Seeing farmers for the trees: Community forestry and the arborealisation of agriculture in northern Thailand1

Abstract

Abstract: The campaign for community forestry in upland areas of northern Thailand reflects an ‘arborealised’ perspective on upland agriculture. Arborealisation – which I define as the process whereby upland livelihoods are recast as forest livelihoods – is evident in the main elements of NGO and academic advocacy for the resource rights of upland peoples. As a result of this arborealised perspective, securing rights to forest resources has come to be seen as the key to enhancing the livelihood security of upland farmers. However, the emphasis of the proposed community forest legislation on communally managed forest resources means that it will do little to enhance the tenure security of farmers in relation to agricultural land.