The Shifting Role of Large Livestock in Northeast Thailand

Abstract

In 1976 large livestock populations overall began to decline along with other developmental changes in Northeast Thailand. The developmental trend greatly influences the livestock population. In the past, livestock played important roles in farming systems at household and community levels. The aim of this study is to re-examine the changes in roles of livestock. Households were selected according to household activities, including labor for livestock raising. Village leaders, village administrative committees or key informants, and households were interviewed by using a semi-structured interviewing technique. In order to confirm that the data collected was accurate, representatives of leaders involved in livestock raising or marketing from every province were interviewed in groups. The numbers of livestock raised by the villagers varied from one village to another and there are fewer buffaloes than cattle. Animal power utilization has been related to land preparation for paddy and for upland crops, weeding, and paddy threshing. However, these roles have greatly declined and been replaced by farm mechanization, such as hand tractors, herbicides, and mobile threshing machines. The contribution of livestock to the ecology through livestock manure in terms of soil fertility has declined. Strategic uses of livestock as a saving bank or as a commodity to be sold for immediately needed cash has declined. Therefore dependency of the farmers upon money, instead of natural resources, has become more pronounced to their livelihood. Uses of livestock in bartering systems, such as an exchange for land rights or other necessary goods, has been mostly replaced by a buy-and-sale system, especially in popular weekly livestock markets. Other roles of livestock, related to passing on of inheritance, rituals etc., have declined and been replaced mainly by consumer goods. Replacement of livestock by external inputs has produced an impact on community systems fostering dependency, a loss of indigenous knowledge, and, probably, increased consumptive behavior.