Analysis of Stability of Rainfed Rice Cultivation in Northeast Thailand

Abstract

Northeast Thailand is the poorest zone in Thailand mainly because of the unstable rice production under rainfed condition. This study aims at evaluating quantitatively rice productive force and stability of rainfed rice cultivation in Northeast Thailand. An intensive questionnaire and hearing survey was conducted in two villages in Khon Kaen Province. As a result, it was clarified that the basis of the present rice cultivation for selfsufficiency was under a weakening trend because of the recent massive changes in socioeconomic structures. In order to evaluate stability of rice cultivation, two indices were developed and applied to each farming household in the two villages. The first index is used for evaluating stability of production level; the second one is used for evaluating stability of rice farming for self-sufficiency. Validity of the indices was examined through comparing calculated results with the data obtained from the questionnaire survey. It was found that the farming scale does not influence stability of production level, but influence stability of rice farming for self-sufficiency. "Stability distribution, " which is obtained by combining these two indices, was adopted to evaluate the rice productive force of each farming household. The results indicated that significant gaps in the productive force among farming households exist in each village.