Shifting cultivation is the most important farming system in Northern Laos, but population pressure and government regulations are increasingly undermining its productivity and sustainability. Identifying and promoting alternative production systems is a high priority of the Lao Government. However, farmers' adoption of new technologies is often hampered by the predominantly mountainous topography, the undeveloped infrastructure, the limited market demand, the relative poverty of the population, and by other factors. Teak (Tectona grandis) planting by shifting cultivators is one of the more promising possibilities, and has expanded rapidly since about 1988. Despite the high income potentials and ready adoption by farmers, the benefits of teak planting are limited by the inferior genetic material currently planted, by the inadequate management of farmers' teak plantations, by the competition with agriculture for arable land, and by the inability of farmers to hold on to plantations for 20-30 years. There are also concerns that plantations may be prone to serious pest attacks, excessive erosion, and soil depletion. Teak planting may provide an alternative or supplement to shifting cultivation, but is not likely to have a role in improved fallow systems.