PROBLEM AND PROSPECTS OF USING AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS FOR REHABILITATION OF WATERSHED IN THE NORTH : A CASE STUDY OF MAE LOR WATERSHED, CHIANG MAI PROVINCE

Abstract

This paper present the result of a case study of Mae Lor Watershed, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province, on the problems and prospects of using agroforestry systems for establishing sustainable land use in the North. The study was directed at the community and household levels of four villages in the Watershed. The common problems of adopting agroforestry parctices were farmers would separate the land utilization for agriculture and forestry. The community was not certain whether individual would be able to control and access the economic benefit from the forest tree in one own plot. Farmers also had difficulties in identifying forest tree species to be grown with agricultural crops. Food and income security were the main household objective, of which farmers could obtain by growing food and cash crops, gathering forest products and working as waged labour. The community was more concerned about the right of cultivating the land rather than owning the land. Hedgerow intercropping, by sowing leucaena, gliricidia or pigeon pea on the sloping land had been accepted and practised by farmers as conservation farming. The crisis of rice shortage in 1992 season, caused by neck blast disease, had led farmers to look for farming alternatives. Problems on food security and household economy would have great impact on farmer decision to regenerate community forest resource. The possibility of using forest plantation for growing food and cach crops would be limited as land