Indigenous soil conservation strategies in the highlands of Northern Thailand
1996
Turkelboom, F. | Anderson, M. | Somchai Ongprasert (Maejo Univ., Chiang Mai (Thailand). Faculty of Agricultural Production. Dept. of Soils and Fertilizers. Soil Fertility Conservation Project (SFC))
On-station and on-farm research indicate that erosion is becoming an increasingly critical problem in the highlands of Northern Thailand. Despite the fact that many farmers prove to have an extensive knowledge about the process of erosion and its effects, farmers rarely consider erosion as a major agricultural problem. This can be understood better when we consider the household strategies. As farmers try to safeguard their survival, their first priority will be to control weeds and insects. Nevertheless, farmers do practise soil conservation but only if they perceive erosion as an immediate threat to their livelihood. These 'Indigenous Soil Conservation measures' (ISC) are actually a misnomer as they rarely have erosion control as a prime objective but it occurs as a side effect. Highland farmers have different ways to tackle erosion problems. The most visual ones are the techniques which control the run-off flow at regular distances such as declining ditches or mulch lines. Farmers will select a conservation technique based on the efficiency to control erosion, the short-term benefit, the degree of competition with the crop and the ease in implementation. Other approaches for soil conservation are cultivation techniques which have a positive side-effect on erosion, appropriate field selection and land-use changes. These ISC strategies have a high potential but their actual performance does not always guarantee sufficient erosion control. The fastest way to reach efficient soil conservation, will probably be based on the modification of indigenous soil conservation measures, rather than the implementation of imported ones. The success of these innovations will, however, depend on the inclusion of the farmers' criteria and the degree of participation of the users during all stages.
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