loss while favoring soil fertility conservation.

show abstract

“…In many African, South American and Asian countries, broom grasses (Thysanolaena maxima) are harvested, dried and attached to sticks for sweeping purposes. The production function is by women and girls that engage in it for economic benefits [13,14]. According to Shackleton and Campbell [15] grass broom production is a means of survival for many low educated downtrodden middle aged and elderly women in the Bushbuckridge municipality of South Africa with an estimated net yearly income of 120 USD and 60 USD for producers and middlemen respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the Sweeping Effectiveness of Oil Palm Broom form for Sustainable Domestic Applications

Agbo

2023

JERR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Oil palm broom as a veritable household equipment is fast going into obsolescence partly due to some technical default in their use form and partly due to the crave for some unsustainable perceived alternatives. This study investigates the domestic applications suitability of natural oil palm broom and undertakes an empirical optimisation of the sweeping effectiveness. A field survey was carried out both in urban and rural settings to ascertain the current use of palm broom compared to other synthetic and non-biodegradable equipment acting as challengers. An optimisation process was done in tying of the broom strands. The broom strand lengths and spread angles used to optimize sweeping effectiveness were, 0.2 m, 0.4 m, 0.6 m, 0.8 m and 1.0 m lengths and 10°, 25°, 50°, 75° and 90° spread angles respectively. The results show that 75° strands spread angle and 0.8 m broom length give the best sweeping effectiveness. The determined form herein is easy to use. The oil palm sweeping broom is a natural eco-friendly, cheap and sustainable indispensable cleaning tool for most households and communities due to its unique features. An efficient design of the form configuration of the oil palm sweeping broom will improve on swept area output and also lessen the arduous effects of sweeping. There is need, therefore, to encourage the science and art of its production, especially in rural areas where it has great potential economic value to enhance the standard of living of the producers.

show abstract

Broom grass in Lao PDR: a market chain analysis in Luang Prabang Province

Cited by 4 publications

References 6 publications

Domestic and export markets for Myanmar tiger grass brooms: A case study of Taunggya Village, Shan State

Domestic and export markets for Myanmar tiger grass brooms: A case study of Taunggya Village, Shan State

Understory Limits Surface Runoff and Soil Loss in Teak Tree Plantations of Northern Lao PDR

Study on the Sweeping Effectiveness of Oil Palm Broom form for Sustainable Domestic Applications

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About