Plan of the Construction of GIS for Northeast Thailand
Yasuharu Yamada*, Mitsuo Suzuki*, Wapakom Amorndham**, Somsak Sukjarn***
Japan Intemational Research Center for Agricultural Sciences(JIRCAS)*
1-2 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305 Japan
Agricultural Development Research Center in Northeast Thailand(ADRC) **
Mae Din Daeng, Khan Kaen 40000, Thailand
Soil Survey and Land Classification Division, Land Development Department(LDD) ***
Mae Din Daeng, Khan Kaen 40000, Thailand
Abstract
JIRCAS has a started comprehensive study on sustainable agricultural systems with Thai agricultural organizations in the northeast Thailand from this year. Agriculture of the region is faced with diverse problems associated with environmental degradation. It will be very important to evaluate the potential agricultural productivity to design suitable agricultural landuse system in this region. We reviewed 3 papers to construct a GIS to create maps by using GIS and a remote sensing technique.
1 Introduction
Two years ago, JIRCAS (formally Tropical Agricultural Research Center) has established to extend intematinally collaborating research activities. The activities includes;
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Evaluation and improvement of agriculture-forestry-animal husbandry-fisheries combined farming systems in the Mekong Delta(Vietnam)
- Comprehensive study on sustainable agricultural system in Northeast Thailand
- Productivity and Sustainable Utilization of Brackish Water Mangrove Ecosystems(Malaysia) .(China)
- (Planning: Brazil)
2 Outline of the plan of comprehensive study on sustainable agricultural system in Northeast Thailand by JIRCAS
Background: Agriculture of Northeast Thailand is faced with diverse problems associated with environmental degradation such as rapid deforestation. Typical soils are low in fertility and in the water
holding capacity. Soil degradation has been accelerated by the continuous cultivation of field crops, and areas resulted in increased unproductive dry land. Soil salinity is also an increasing problem in many areas of the region. The annual rainfall is extremely erratic and unpredictable. Under such disadvantageous conditions, the productivity is very low level. If the current agricultural production systems continued in this region, the sustainability of farming system could not be maintained. This may come an increased social unstability. These conditions of the poor agricultural productivity accelerate the increase of rural-to-urban migration.
Northeast Thailand is one of the major target areas of the agricultural development. The development of a sound sustainable agricultural systems is urgently needed for Northeast Thailand. Such studies will contribute to the agricultural development of other developing countries which have common environmental and agricultural problems. This project is expected to pave a way for an establishment of intemational collaborative research on sustainable agricultural development in environmentally vulnerable areas in the tropics.
Objective: This project aims to develop sustainable farming systems in environmentally vulnerable areas in Thailand by identifying agricultural technologies of crop and livestock production which are readily transferable to local farmers.
More specific objectives of this project are: 1) to evaluate environmental and biological resources in the area and to develop more effective uses of those resources, 2) to develop sustainable cropping systems in lowland and upland areas With emphasis placed on soil and water conservation and to develop postharvest technologies for local agricultural products, and 3) to improve livestock production technologies with locally available feed resources to promote mixed farming systems.
Project Implementation: (tentative outline)
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Inventory and evaluation of agro-environmental and agro-biological resources
- Agro-environmental resources: climatic factors, water and soil resources
- Agro-biological resources: crops, livestock, and microorganisms
- Possibilities of more effective uses of existing resources
- Systematization of regional information (GIS)
- Development of sustainable agricultural systems
- Intensive paddy cropping systems with tank irrigation
- Sustainable upland farming systems with crop rotation
- Improvement of livestock production with locally available feed resources
- Forage crop management
- Livestock production with local feed resources
- Sustainable mixed farming systems
- Development of postharvest technologies for local agricultural products
- Postharvest technologies to minimize postharvest losses
- Quality improvement and food processing
- Economic evaluation of mixed, multiple-cropping agricultural systems
- Management evaluation of farming systems with tank irrigation
- Evaluation of various types of mixed farming
- Economic evaluation of regional agriculture
