Muang Fai Communities in Northern Thailand People's Experiences and Wisdom in Irrigation Management

Abstract

As known well, Thai people from the past till the present time have their ways of life in the river basin. And agriculture, rice growing or rice monopoly culture particularly, has been their major means of income and provision long since. Historical records confirmed that the northern Thai or the “Lanna Thai” people, who also live in the basin areas of many major rivers (ping – wang – yom nan) originating from the high mountains passing through, have learned and had experiences practicing “Muang Fai” irrigation system managemrnt for agriculture for longer than 700 years. This is before Phya Mangrai, king of “Lanna Thai” kingdom (B.E.1262-1317) founded its capital “Chiang Mai” and issued the irrigation law known as “Mangrai Sart” or “Winitchai Mangrai” 1 ) in the same year of B.E. 1839 (A.D.1296). There are also documents on ancient Lanna Thai and other records of Chiang Mai stating that the muang fai irrigation had long existed in Lanna Thai kingdom during B.E. 1100-1200 (A.D.557-657) or about 1,348-1,448 years before. Water user members of Muang Fai system help each other constructing weirs or diversion dams to block the waterway in the upper part and digging irrigation canal, known among the northerners as “lam -muang” to direct the water to lower plains, resulting in muang fai system community through the forming of an organization of administrators and managers in charge of systematic water usage for cultivation. The muang fai or weir system helps ease the administration and the developing of agricultural economy. Muang Fai’s system, then make its advantages for the Lanna Thai society when compared to hydraulic societies in other regions of the country.