A Systematic Approach to Assess Highland Resource Management Options in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Problems that have emerged from the ongoing highland development schemes in northern Thailand indicate the need for better understanding of resource management issues in the region. Particular attention has been paid to land and water management. An integrated modelling system has been developed to address this issue based on a multidisciplinary approach. The components of the system include a crop simulation model, a hydrological model and a set of linear programming models. The modelling system enables users to simulate farmers' decision making process concerning farmland and water resource management. Conditions for farmers' decisions are adjusted seasonally and annually, by an embedded feedback mechanism, according to the simulated biophysical (water availability and the associated crop yield) and socioeconomic environments. Users are then capable of exploring the dynamics of land and water use options at the catchment and sub-catchment level. Such capability will enable them to look at resource management problems from both biophysical and socioeconomic perspectives and then make more informed decisions in planning future development schemes. The paper also presents preliminary results from calibrating the system against an existing scenario in one of our focused sub-catchment.