Northeast Region Of Thailand Research Articles

Global Genepool Conservation and use Strategy for Dioscorea (YAM)

AbstractThe global genepool conservation and use strategy for yam were developed in this study. Diversity analysis, and in situ and ex situ conservation gap analyses were carried out for the 27 global priority yam crop wild relatives (CWR) at taxon and ecogeographic levels to determine their representativeness in conservation actions. Hotspots were found in Nzerekore region of Guinea, Nimba and Grand Gedeh regions of Liberia, Montagnes, Sassandra- Marahouse, and Bas – Sassandra regions of Cote d’Ivoire, Volta, Greater Accra and Eastern regions of Ghana, Centrale and Plateau regions of Togo, Donga, Oueme, Atlantique, Littoral and Plateau provinces of Benin, Southwest zone of Nigeria, Es region of Cameroon, Sangha- Mbaere region of Central Africa Republic. Likouala and Sangha regions of the Republic of the Congo, Northeast of India, Northern, Central, Western, Eastern and Northeast regions of Thailand, West of Cambodia, South Central Coast, Central Highlands, Southeast and Makong River Delta regions of Vietnam, Xaisomboun, Bolikhamxai, and Viangchan prefecture provinces of Lao People’s Democratic Republic. A total of 13 potential reserve sites were identified in 13 countries, with four locations in the network of protected area (PA). 22 priority CWR (81%) were conserved ex situ, but only 15.38% of the taxa had at least 50 accessions in genebanks, and 65.38% of the priority CWR are underrepresented in genebanks, and 19.23% of the species are not represented in ex situ collections. The findings and recommendations of this study will guide the production and implementation of effective long-term conservation action and sustainable utilization of global priority yam CWR. The active conservation of the global yam priority species will underpin food security and mitigate climate change.

Burning fields, fading memories: exploring the effects of sugarcane burning on air quality and cognitive functioning – A case study in Northeast Thailand

This study assessed the relationship between PM2.5 concentration and the working memory of sugarcane farmers (n = 444) in Khon Kaen Province, one of the largest sugarcane producers in the Northeast region of Thailand. The relationship between the ambient PM2.5 concentrations and the working memory of sugarcane farmers was evaluated using two working memory outcomes. These outcomes included a working memory difficulty score derived from self-report of difficulty in daily tasks that require working memory and an objective memory test score consisting of a set of number recall exercises. The PM2.5 concentration data in this study were obtained from air quality monitoring stations located in the vicinity of the study locations, ensuring both precision and relevance to local air conditions. The regression results showed that farmers in the low-burn farming zone had less difficulty with working memory and better performance on number recall exercises, compared to farmers in the high-burn farming zones, even after controlling for health and socio-economic factors. Our findings highlight the potential impacts of PM2.5 exposure on the cognitive functions of farmers who burn sugarcane residues in Thailand. Our study supports the need for the government of Thailand or health agencies to establish an effective policy to reduce sugarcane residue burning in Thailand.

Development of Early Childhood Teachers’ Competency to Strengthen Executive Functions of Private Preschool Children in Thailand

The purpose of this research was to explore the need assessment of early childhood teachers’ competency to strengthen executive functions of private preschool children in northeast region of Thailand. A total of 514 administrators and teachers participated in the survey using multi-stage random sampling. The five scopes of early childhood teachers’ competencies were investigated, utilizing a 52-items questionnaire. The need assessment results indicated that the curriculum and learning management (PNImodified = 0.27) was the most essential scope of competency. This was followed by promoting child development (PNImodified = 0.22), leadership and professional development (PNImodified = 0.16), and classroom management (PNImodified = 0.15). The least capacity scope was ethics, morality and professional ethics (PNImodified = 0.09). The overall results imply that early childhood teachers can develop the competencies by focusing on these five scopes to effectively strengthen the executive functions of young children, thereby supporting their overall cognitive and social-emotional development.

