Damien Jourdain

Farmers' perception of and adaptation to climate-change impacts in the Dry Zone of Myanmar

In Myanmar, impacts of climate change have been apparent since 1977. Myanmars economy, which exclusively depends on agriculture, is increasingly at risk due to climate change. Since farmers are often the first to confront climate change, they must adapt to new climatic conditions. Local adaptation practices, the possible starting points in developing new adaptation strategies, are currently occurring at a local scale, particularly based on the traditional knowledge. We used household survey, participatory histogram mapping and key-informant interviews to explore the farmers’ perception and adaptation practices to climate change in the Myanmar Dry Zone. Ninety per cent of respondents perceived the changing climatic patterns in the Dry Zone, while increasing temperature and the erratic rainfall patterns were perceived as the predominant changes by 85% of the people. The farmers also perceived that there have already been several impacts of climate changes on agriculture. The common sesame/groundnut cropping pattern has been abandoned by the Dry Zone farmers in recent decades due to climate-change-driven agricultural production barriers. Farmers have been dealing with those barriers using their conventional agricultural practices, e.g. rainwater-collection, tube wells and water-harvesting techniques. They have also been using the traditional weather forecasting techniques to predict weather. Consequently, the study underlines the need to document existing agricultural practices that can prove to be successful adaptation measures, and it points out the crucial role of the extension strategy in disseminating agricultural techniques and weather information to support farmers to further adapt to climate-change impacts.

Evaluation of water use sustainability under future climate and irrigation management scenarios in Citarum River Basin, Indonesia

Sustainable water use in agriculture faces several challenges due to future climate change, increasing population, and higher living standards. Adapting to possible future changes in climate and sustaining the use of water are some of the challenges that face future agricultural water management. In this research, the sustainability of irrigation water use was assessed by performance criteria that consider the effects of climate change and adaption management on irrigation. The model, built using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system, is calibrated using the stream flow and the requirement of water for irrigation. The model was used to examine two future climate projections (A2 and B2), for time periods until 2099, and for four scenarios: (1) an increase in the irrigated area, (2) an increase in crop intensity, (3) a change in the crop pattern, and (4) a combination of increased irrigation area and increased crop intensity. Results show water supply is projected to increase by about 85 and 60% (relative to the historical period) in A2 and B2 climate scenarios, respectively, by the end of the century. The requirement for irrigation water will decrease in the future, relative to the historical period. The sustainability index will also decrease in the future, relative to the historical period. Relative to the baseline scenario, increasing the irrigated area is more sustainable than increasing the crop intensity or combining increased crop intensity with increased area under irrigation. Increasing the irrigated area is more amenable to adaption to possible future climate changes.

Land titles and formal credit in Thailand

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of land titles and farmers’ characteristics on their participation in the formal credit market in a land reform area of Thailand. Design/methodology/approach - – Data collected on 218 farm households in one land reform area of Western Thailand are analyzed with a generalized double-hurdle model to calculate the probability of farm households to take a loan and the size of the loans from a formal credit institute, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives. Findings - – The results suggest that the absence of a title, whether fully or partially transferable, decreases significantly the participation to the formal credit market and the size of the loans. However, this effect was small. The findings also indicate that the farm assets, household head’s gender and age, and the labor force per hectare were significantly influencing the probability of participation to borrow money as well as the amount borrowed. Practical implications - – The possibility given to farmers having title with partial transferability to provide alternative types of guarantees reduced the gap in loan-taking between the different types of land title. However, the presence of a land title, transferable or not, had a significant influence on farmers demand and success in obtaining credit. Originality/value - – The paper investigates the possible effects of a unique partial land rights in Thailand that guarantees only security of use of the land but prohibits sale.

Factors influencing rubber marketing by smallholder farmers in Thailand

ABSTRACT This article assesses the factors determining the type of rubber product that farmers are willing to sell and the factors influencing their marketing channel choice in Thailand. Primary data were collected through questionnaire administration from 280 rubber farmers in two southern provinces. The results of the logit regression model revealed that membership of farmers’ organisation, access to knowledge and information, and total area of immature rubber positively influenced the sale of fresh latex. Membership of farmer organisations and accessibility to market infrastructure also significantly positively influenced the sale of fresh latex to farmer groups. The implications for rubber marketing are presented.

Factors Affecting Collective Action for Forest Fire Management: A Comparative Study of Community Forest User Groups in Central Siwalik, Nepal

The attributes of social ecological systems affect the management of commons. Strengthening and enhancing social capital and the enforcement of rules and sanctions aid in the collective action of communities in forest fire management. Using a set of variables drawn from previous studies on the management of commons, we conducted a study across 20 community forest user groups in Central Siwalik, Nepal, by dividing the groups into two categories based on the type and level of their forest fire management response. Our study shows that the collective action in forest fire management is consistent with the collective actions in other community development activities. However, the effectiveness of collective action is primarily dependent on the complex interaction of various variables. We found that strong social capital, strong enforcement of rules and sanctions, and users’ participation in crafting the rules were the major variables that strengthen collective action in forest fire management. Conversely, users’ dependency on a daily wage and a lack of transparency were the variables that weaken collective action. In fire-prone forests such as the Siwalik, our results indicate that strengthening social capital and forming and enforcing forest fire management rules are important variables that encourage people to engage in collective action in fire management.

