Change of cattle and buffalo rearing in village farming systems and its long-term impacts toward extinction of buffalo

Cattle and buffalo populations in Thailand mostly raised by smallholder farmers in remote areas have drastically declined especially buffalo population. There is an alarming sign that the buffalo number is going toward extinction, if there is no measure to slow down the declining rate. Generally farmers integrate cattle and buffalo rearing in their farming systems. This research work, therefore, aimed to study a change of cattle and buffalo. Two villages, Ban Nong Kok and Ban Trom located in Surin province, northeastern Thailand, were targeted to study. They had different agricultural lands, mixed lowland-upland areas at Ban Nong Kok but only lowland area at Ban Trom. The major crops at Ban Nong Kok were rice and field rops including fruit trees and vegetables, while rice was the only major crop in Ban Trom. The changes in numbers of cattle and buffalo of the two villages during the past eight years were not in the same trend. The total number of buffaloes in Ban Nong Kok and Ban Trom declined at 76 and 56 percent, while that of cattle increased at 78 and 58 percent. By the way, the reduction in the percentage of households raising cattle and buffalo was found in Ban Trom (12 and 39 percent). The households at Ban Nong Kok severely declined in buffalo rearing (50 percent) but not in cattle rearing (2 percent increase). Changes in cattle and buffalo numbers were due to the drastic decline in use of draught buffaloes, debts of farmers household expenses, the lack and family labor as well as grazing areas for buffalo rearing, the compensation of cattle to buffalo for having dung as fertilizer for crops, and less recognition of younger generation in the benefits of buffaloes to farming systems. Changes of cattle and buffalo rearing which might had long-term impacts toward the extinction of buffalo included government policies, socioeconomic factors and physiology of animals. Policies of the government were bias to the promotion of mechanical power use as well as credit given. Socioeconomic factors were the adoption of farmers in mechanization, the lack of buffalo breeding bull in villages, higher cost of farming, higher price of live buffalo, the change in agricultural culture, low crop price, off-farm job opportunity, and higher education. Lower heat tolerance of buffalo than that of cattle affected the decision making of armers to keep rearing cattle when buffalo was no more use for draught on-farm. Therefore, this study proposed the limitations in smallholder farmers to be considered before launching any promotion in buffalo rearing by government sector.