Effectiveness of Husbands' Support Exclusive Breastfeeding Facebook Programme During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The exclusive breastfeeding rate for six months in the Northeast region of Thailand has recently significantly decreased, in contrast to all other regions in Thailand. Facebook is widely used worldwide to enhance knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours that support breastfeeding. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a Facebook programme for husbands' support of exclusive breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic. We employed a quasi-experimental study design conducted from September 2020 to November 2021. Data were collected from two tertiary hospitals in Thailand, involving a total of 72 participants-36 in the experimental group and 36 in the control group. These participants were husbands of postpartum women admitted to the postpartum wards. Four research instrument were the demographic questionnaire, the Husband's EBF Knowledge, Husband's EBF Attitude, and Husband's EBF Behavior Questionnaires. Demographic data were analysed using frequency distribution, percentages, and the Chi-square test. The mean difference in husbands' exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) knowledge scores was analysed using an independent samples t-test. At baseline, there was no significant difference in husbands' exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) knowledge scores between the experimental and control groups (p = 0.82). By the 1st month, there was a significant difference in the mean scores of husbands' EBF knowledge between the two groups (p < 0.01). However, the mean score of attitude at 6-month (mean=108.03, SD=19.89) was higher than the mean score of behaviour at baseline (mean=101.81, SD=17.99), but it was not significant (p=0.40). In addition, the different score of behaviour among baseline (mean=65.86, SD=7.02) and 6-month (mean=68.58, SD=10.42) was not significant (p=0.24). The findings suggest that the Facebook programme is an effective platform for conveying exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) knowledge to husbands in Northeast Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Developing a High-Performance Primary School Model in the Northeast Region of Thailand

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Developing a High-Performance Primary School Model in the Northeast Region of Thailand

Assessing five highly used pesticides leaching risk under multi-layered soils using HYDRUS-1D and global datasets in the Northeast region of Thailand

Assessing five highly used pesticides leaching risk under multi-layered soils using HYDRUS-1D and global datasets in the Northeast region of Thailand

Development of Indicators and Approach for Enhancing Chinese Language Teacher Leadership of Secondary Schools in the Northeast

The leadership of Chinese language teachers holds great importance, as teachers play a crucial role in shaping the future of students and society as a whole. Currently, China recognizes the significance of education management, and as the center of economic and social development in Asia, teacher leadership becomes a vital factor in ensuring quality learning outcomes. This research aims to achieve the following objectives: 1) Explore the components and leading indicators of Chinese language teachers in secondary schools in the northeast region of Thailand; 2) Test the concordance of the measurement model for Chinese teacher leadership; 3) Study the approach for enhancing Chinese language teacher leadership; and 4) Investigate the results of implementing the approach at the secondary school. The research employed a mixed methods approach, consisting of four phases. Descriptive statistics and statistical packages were utilized for data analysis. The results revealed that the leadership of Chinese language teachers at the secondary level comprises four main components and twelve indicators. The measurement model for Chinese teacher leadership demonstrated consistency with empirical data, displaying statistical significance with a P-value of 0.30, RMSEA of 0.033, SRMR of 0.04, CFI of 0.99, and TLI of 0.99. Based on these findings, the approach for enhancing Chinese language teacher leadership, including the following aspects: Change leader: Teachers should possess a systematic operational plan that aims towards desired goals and be adaptable to adjust according to the situation. Self-development: Teachers need to formulate development plans for future goals, acquire knowledge, skills, and academic leadership, and exhibit creative thinking and innovative approaches. Teaching role model: Teachers should foster an environment that encourages freedom of thought, assertiveness, and strong teacher-student relationships. Participation in development: Teachers should collaboratively plan curriculum development, ensuring that teaching and learning meet international standards of academic excellence. They should also encourage multilingual communication and the production of creative work. Finally, the implementation of the guidelines yielded positive results, proving their appropriateness, feasibility, and usefulness across all aspects at a high level.

Accepted Guidelines on the Potential of Water Budgets for Solving Droughts: A Case Study of Chum Saeng Sub-District, Satuek District, Buri Ram Province, Thailand

Drought situations remain a serious problem in the northeast region of Thailand, especially in Buriram province. The official guidelines are not accepted by farmers within the area and are difficult to apply. Therefore, this research aims to find acceptable guidelines for water resource management in order to solve the problem of droughts in Chum Saeng Sub-District, Satuek District, Buriram Province, in which there are three water reservoirs (Nhong Chonlaprathan, Nhong Taban and Nhong Jabok-Takian). In this study, we applied the principles of water balance analysis to evaluate both storage capacity and water demand and we also used community participation to confirm this information. The physical data of the reservoirs considered here comprise water demands, hydrology and monthly rainfall. The evaluation of available water was divided into three parts: the highest rainfall, the lowest rainfall and the average rainfall. It was found that the available water of the three reservoirs would exceed the highest storage capacities of the reservoirs for the highest rainfall and average rainfall cases, whereas when water demands were incorporated, it was found that the available water would exceed the highest storage capacities of the reservoirs only in the highest rainfall case. In addition, the output of the analyses was approved and accepted by the participating communities. It was found that three guidelines were acceptable for including increasing storage capacities: (1) increasing the reserved volumes, (2) expanding the watershed area for collecting rainfall and (3) encouraging the expansion of potential agricultural areas.

