 หัวเรื่อง:ไม่มีชื่อไทย (ชื่ออังกฤษ : Diagnosis on Thai Agrarian Systems for Research Prioritization to Improve the Sustainability and Competitiveness of Cotton Production) ผู้เขียน: Jean-Christophe Castella, Guy Trebuil, Yves Crozat สื่อสิ่งพิมพ์:pdf AbstractSince 1980, cotton production in Thailand has been decreasing steadily while the demand for cotton lint from the national textile industry jumped dramatically. Attempts made to raise again cultivated areas and yields were not able to alter significantly this declining trend. To understand the factors and conditions determining such an unfavorable evolution, diagnostic studies on cotton production systems were carried out by the Development-Oriented Research on Agrarian Systems (DORAS) project at the complementary field, farm and regional scales. Interdisciplinary teams implemented regional historical analyses and zonations, farming systems characterization and classification, as well as cropping systems surveys and experiments at two contrasted sites: the Maenam Kwae Noi valley in Kanchanaburi province and Chaibadan district of Lop Buri province. While insect pests were found to be the most important cause of cotton production declining sustainability and competitiveness at both sites, the findings suggest that the suitable ways to improve the current situation will differ at these two locations. While in the old cotton producing belt of Chaibadan, significant progress can still be achieved through technical improvements in pest, crop and labor management, in Kanchanaburi border area the social status of the migrating Mon cotton growers, very dependent on entrepreneurial village middlemen, makes organizational and social innovations a prerequisite to significant technical advances. An integrated set of agronomic research priorities dealing with cotton plant improvement for pest tolerance and high cottonseed and lint quality, integrated pest management and other decision support tools for better crop monitoring and management came out of these diagnostic analyses and were subsequently used to structure the following phase of DORAS project activities. |
 หัวเรื่อง:ไม่มีชื่อไทย (ชื่ออังกฤษ : On-Farm Diagnosis on the Intensification of Vegetable Cropping System for Exports to Improve the Sustainability of Small-Scale Farming Systems in Kamphaengsaen Area ) ผู้เขียน: ดร.ชัชรี นฤทุม, รองศาสตราจารย์ , Kitti Simsiriwong, Jean-Christophe Castella, Guy Trebuil, Pramote Saritniran, Jongjate Jantrprasert สื่อสิ่งพิมพ์:pdf Abstract Following one year global regional diagnosis based on theory of “evolution and differentiation of agrarian systems”, Development-Oriented Research on Agrarian System (DORAS) Project had defined labor intensive vegetable cropping system as a possible solution to improve sustainability of indebted small Agricultural Production Systems (APS) in Thung Kwang area, Kamphaengsaen district of Nakhon Pathom Province. Thanks to favourable circumstances concerning regional physical and socio-economical environment, green asparagus production has been successfully introduced in local cropping system in 1989. But implementation of such a project implies an action at different scales : monitoring of a farmer professional organization at regional level, study of the consequences of vegetable of export introduction at the APS level and establishment of technical references to advice the local producers at the plot level. This approach has increased long term sustainability of the target farmers by improving their economical results an labor force management without affecting the regional dominating sugarcane production. Producer group plays also a key role in small producers marketing power increase by porviding them with adapted technical, commercial and financial assistance. Finally, the wide economical impact on regional agrarian system should not hide some remaining problems such as long term effect of vegetable intensive production on ecological sustainability. Research/Development efforts are still to be contined. |
หัวเรื่อง:ไม่มีชื่อไทย (ชื่ออังกฤษ : Contribution of Systems Approach to a Better Understanding of Farmers’ Practices : Case Study on Cotton Pest Management.) ผู้เขียน:ดร.ชัชรี นฤทุม, รองศาสตราจารย์, Jean-Christophe Castella สื่อสิ่งพิมพ์:pdf Abstract On-farm surveys have been performed since 1991 in two cotton growing areas in Thailand for three cropping seasons. A systems approach focused on farmers’ technical choices in relation to characteristics of the bio-physical and socio-economic environments as well as the differentiated functioning of their production systems. On-farm experiments aiming at assessing the impact of different pest management practices on cotton crop have been carried out in the some areas. Intensive cultivation practices have brought about fundamental transformations of the ecosystems (evolution of the entomofauna, insect resistances) as well as the agricultural production systems (high input use, dependence on agro-chemical companies and transformation industries, spiraling production costs, etc.) which had led to a steady reduction in cotton production during the last few years. One key factor identified as a major constraint for cotton production is the ability of farmers to control pests through economically and environmentally sustainable cultivation practices. Although most cotton growers are aware of the “environmentally friendly” techniques promoted by agricultural extension agencies, they are not able to implement them because of constraints imposed by their socio-economic environment. Thus, Intergraded Pest Management (IPM) propositions should avoid any standardized set of pest management techniques but should promote an approach utilizing agro-ecological principles and translating them into a socio-economic framework respection farmers objectives. |