Chapter 7 Conclusion and Recommendation

Chapter 7 Conclusion and Recommendation
CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

7.1 Conclusion
The GOT stipulated the direction to delegate power to local governance under the new Constitution
enacted in 1997 and launched effort for decentralization. Furthermore, the GOT declared to embrace
participatory development approach at the ninth NSEDP and has already proceeded with improvement
of administrative system, which would support to deal with regional issues through community
participation as well as decentralization on resources management. In line with such policy,
introduction of CEO Governor has already started, and presently CEO Governors have been placed in
the whole 76 prefectures.
Under these circumstances, the Study commenced to formulate an agricultural development master
plan, with the participation of the communities to increase incomes of small-scale farmers who are
suffering from drought and/or flood damages. The Study also includes technology transfer to the
personnel in RID TAO and other relevant organizations on the subjects of participatory planning and
surveying methods. Through the pilot project implementation, the Study verified these methods with
the aims to enhance institutional capabilities of such organizations. The study commenced in October
2004 and was completed after 2 years and 4 months. The Study was carried out mainly by the Thai
side, with support from the Study Team.
In order to formulate the Draft Master Plan (DMP) in the Study, RRA survey, PCM workshops at 16
Tambons, discussions at both 4 sub-basins and a whole basin were carried out with participation of all
stakeholders. In the process of clearing many problems and solutions in the Study Area applying
participatory development methods throughout the implementation of the study, all stakeholders have
deeply understood the necessity of participatory development. Especially, many precious lessons for
future planning have obtained in the Study by proposing detail hypothesis to materialize participatory
development, and by verifying the institutions to support this hypothesis.
The challenges to achieve the goal and development approaches to overcome the challenges in the
Study Area are shown as below as follows. These ideas are commonly understood and shared by all
stakeholders participated in the Study.
Development Goal Agricultural incomes meet its cost.
4 Challenges 1. Cost of agricultural inputs should be lowered,

2. Productivities should be raised,
3. Farm gate prices for markets should be raised, and
4. Damages on products should be lessened.
8 Approaches 1. Water Resources 5. Farm Inputs

2. Flood 6. Pest and Disease
3. Production System 7. Credit
4. Soil 8. Marketing System
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Final Report ~Master Plan~
On the other hand, RRA survey and PCM workshops were carried out in the pilot project to identify
problems to be solved. In order to solve the problems, 3 approaches namely implementation of the
irrigation, strengthening of the existing farmer’s organizations and strengthening of the agricultural
extension services had been formulated, and project components were implemented accordingly. As a
result, the projects such as compost making, artificial breeding, revolving fund, transferring of
irrigation facilities to TAO, cost sharing and study tour, etc. selected by the stakeholders themselves
were realized by through their own efforts.
As intended at the beginning of the Study, many relevant agencies have participated in the formulation
of the master plan as well as implementation of the pilot projects at the provincial, district and Tambon
levels. Major stakeholders in the provincial and/or district levels were MOAC, RID and DOAE, and
others including LDD, DOLs, DOCP and CDD. Those agencies consist as major part of the TSG. At
the Tambon level, TAO and TTC were the main stakeholders and participated in several meetings and
training courses for them to be able to implement the pilot project smoothly and to support the farmers.
At the village level, the WUG was established in each village and received different types of technical
supports. The WUG was the key stakeholder in the village to organize farmers and coordinate all
activities.
Since communication is regarded as essential for institutional strengthening, frequent workshops,