Evaluation of the Nutritional, Minerals, and Antioxidant Potential of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn.) Seeds from Roi Et Province in the Northeastern Region of Thailand

In Thailand, the roselle seeds have a few utilizations other than seeds for planting propagation. Consequently, this study aimed to evaluate the nutritional and mineral profile of roselle seeds in the Northeast region of Thailand. The obtained results proved that roselle seeds were found to be a good source of carbohydrates (41.48 ± 0.31 %), protein (30.40 ± 0.09 %), and fat (19.70 ± 0.04 %). Additionally, the results indicated that roselle seeds were a rich source of fiber (40.61 ± 0.26 %) and had a high energy content (1945.03 ± 12.31 KJ/100 g of sample). The macronutrients and micronutrients of the roselle seeds, such as K, P, Mg, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu, were found to be 2092.50 ± 1.89, 891.22 ± 3.71, 366.00 ± 1.34, 7.17 ± 0.13, 6.81 ± 0.20, 5.88 ± 0.14 and 4.22 ± 0.11 mg/g of sample, respectively. Furthermore, the total phenolic compounds as bioactive components and DPPH radical scavenging capacity were equal to 21.22 ± 0.24 mg GAE/100 g of sample and 46.28 ± 1.35 %, respectively. Thus, the roselle seeds were considered a cheap nutrient source and could be a good source of potential food ingredients. HIGHLIGHTS The roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) seeds derived from Roi Et Province in the Northeast region of Thailand have a highly rich source of nutrients, bioactive compounds, and minerals The roselle seeds were considered a cheap nutrient source and could be a good source of potential food ingredients GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Green Economy: Development of Sustainable Dairy Cow Manure Utilization Processes for Farmers in the Northeastern Region of Thailand

The research aimed to develop and assess the satisfaction of a sustainable utilization process for dairy cow manure for farmers in the Northeast region of Thailand. The population comprised 162 dairy farmers in Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand and the group sampling consisted of 150 dairy farmers in Pak Chong District by using a simple random sampling method to analyze the mean and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Additionally, dairy cow's dung that was used to be processed into organic fertilizer could reduce methane emission by using a newly developed dairy cow's dung converter, which the organic fertilizer yield was qualified as follows: 1) Organic matter = 14.5% by weight, 2) C/N ratio = 11.24:1, 3) electrical conductivity = 4.23 decimals per meter. and 4) the valuable pH = 8.35. Then, the results of the test for the amount of the primary nutrients from the primary macronutrient analysis were total organic carbon = 9.1%, nitrogen = 0.8%, phosphorus = 0.6%, and potassium = 0.84% when using the new converter. Furthermore, it was piloted with a group of farmers in the aforementioned area. From the results, it was found that there were three factors affecting the satisfaction of dairy cow farmers toward the new dairy manure conversion process; namely, the features of the machine, the efficiency of the machine, and the appearance of the machine. Simultaneously, when taking all three factors to evaluate the satisfaction, the following results were found: 1) The features of the machine that is very important (mean = 4.283; SD = 0.661), 2) the efficiency of the machine that is very appropriate (mean = 4.280; SD = 0.528), and 3) the appearance of the machine that is very appropriate (mean = 4.013; SD = 0.632). Then, these three factors were considered as the highlights of the machine for converting dairy cow dung into ready-made organic fertilizer for cultivating plants in organic agriculture that could be seen as being environmentally friendly.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 7 December 2022 / Accepted: 15 February 2023 / Published: 5 March 2023

Relationships between illness perception, functional status, social support, and self-care behavior among Thai people at high risk of stroke: A cross-sectional study.

