Basline needs assessment of integrated rural development: Strategy for sustainable rural development

Study has started on November through March 1995 using available documents and a set of interviewed questionnaires to collect pertinent data from sampling opinions of target groups of farmers in Kok Chareon farm communities. Major findings of the investigation revealed problems and critical issues, the threat as locality weaknesses of development policy implementation considered being most keenly felt are as follows: (1) Problems on utilization of land and forest resources of the farmers become indeed one of the perennial critical issues in agriculture and agriculture development in the area. (2) Problems on sources of water for irrigation and domestic water supply for the villagers household use all year. (3) Problems on the development of agriculutre and agricultural occupation based the actual circumstances, especially, of small farmers who are often excluded from agricultural improvement programs demand more on production, planned and carried out by and with the farmers on their own fields are of vital ones. (4) Problems on skilled and farm labor force need more careful analysis to discern an attempt at sustained attention for human resources development, if their positive potential for development is to be harnessed effectively. This would need to set priorities for both means and ends in keeping with immediate concerns of their physical and financial resource constrains. A more demand-oriented approach to women's human resources development is necessary so that their growing productive skills and abilities will be matched by enlarged range of opportunities. (5) Problems of off-farm employment opportunities need additional analysis in the extent to which industrial expansion in generating employment and successful employment creation in the rural farm areas. The extension and intensification of existing linkages between the agricultural sector and rural industry become important points. (6) Problems on quality-of-life and means of enhancing it and ensuring its diffusion among all sections in the farm area have been matters of serious concern. These encompass a wide range of goals and concerns in the development process incorporating economic, socio-cultural, technological, political and institutional dimensions, with all being equally important that need further studies.