meetings and discussions and study tours were programmed during the execution of pilot project to
maximize communication among the stakeholders. Although the stakeholders had to spend a lot of
their time for the project, however, such opportunities in participatory manners have contributed
largely in strengthening institutional ties.
Community people participated in the workshops requested the implementation of projects they
wanted as shopping lists to the JICA Study Team, RID and other related agencies. People were much
more likely to be dependent on development aid lead by the Government. However, projects selected
by people themselves should be able to be implemented by the people themselves in cooperation with
the Government agencies. As a good example, in the compost making implemented in the pilot project,
the compost making group obtained the know-how through the study tour, and they have established
the system to make compost by trial and error with support from the WUG and the TAO. Presently, the
TAO is promoting the compost as One-Tambon-One-Product (OTOP).
As mentioned above, the Study has achieved significant results in presenting precious opportunities
for communities to show their initiative in formulating their development with support of agencies
staff during pilot project.
The master plan formulated in this report has been prepared with the concept that people themselves
are main actors in the development. Based on the needs of people, the master plan reflects feedback
from the results of the implementation of pilot projects. The plan includes the plans for the
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construction of bank protection, medium dams, etc. which classified as public works and are not able
to be implemented by community themselves. Also, the plan refers to issues as well as structural plan
was considered for formulating plans and project implementation. Accordingly, Implementation of the
projects formulated in the master plan are considered to contribute to the alleviation of the flood
and/or drought damages as well as securing and improving peoples livelihood in the Study Area with a
new framework of agricultural development.
7.2 Recommendation
(1) Justification of the process of participatory development planning
By the Study, it has been cleared that the participatory development approach is able to reflect the
people’s needs and effective for formulating the master plan to make it more realistic than the
top-down approach. Based on such experience, the process of participatory development planning is
recommended to be introduced for formulating a watershed master plan in the future. On the other
hand, some literature reviews and lessons learned have been noted. Reflecting on these experiences,
further process of participatory development planning is recommended as follows.
In the project area, the participatory approach is not exactly applied in the planning process although it
basically flows upward from villages to Tambons, districts and provinces. In general, at first the
representatives such as the village chief submit a list of project proposals to the Tambon where those
proposals are prioritized, and then the results are sent to the upper levels for the same actions. The
bottom, the people and villages, are rarely involved in deciding which proposals are materialized. It is
therefore recommended that the development planning and implementation process be
institutionalized, which stipulates that the project plans be made with the participation of people, and
those be given the highest priority for implementation. This would make the officers aware how
important the project planning is, and eventually be motivated in participating in the planning with the
people.
In implementing projects in the future in other areas, the participatory development planning methods
applied in the pilot project will be very useful as a guideline and should be utilized as much as
possible. Member of TSG/TAO with the background of social development, with motivation and
interest in village survey should be a facilitator to carry out the participatory planning method.
(2) TSG’s aggressively use and strengthening its function further

It is necessary for formulating rural development plans to consider both top-down approach and
bottom-up approach. However, it is not clear which agency shall act as coordinating body among the
various related agencies at present. There are various requests for the development plans including
top-down by central or provincial levels, bottom-up from villages or TAO levels, and also requests in
combined approach. Presently, selection of projects is usually made by the CEO Governor without
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sound evaluation in terms of the development direction. It is proposed, therefore, that the TSG shall be
the coordinator and in charge of screening the plans before handing it over to the CEO Governor’s
judgment. And also RID, DOA, DOAE, etc. have tendency to execute their projects by vertical
administrative structure individually.
In order to solve these problems, TSG has been established in the Study as a coordinator to act
horizontally, which is the first attempt in Thailand. TSG members consist of province and district level
to support farmers technically. They are expected to provide necessary advices to farmers and
participate in the formulation of the projects. The significant achievement through the Study was the
strengthening of the relationship between the related organizations. In order to continue the
cooperation among different agencies, TSG should be used aggressively and to be strengthened its
function further. TSG will be therefore under the direct control of the CEO Governor to enhance their
motivation. Also, for the selection of the candidate project,
Central Level MOAC MONRE MOI
RID Region 13
Regional & office DOAE ALRO DWR CDD
Provincial DOA LDD PWD
Level Provincial RID DOF DOCP
Office
No
Top Down
Approach
Provincial Yes
Development TSG CEO
Implementation
Plan Meeting Meeting Governor
・Screening of the projects

Bottom Up ・Coordination among the
Approach agencies concerned on
Amphoe - Budget No
- Project plan
Amphoe, TAO TTC

TAO &
Village Level
Villages
Figure 7.2.1 Implementation structure in Future（Role of TSG）
(3) Budgetary allocation to realize the decentralization

It is essential to allocate proper budget in the effort of promoting decentralization. The Government
shall make an effort to increase funding sources as well as to transfer these rights to the province or
TAO. A 5-year annual average annual budget of RID Regional Office and RID provincial offices in
Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi are approximately 315 million Bt and 90 to 100 million Bt, respectively.
Judging from their present implementation of dam construction and irrigation projects, these offices
will be able to execute sustainable water resources development and irrigation projects continuously.
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On the other hand, an average annual budget of TAO in Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi in 2002 was
approximately 90 to 100 million Bt. Although the Government has a policy to transfer all small scale
projects to the TAO, it will be difficult for the TAO to execute such projects unless taking into due
consideration of devolving more financing sources to the TAO.
(4) Institutional Strengthening