People at high risk of stroke reported having difficulty performing self-care behavior. Although the literature has identified various factors related to self-care behavior in this population; however, there is a lack of studies to conclude the associated antecedents of self-care behavior, particularly in Thailand. This study aimed to examine the relationships between illness perception, functional status, social support, and self-care behavior among people at high risk of stroke. A correlational cross-sectional study design was used. One hundred and seventy people at high risk of stroke were selected from ten health-promoting hospitals in the Northeast region of Thailand using multi-stage sampling. Data were gathered using self-report questionnaires, including the brief illness perception questionnaire, functional status scale, multidimensional scale of perceived social support, and self-care behavior questionnaire, from November 2021 to February 2022. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and Pearson's product-moment correlation. One hundred percent of the participants completed the questionnaires. The participants had a moderate level of self-care behavior (M = 64.54, SD = 7.46). Social support and functional status had medium positive significant correlations with self-care behavior among people at high risk of stroke (r = 0.460 and r = 0.304, p <0.01), respectively. In contrast, illness perception had a small negative significant correlation with self-care behavior among people at high risk of stroke (r = -0.179, p <0.05). Social support, functional status, and illness perception are essential factors of self-care behavior among people at high risk of stroke. The findings shed light that nurses and other healthcare professionals should promote self-care behavior in these people by enhancing them to maintain proper functioning, positive illness-related perception, and family members' involvement. However, further study is needed to determine a causal relationship between these factors with self-care behavior.

Crisis Adaptation in a Thai Community-Based Tourism Setting during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Phenomenological Approach

Introduction: COVID-19 has severely impacted industries and individual lives globally. Due to travel restrictions and social distancing to reduce the spread of the disease, it has seriously affected the travel and tourism industry in Thailand, especially its community-based tourism. The impact of travel bans has magnified employment and income loss to most local families and their communities, negatively impacting the development of local tourism economies. Purpose: The main objective of this study is to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 on community-based tourism as well as its adaptation solutions using a case study from a specific region in Thailand. Design/methodology/approach: Using a phenomenological approach, a series of qualitative face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 42 stakeholders involved in community-based tourism. Findings: The study results indicate that job relocation, temporary business closures, reducing fixed costs, and increasing different sale channels represent the most critical factors impacting CBT operational activities directly affected by the COVID-19 crisis and requiring immediate action. Other supplementary actions involve government financial support, business compensation, early vaccination, reduction of agricultural debt, and increasing agricultural product value. Social implications: These study findings offer direction for Thai governmental policy makers and CBT leaders for the establishment of actionable practices designed to respond rapidly and appropriately to local communities and entrepreneurs during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality: The originality of this research was obtained from local stakeholders’ insights on the impacts of COVID-19 upon community-based tourism in the northeast region of Thailand, where tourism represents significant economic value in terms of salaries, wages, and employment generation.

Reconstructing NDVI and land surface temperature for cloud cover pixels of Landsat-8 images for assessing vegetation health index in the Northeast region of Thailand.

Critical applications of satellite data products include monitoring vegetation dynamics and assessing vegetation health conditions. Some indicators like normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) are used to assess the status of vegetation growth and health. But one of the major problems with passive remote sensing satellite data products is cloud and shadow cover that leads to data gaps in the images. The present study proposes temporal aggregation of images over a short time span and developing short span harmonic analysis of time series (SS-HANTS) and pixel-wise multiple linear regression (PMLR) algorithms for retrieving cloud contaminated NDVI and LST information from Landsat-8 (L8) data products, respectively. The developed algorithms were applied in the northeastern part of Thailand to recover the missing NDVI and LST values from time series L8 images acquired in 2018. The predicted NDVI and LST values at artificially clouded locations were compared with the corresponding clear pixel values. Additionally, the model predicted LST and NDVI values were also compared with MODIS LST and NDVI datasets. The calculated root mean square (RMSE) values were ranging from 0.03 to 0.11 and 1.50 to 2.98°C for NDVI and LST variables, respectively. The validation statistics show that these models can be satisfactorily applied to retrieve NDVI and LST values from cloud-contaminated pixels of L8 images. Furthermore, a vegetation health index (VHI) computed from cloud retrieved continuous NDVI and LST images at province level shows that most of the western provinces have healthy vegetation condition than other provinces in the northeast of Thailand.

