Life as a farmer in the mountainous north of Thailand is not easy. The land can be steep, soil quality is poor and water for irrigation is largely unavailable. Markets are also far away and inputs are hard to get by. Yet, modern life requires cash for nearly everything. Against the backdrop, government extension introduced feed maize as a cash crop in the early 1980s. The crop is ideal for poor farmers as it requires little care, traders come to supply inputs and buy the output, and the government guarantees a minimum selling price. Maize has become an important source of income for many … [Read more...]
Can Home Gardens be a Catalyst for Market-Based Integrated Systems?
At the start of the rainy season, some upland areas in Thailand and Vietnam offer a depressing sight of bare red-colored hill slopes, deep erosion gullies and the occasional charred tree trunk. Maize monocropping on sloping lands is the main direct culprit. The practice is destructive, yet profitable for farmers, at least in the short-run. The practice is stimulated by a high demand for maize from the rapidly growing livestock sector in other parts of the country, which is in turn related to rising urban incomes and associated changes in food habits. Hill slopes are difficult to cultivate, let … [Read more...]