TSG: (Technical Support Group)
A role of the TSG in the future should be as a coordinator among related agencies at provincial level.
The function of the TSG is considered as significant, and such effort of TSG shall be continuously
made. As mentioned above, it is necessary that a mechanism and support to TSG shall be made so that
TSG can hold discussions periodically and coordinate to materialize the requests proposed by TAO,
district levels, etc.
TAO: (Tambon Administration Office)
TAO will be required in the future to have a role to be the main actor as participatory development
planner. TAO’s staffs are the administrative officer with direct contact with people in the front line,
therefore, rural development plan should be promoted mainly by TAO in accordance with the needs of
the people. At present, almost all of the small scale irrigation facilities such as weirs, farm ponds and
pump stations have been transferred to the TAO and they are responsible in operation and maintenance
of these facilities. The role of the TAO will become significant as a coordinator, from the discussions
and coordination with people during the planning stage up to the implementation stage coordinating all
related agencies.
TTC: (Technology Transfer Center)

TTC members, except district agricultural office, work voluntary without pay, therefore they tend to
lessen their commitments to their responsibilities. Their knowledge on agriculture is limited and
therefore has difficulties to provide technical supports to the farmers. Likewise, TTC secretary
nominated by the district office also has difficulty in responding to all aspects of agricultural support.
Training on agricultural extension services such as compost making, etc. to the farmers are being
executed by external resources in the pilot project, and such external input shall be necessary in the
future. Although the role will be dependent on the direction in governmental policy, TTC should
function as one-stop-service center and be supported by financial administration and technical
assistance from external resources in the future. In order to realize TTC’s responsibility, their member
shall be paid by DOAE and by TAO in the future.
WUG: (Water Users Group)

The role of WUG in the future is the ‘‘main body of the O&M of irrigation facilities supported by the
TAO’’. Collection of the irrigation water fee and management and O&M for irrigation facility in
cooperation with the TAO should be their primary responsibility. And also, WUG will be the facilitator
to other farmers’ organization. WUG will play an important role in the future such as to manage the
revolving fund properly and to return its benefit to other activities impartially and faithfully. It will be
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necessary that WUG shall be continuously supported by TAO, RID province as well as TSG.
RID: (Royal Irrigation Department)
RID may not be regarded as appropriate leader to formulate comprehensive agricultural development
master plan in rural area since this agency primary responsible for water resources development.
Expected role of RID in the future should be concentrated to support making plans for small scale
water resources and irrigation projects implemented by TAO as well as to make plans and execute
middle to large water resources development plan and irrigation projects, and also to operate and
maintain their facilities.
DOAE: (Department of Agriculture and Extension)

DOAE should be a supporter in agricultural technology to the province or TAO, when the province
will be the main agency to formulate agricultural development master plan in the rural area. Therefore,
expected role of DOAE in the future should be a supporter both in the rural and agricultural
development master plan by provincial level, and the main implementating agency for soft component
projects.
(5) Necessity of the sustainable monitoring for the pilot project

The activities on the pilot project are expected to be continued, to achieve required outputs
continuously. Both the Government agencies including
TAO and the farmers have strong motivation for its (1) Collection of the water fee for pump
irrigation
continuation. In this regard, the sustainability of the (2) Budget allocation for O&M of the
project is considered high. However, there are some key irrigation systems
(3) Production and selling for compost
issues to be clarified in assuring the project sustainability (4) Development of marketing strategies
as follows. In order to address these issues, monitoring (5) WUG remains as the core organization
activities mainly by RID/DOAE in central and TSG/TAO
in province shall be continuously carried out.
Regarding the collection of water fee for pump irrigation, implementation of 54 numbers of pump
irrigation projects by RID will be scheduled in the master plan, and it is possible that same problem of
cost sharing will happen in the future. Therefore, cost sharing between TAO and WUG regarding the
water fee and O&M cost for irrigation facilities shall be made clear. RID in Kanchanaburi province
which is able to estimate the O&M cost and water fee shall propose to TAO and WUG the O& M fee
as well as water fee on PTPW’s pump irrigation facilities as soon as possible. And also, TAO and
Nong Phai shall propose to WUG cost to be shared.
(6) Expansion from spot to area <Expansion of the pilot project>