Beneficiation of organic black onion and lemon peel by-products through extraction and investigation of bioactive compounds

Much research on the shallot phytochemical is currently employed in various disciplines, such as medical reasons. Shallot (Allium ascalonicum) is a plant species belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae. It is a native plant grown in the North and Northeast region of Thailand. The present study aimed to determine the extracts' yield and antioxidant properties of black shallots made from fresh shallots. The black shallots were extracted with digestion by water, 47.5% and 95% ethanol at 50 ℃ for 1, 3 and 5 hours. The result discovered that black shallot extraction with digestion by water for 5 hours showed the highest weight of extracts (3.620 g). The determination of antioxidant activity by DPPH was observed, and extraction by water for 5 hours gave the highest percentage of inhibition. It was equal to 84.61%, which is not different from the digestion of 95% ethanol for 1 hour, with 83.48%. Similarly, the most outstanding value of IC50 was obtained from extraction with 95% ethanol for 1 and 5 hours with 21.30 mg/ml and 20.52 mg/ml. In terms of monitoring, the digestion method evaluated the productivity of pectin extracts from citrus peel. Hydrochloric acid (0.100, 0.050 and 0.025 M) was used as a solvent at 95 ℃ for 30, 60 and 90 minutes. The pectin extract by 0.1 M hydrochloric acid for 90 minutes gave the highest extract (5.237 g). The preliminary testing of cosmetic production was done by mixing black shallot extracts and pectin from citrus peels, and the two substances can be combined. Still, without adding preservatives, they could cause contamination in cosmetic samples.

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic analyses of ixodid ticks infesting cattle in northeast Thailand: the discovery of Rhipicephalus microplus clade C and the rarely detected R. haemaphysaloides.

In total, 160 ticks infesting cattle in the northeast region of Thailand were collected and used for molecular investigation. Three tick species-Rhipicephalus microplus Canestrini, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides Supino and Haemaphysalis bispinosa Neumann-were identified based on morphology and DNA sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA). In total, 26 and seven unique haplotypes of the CO1 and 16S rRNA genes, respectively, were recovered. Phylogenetic analysis using the CO1 sequence revealed that the R. microplus from northeastern Thailand were grouped into the previously described clades A and C, whereas the 16S rRNA phylogenetic tree assigned all isolates of R. microplus from Northeast Thailand into the previously described clade B. Clade C of the CO1 phylogenetic tree is a new genetic assemblage recently discovered from India and Malaysia, which has now been detected in our study. The haplotype network also demonstrated that R. microplus is divided into two haplogroups corresponding to the assemblage of the CO1 phylogenetic tree. Our findings strongly support the previous genetic assemblage classification and evidence that R. microplus from Northeast Thailand is a species complex comprising at least two genetic assemblages, i.e., clades A and C. However, further investigation is needed and should involve more comprehensive genetic and morphological analyses and cover a larger part of their distributional range throughout Southeast Asia.

Evaluation of the DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity, Total Phenolic Content and Total Flavanoid Content of Different Solvent Extracts of Catunaregam tomentosa (Blume ex DC) Tirveng Leaves

Catunaregam tomentosa (Blume ex DC) Tirveng is commonly known as Khet in Thailand and Bisa Ular or Badang in Malaysia. The tree is widely distributed in the north-east region of Thailand while in Malaysia the tree usually grows in the open waterfront area at Terengganu. This plant belongs to the Rubiaceae family, and the genus catunaregam has interesting pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antidysenteric, antifertility and immunomodulatory. In this study, the leaves were extracted using dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and ethanol. Total phenolic was determined by Folin-Ciocalteau method while total flavonoid was determined by the aluminium chloride calorimetric method. Meanwhile, its antioxidant activity was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The ethanolic extract was found to have the highest percentages of phenolic and flavonoid content. Interestingly, ethanolic extract also demonstrated strong DPPH scavenging activity with IC50 at 20.07 ± 0.51µg/mL.

Factors affecting Brand Loyalty on Green Product Consumption

Objective - This study aims to investigate the importance of brand trust affecting green product repeat purchases using a statistics program with structural equation modelling (SEM) to conduct confirmation factor analysis and correlation analysis between the independent and dependent variables. Methodology/Technique – This study collected data from 820 green-product consumers in the northeast region of Thailand. Samples were recruited from 20 local department stores across 20 provinces. The study used a stratified sampling technique to stratify each province’s residents. Findings - SEM analysis shows that brand trust has a positive correlation to brand engagement and loyalty with a statistical significance value of 0.05, together with a beta coefficient value of 0.68 and 0.54. The study also found that brand engagement has positive correlation to loyalty with a statistical significance value of 0.05, together with a beta coefficient value of 0.75. These results mean that when the customer trusted the brand, it would lead to brand engagement and being big a fan of the brand. This is because the customer is unfamiliar with green products, and there are some critical factors such as price and quality. Thus, building brand trust would decrease customer apprehension. When customers feel safe, they will feel engage to the brand. Accordingly, when customers are engaged to the brand, they become loyal to the brand leading to repeat purchasers, word of mouth, and brand advocacy. Novelty – This paper contributes to the understanding on green product consumption and customer behaviour and can be used to formulate the right strategies for promoting green products, based on critical factors that influence the customer buying process. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: M31, M39 Keywords: Brand Engagement; Brand Trust; Green Products; Loyalty; Structural Equation Modelling; Customer Buying Process; Brand Loyalty Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Khamtanet, Jitkuekul, P. (2021). Factors affecting Brand Loyalty on Green Product Consumption, Journal of Management and Marketing Review, 6(1) 16 – 23. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2021.6.1(2)

