Perceptions of Ethnic Minorities on Tree Growing for Environmental Services in Thailand - Smallholder Tree Growing for Rural Development and Environmental Services - page 404

19.8 Discussion and Conclusions

Agroforestry is a way to intensify agriculture and make cultivation in permanent
fields more sustainable and diverse. It could offer a viable alternative to slash-and-
burn cultivation and also encourage organic farming methods. Furthermore, agro-
forestry could provide an incentive for landscape restoration and reforestation
(Lamb et al. 2005). Legal restrictions in protected areas, however, pose an obstacle
to agroforestry implementation on upland farms. For administration, the difficulty
with agroforestry is that it falls between agriculture and forestry and would
require good coordination between the two sectors. A further challenge is to
adapt agroforestry practices to prevailing circumstances and cultural contexts of
various ethnic groups.
Constraints for adopting agroforestry also exist from the farmers' point of view as
already discussed. The higher initial labour and capital requirements of agroforestry
systems compared with monocropping (especially at the beginning), inadequate
technical support and marketing problems can also contribute to the adoption rates
in Thailand (Vergara 2001). The central problems to overcome, however, are
related to farm size and land tenure. Ekasingh and Ekasingh (2001) reported that in
their four study areas in northern Thailand, farms oriented towards long-term
investment were more than three times larger (average size 4.7 ha) than subsistence
farms (average size 1.3 ha). The authors concluded that despite small farm sizes,
planting trees on farms has a potential to intensify land use while reducing environ-
mental risks and meeting farmers' short-term and long-term needs.
Fruit cropping is an attractive option for farmers because it provides products for
markets and household use. In addition to economic benefits, fruit trees provide eco-
logical services, and fruit-based systems are highly adaptable (Withrow-Robinson et
al. 1999; Withrow-Robinson and Hibbs 2005). Furthermore, no cutting of fruit trees is
necessary for benefits, which is why it is also encouraged by the authorities. In general,
farmers may be reluctant to plant trees on their farming land - which has already been
restricted and is under multiple pressures from the outside - simply because some
other option may be more profitable, at least in the short term.
Further research is needed on suitable trees and crops for the northern uplands
in Thailand and on developing socially, economically and ecologically sound agro-
forestry systems. This research could utilize local knowledge and traditional sys-
tems, such as miang orchards, which are regarded as sustainable systems practised
in the northern uplands (Santasombat 2003). In addition, political reformation
regarding the rights to land and trees seems necessary. Although a system of grant-
ing lifetime usufruct rights to agroforestry farmers on public forest lands already
exists (Vergara 2001), it is lacking in protected watersheds. Furthermore, the right
to use the land is one issue and the rights for trees another, although these two may
overlap (Neef and Schwarzmeier 2001). This is important to remember during the
discussion of tenure security and tree planting in protected areas. Planting trees on
farming land has, on the other hand, been the farmers' response to insecure land
rights, because they believed that it would prevent the authorities from taking these
lands for reforestation or national parks. The farmers' purpose for adopting