Predicting the distribution of intensive poultry farming in Thailand.

Intensification of animal production can be an important factor in the emergence of infectious diseases because changes in production structure influence disease transmission patterns. In 2004 and 2005, Thailand was subject to two highly pathogenic avian influenza epidemic waves and large surveys were conducted of the poultry sector, providing detailed spatial data on various poultry types. This study analysed these data with the aim of establishing the distributions of extensive and intensive poultry farms, based on the number of birds per holder. Once poultry data were disaggregated into these two production systems, they were analysed in relation to anthropogenic factors using simultaneous autoregressive models. Intensive chicken production was clustered around the capital city of Bangkok and close to the main consumption and export centres. Intensively-raised ducks, mainly free-grazing, showed a distinct pattern with the highest densities distributed in a large area located in the floodplain of the Chao Phraya River. Accessibility to Bangkok, the percentage of irrigated areas and human population density were the most important predictors explaining the geographical distribution of intensively-raised poultry. The distribution of extensive poultry showed a higher predictability. Extensive poultry farms were distributed more homogeneously across the country and their distribution was best predicted by human population density.JOURNAL ARTICLESCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Issues of Rice Policy in the Lower Mekong Basin

The commercialisation of rice farming in the Lower Mekong Basin has been at the centre of that region’s remarkable journey out of poverty and food insecurity since the 1970s. A development strategy that centred on opening rice farming to productivity-enhancing investments had the double effect of increasing the incomes of large numbers of poor rural households while generating a marketable surplus to supply the rapidly growing urban population at low prices. The growth in export demand further added to the incomes of rice farmers in the more productive parts of the Basin. Thus, a development pathway emerged that was driven by political necessity to be broadly based and inclusive. However, the very success of this pathway has created new policy issues, requiring adjustments in the long-term emphasis on the intensification of smallholder rice production. The growth in production has led to a decline in prices while costs have been increasing. This has led to pressure from rice farmers for price support. Related policy issues include the persistence of smallholdings, the growing preference for more diversified farming systems, the role of the processing and exporting sectors, and the changing physical environment in the Basin. This chapter examines policies influencing access to resources (specifically, to land, water, and technology), the management of farm activities (whether specialised in production of high-quality rice or diversified into production of non-rice crops), and the appropriation of value (as determined by interventions in the marketing and pricing of paddy and rice)