Characterization of indigenous upland rice varieties for high yield potential and grain quality characters under rainfed conditions in Thailand

Indigenous upland rice is a staple food for local people in the North and Northeast regions of Thailand. As a result, variations of grain yield and GxE interactions have been utilized for wider adaptability of upland rice varieties. A high yielding genotype that performs well under a good yielding environment as well as in poor environments is greatly needed. Our experiment, therefore, aimed to identify high potential indigenous upland rice varieties for grain yield and yield stability under rainfed conditions. Fifty upland rice genotypes were evaluated from 2013 to 2015, in which a randomized complete block design with three replications was laid out over the three years. Based on grain yield, eight indigenous upland rice varieties, including ULR026, ULR042, ULR075, ULR078, ULR080, ULR081, ULR089 and ULR105; demonstrated superior performance, high yield stability, and greater adaptability over the other varieties, including the Sew Mae Jan check variety. Additional qualities of the superior varieties included high amylose content (ULR081 and ULR075), high aroma (ULR078), and intermediate gelatinization temperature test (GT) (ULR078, ULR026, and ULR105). The participatory varietal selection (PVS) test for farmer(s) acceptance, and promotion of these varieties under rainfed conditions will be further studied.

DESERTIFICATION ASSESSMENT USING MEDALUS MODEL IN UPPER LAMCHIENGKRAI WATERSHED, THAILAND

Abstract. Desertification is a global environmental problem. It affects harmful on economic, social and environmental that ultimately effects on quality of human life. Thailand is the 174th member of the UNCCD, according to the Thailand report of desertification by LDD (2004). It was found that the area of degraded land or desertification land in Thailand was 33.57 million hectares which were agricultural soil problem. Soil erosion and soil salinity are major problems for agricultural soil in Thailand. Thus, to prevent and fix such problems, assessment and evaluation of soil properties are essential. Lamchiengkrai watershed in Nakhon Ratchasima province presents soil salinity exposure area which is a major problem in the Northeast region of Thailand. This study aims to access a new approach for assessing the extent and the risk of desertification land by MEDALUS model based on geoinformatics technology in upper Lamchiengkrai watershed, Nakhon Ratchasima province. MEDALUS model is the factors of desertification assessment. Four groups of factors were examined, including vegetation (fire risk, erosion protection, and drought resistance), climatic (rainfall and rainfall erosivity), soil (soil texture, electrical conductivity, organic matter, soil depth, drainage, and slope), and human activity factor (land use and soil erosion). The results of the study indicated that 67.25% of the area was classified as high risk, 30.54% was classified as moderate risk and 2.22% was classified as low risk to desertification land. In addition, the factors affected on the high-risk area were climate and vegetation factors. Moderate risk area was influenced by the human activity factor and soil factors.

Reasons for adoption of sustainable land management practices in a changing context: A mixed approach in Thailand

A farmer’s decision to adopt sustainable land management practices often takes place in a changing context. In the Northeast Region of Thailand, rural areas face a deagrarianization process and the dominant farming system – small-scale rice farming under rainfed conditions – is losing its role as the main provider of household income. The study applies a mixed approach to investigate the reasons why farmers adopt sustainable land management practices in this region. This approach involved a quantitative assessment of factors that influence adoption and a qualitative analysis of local actors’ opinions regarding these reasons. Two major reasons were identified: the engagement in diversifying production and the willingness to reduce the amount of time household members spend farming. These two reasons relate to two strategies farmers use to adapt to ongoing changes: getting involved in changing the farm or maintaining it while limiting the effort they spend running the farm. Initiatives to enhance the uptake of sustainable land management practices in the Northeast Region of Thailand would benefit from structuring the support provided taking these two strategies into account.