Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy. 2012. Presentation from Session 11: Research Challenges in Water Governance: Institutions, Environment and Livelihoods.

1. Water Governance in Contract Farming:
A Comparative Study between
Huay Luang river basin in Thailand
and Nam Ngum river basin in Laos
Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy.
Hanoi, Vietnam,
November 13-14, 2012
Panpilai Sukhonthasindhu
M-POWER, third call

2. Objectives
• to study the change process of the resources
utilization, water use patterns in intensified or
commercialized agriculture.
• to understand conditions which are drivers,
constraints, potentials, and opportunities in which
local users choose to respond, negotiate or
accommodate to those changes in two countries
where socio-economic conditions differ.
• It is anticipated that the research will identify
development policy gaps and opportunities for policy
making process.

3. research questions
• How does Contract Farming in the study areas
have impacts on the competing water utilization,
livelihoods, socio-economic and cultures of the
local users in the two selected river basins of the
study area?
• How do local users’ knowledge and practices be
integrated into water policy process and be
reflected in practical water governance?
• How do the process of social interactions and
dialogues among different stake-holders in
negotiating be led to institutional arrangement
for water governance?

4. LAO PDR
THAILAND

5. LAO PDR
THAILAND

6. Na Nang sub-district, study area 132 square kms
Population 12,266
Household: 2,500
Land use
:Wetland (Second Rice growing) 72 sq. km.
:Ag. Land Reform 15.2 sq. km.
:Annual Rice (Rubber) 28.8 sq.km
:Other 16 sq.km
Legend
River
Ag. Land Reform 4-01
Second Rice
Annual Rice
sub-district
Phonphisai Water gate

7. Wetlands  Second Rice
Growing

8. Participatory Resource Assessment
(P-GIS Training)

9. Field Survey during P-GIS

10. Participatory Resource
Mapping

11. Presentation of participatory
resource assessment

12. Preliminary findings
Four main issues identified
-Land use change impacts greatly on water use
-The deterioration of wetland ecosystem
- More vulnerability as risk area (no retention
common area)
-The resilience of the community towards external
drivers such as climate change, market led
economy

13. Thank You