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Impact of Technological Change on Resource Utilization and Management in Highland Agriculture: A Case Study of Wat Chan Catchment, Changwat Chiang Mai
Abstract:
Agricultural activities and resource utilization of hill tribes in Wat Chan Catchment are mainly for subsistence. With the rice deficit for consumption and an increased population together with water shortage and limitation of land suitable for agriculture, the Royal Project Foundation (RPF) started the programs to introduce temperate crops in the catchment in order to improve household income. At present, households who become RPF members are accounted to 83.33 percent of the total. However, the technology introduced by RPF may lead to a change in the natural resource utilization of the area.
The study aimed to examine the socioeconomic characteristics and the resource utilization of households in the area. The socioeconomic characteristics were compared between two household groups—members and non-members—using t-test. The households’ agricultural activities and resource utilization were determined at the catchment level according to their current socioeconomic and environmental conditions using linear programming model. The study also examined the impacts of change in RPF policy, economic condition, and natural resource condition.
The results of the study indicated that the net household incomes earned by both groups were not significantly different. It was found out that the first group obtained higher net household income over cash cost, net farm income over cash cost, and net crop income over cash cost, which were statistically different at 95 percent. Under the current situation, it was revealed that labor and water resources were the constrained factors in the area. An increase in crop production introduced by RPF in the irrigated paddy field resulted in increased income and reduced pressure of resource constraints. An encouragement of RPF’s crop production can be done simultaneously with the development of infrastructure and transportation facilities. However, the overall production area must be definitely confined in order to avoid the conversion of forest into agricultural area as it is not economically feasible.