Salvaging mortgage loans and land title redemption with revolving funds in Thailand

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the performance of the revolving fund (RF) regarding the ability of smallholder debtors to retrieve land title deeds, and also to examine the factors influencing the outstanding debts and percentage of outstanding interest of the smallholders in the Central and Northeastern regions of Thailand. Design/methodology/approach - Primary data were collected from 430 debtors in the Central and Northeastern regions of Thailand in order to compare the differences in livelihood assets as well as their opinions on benefits derived from the operation of the RF. Secondary data were also collected from the RF administration, in order to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the fund. Heteroskedasticity-corrected ordinary least squares and Tobit regression models were employed to examine the factors influencing the outstanding debts and percentage of outstanding interest of the smallholders, respectively. Furthermore, the student’s Findings - The empirical results revealed that the RF is effective as the fund could provide loan to smallholders to enable them redeem their land title deeds from their previous creditors. The Practical implications - It is imperative to intensify information and education regarding the regulations, payment terms and modalities to clients in order to facilitate repayments of the loans disbursed. The organization of the RF should pay particular attention to the role of the committees involved, information administration and loan repayment monitoring. The RF should increase the frequency of meetings with smallholders, minimize the influence of third parties and give priority to old and experienced smallholders who possess land with high potential for earning incomes to enable them repay the loans. Originality/value - To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examined the effectiveness of the RF to enable smallholders retrieve their land title deeds.

Can uplanders and lowlanders share land and water services? (A case study in Central Java Indonesia)

This study tried to find a feasible method of role and management sharing of natural resources among natural resources users both upstream and downstream of a watershed. The case study was upstream of three subwatersheds in Central Java Indonesia, named Samba, Soka, and Pusur Watersheds. We found the problems of water shortage experienced by farmers in downstream areas were caused by (1) reduced discharge of water from the Pusur River; (2) increased sedimentation in rivers and irrigation infrastructure; (3) extensive damage to infrastructure, especially intake gate water upstream of the irrigation system; and (4) increased extraction of water for urban areas and private companies. Problems (1) and (2) are related to land use and land cover changes in the upper area; problem (3) is related to irrigation network management; and problem (4) is influenced by social and economic aspects. To tackle this problem, one or two alternative solutions can be used: decreasing water demand or increasing water supply. The Payment for Environmental Services method seems promising to implement in a watershed that has conflicts both upstream and downstream environment users.

Cash-based versus water-based payment for environmental services in the uplands of northern Vietnam: potential farmers participation using farm modeling

The forested areas of northern Vietnam, mostly located in mountainous areas, have important watershed regulating functions. However, current land-use changes pose a threat to the continuing provision of environmental services. This chapter investigates two alternative payment for environmental services (PES) programs tailored to reestablish natural or productive forests in the uplands of northern Vietnam: “Payments for Forest” (PFF) and “Terraces for Forest” (TFF). Both programs involve setting aside sloping land for reforestation but they differ in the type and amount of compensation offered. PFF offers annual payments per area of retired land. TFF offers to convert a certain amount of the current sloping land into a terraced area, combined with annual payments per area of retired land. The main objective of the chapter is to compare the two types of programs in terms of potential participation (what type of farmers will likely participate?), and what impact it would have on their revenues. Using mathematical programming, we developed a set of farm models corresponding to typical farms of a mountainous district of northern Vietnam. We simulated the level of participation of different types of farms for the two types of PES programs. For each specific PES, we analyzed participation, measured by the area of land converted into forest land and its impacts on land use and household revenues. Results show that, given the assumptions of the models, increasing access to irrigated terraces as a way to compensate for land conversion to forest increases the participation of the poorest farmers. Therefore, our research suggests that PES schemes, when fine-tuned to a Southeast Asian context, may not only be used as a way to restore ecosystem services but also as a way to alleviate poverty.

Spatial and temporal variation in the trends of hydrological response of forested watersheds in Thailand

Abstract Thailand has undergone significant forest cover changes in recent decades, and this is likely to have altered the hydrological functioning of many watersheds; however, such potential impacts are not fully understood. To contribute towards a better understanding of the potential hydrological impacts of forest cover changes, this study examines the temporal trends of several hydrological indices in eight watersheds of Thailand over the period from 1982 to 2013. A number of hydrological indices (runoff coefficient, baseflow index, flow duration indices, streamflow elasticity, dryness index) were analysed using a combined Thiel–Sen/Mann–Kendall trend-testing approach, to assess the magnitude and significance of patterns in the observed data. These trend tests indicated that the change in the hydrological response of watersheds varied with the change in structure and composition of forest species. A significant increase in runoff (viz. average flow) was observed in those watersheds covered with natural forests, whereas a significant reduction in runoff (viz. baseflow and low runoff) was observed in those watersheds where the land cover was changed to Para rubber plantations and reforested areas. It is also noteworthy that the watersheds covered by natural forest showed more streamflow elasticity than plantations or reforested areas. These results highlight the importance of considering both forest types/dynamics and watershed characteristics when assessing hydrological impacts.