Implications of Yunnan Chinese Land-use Practices for Sustainable Hill Farming in Northern Thailand

本計畫是「建立泰北高地永續性鄉村生計：離散華人及其文化適應」整合型研究計畫中的一環。研究的目標是藉由評估不同類型的坡地農耕操作，瞭解其對土壤生產力和農業生態系運作有何具體的影響，進而改善坡地作物的永續性生產。研究地點位於泰北清邁省Chaiprakarn區的Banmai Nongbua村。
文中首先簡述雲南離散華人在1960年代後，從金三角的緬甸境內退居此地，以及其後他們從毒品生產與運銷，轉為從事坡地農耕的歷史。由於他們在移居泰國前，已極為熟悉坡地農作方法，這直接影響到他們對梯田的選擇與建議。為了進一步評估其農作系統對土壤永續性的影響，我們選擇下列五種土地利用模式，以定期、固定土壤深度實地測量並採取土壤樣本，於實驗室分析土壤成分做比較：（1）橘科（Citrus reticulate），（2）荔枝（Litchi chinensus Sonn.），（3）芒果（Mangifera indica Linn.），（4）玉蜀黍（Zea mays），（5）再生林（主要是竹子Arundinaria gigantean, 和混合的落葉喬木）。

This project is an integral component of the main project, Building A Sustainable Rural Livelihood in Highland Northern Thailand: Chinese Diasporas and Their Cultural Adaptation. This study evaluates the impacts of different types of hill farming practices on soil productivity and agroecological status; hopefully this will lead to improvements in sustainable crop production on slope land in the future. The sites studied are located in the village of Banmai in Chaiprakarn District, Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand.
A brief historical narrative describes the Yunnan Chinese diaspora that settled in this region in 1960s after retreating from the Burmese side of the Golden Triangle and their conversion from drug producers and traffickers to hill farmers. Their familiarity with hill farming before settling in Thailand contributed significantly to their selection and construction of hill farms. To further assess the impact of their farming systems on soil sustainability, we identified five patterns of land use: (1) tangerine groves, Citrus reliculate; (2) litchi groves, Litchi chinensis Sonn; (3) mango orchards, Mangifera indica Linn.; (4) maize fields, Zea mays; and (5) secondary forest (mainly bamboo, Arundinaria gigantean, and mixed deciduous trees). In each of these sites field measurements and soil samples were taken for laboratory analysis. The soil samples were conducted at fixed depths over a period time for comparative purposes.