The pilot projects were implemented in only 2 villages out of 145 villages in the Study Area. Same
projects shall be implemented in other villages to expand participatory development plans based on the
lessons learned from the pilot project, since RID provincial offices as well as TAOs have formulated
many small scale water resources development plans in the short term of the master plan. It is
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recommended that the implementation of 2 to 4 projects within the next 3years shall be in areas that
were not covered by the study preferably in the middle upstream basin and middle downstream basin.
(7) The role of the pilot project as the training place for neighboring countries
Many achievements and lessons were obtained through the implementation of the pilot projects on
institutional strengthening and improvement of farming practices. During the implementation of the
project, trainees from other countries such as Sri Lanka, etc. visited the site. Considering the following
aspects, it can be said that the Pilot Projects are suitable as the training place for neighboring countries
where similar policy is adapted in consideration to the issues such as FTA (Free Trade Agreement),
etc.
(i) It takes only 2 to 3 hours by land from Bangkok to the site with very easy access.
(ii) Cooperation systems between the Governmental agencies such as RID, DOAE, TSG, TAO,
etc. and the WUG or other farmers organization lined with the policy of decentralization can
be observed by visitors.
(iii) Pilot project can show actual trials on the conversion from chemical fertilizers and pesticides
to organic fertilizer which is chemical free in accordance with the Government’s agricultural
policies adopted as ‘‘ Kitchen in the world’’ and also promoting the ‘‘Food security’’ which is
considered as the most important subject in the Thai Government.
(8) Water Resources Development

According to the Regional 13 office of RID, construction of 8 numbers of medium scale dams have
been planned, consists of 2 in short term, 6 in medium term, and 1 in long term plans respectively. By
the construction of such dams, it will be able to store 286 MCM of water, which is approximately 4.6
times bigger than the current stored water of 33 MCM.
In order to mitigate the flood damages as well as to reduce the drought damages and sedimentation in
the existing water resource facilities, construction of the dams should be given first priority taking into
careful consideration the communities consensus and the environmental aspects. As for the
development of groundwater, it can not be expected that many number of well has to be constructed in
the future, since 2,621 numbers of shallow wells and 2,203 numbers of deep wells have been
constructed already to date.
(9) Flood Mitigations

The construction of food protection dike between the middle downstream and downstream of Lam Pa
Chi River was given first priority at RID Regional 13 Office, and planned to be implemented in
medium term plan with estimated cost of 653.2 million Bt. Before implementation of the dike, effect
of water level of Khwae Noi River to Lam Pa Chi River during the flood season in September and
October should be analyzed, and also the alleviation effect to the flood damages by medium size dams
to be constructed in the master plan shall be studied. Taking into due consideration the flood damages
occurred every year, analyses on such issues regarding the protection dike should be made in the
soonest opportunity.
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Chapter 1 Introduction
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
This section describes the details of the Pilot Project conducted from October 2003 to November 2004.
The Pilot Project was implemented as a part of the preparation of the Master Plan.
1.1 Background and Objectives of the Pilot Project

The objectives of the Pilot Project have been 1) to transfer the technologies on participatory
development to the community people and the Government officers, 2) to verify the recommended
development approaches in the Master Plan, and 3) to obtain “lessons learned” from the
implementation processes of the project. The results of the Pilot Project have been reflected to the
Master Plan.
For smooth implementation of the Pilot Project, motivation of the community people to participate in
the project was regarded as most important. At the proposed Pilot Project sites, the ideas of the project
were explained at first by the agencies concerned for making sure the communities agree to have the
project. By participating in the project from the planning stage, it was assumed the community people
involved have clear understanding on the responsibilities and the roles of the stakeholders. It was also
important to identify the leaders to be specifically trained as the ‘change agent’ for being able to
transfer their experiences and knowledge to other farmers. All of those were taken into account to
pursue the above objectives, and eventually to assure the sustainability of development activities.
The expected outcomes from the implementation of the Pilot Project were as follows:
(1) The stakeholders understand how participatory development approaches should be applied to
similar projects.
(2) The roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders are identified for project planning,
monitoring, and evaluation, and for continuation of the project activities.
(3) The effectiveness of the development approaches recommended in the Master Plan is
confirmed by verifying the ways to meet the farmers’ needs.
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Draft Final Report ~Pilot Project~
1.2 Selection of the Project Sites

1.2.1 Proposed Pilot Project Sites
(1) Planned Project Components
During the preparation of the draft Master Plan, the implementation of the Pilot Project was planned
with hard and soft components as follows:
1) Hard Component
One of the components of the Pilot Project was planned to be construction or rehabilitation of small
scale agriculture/irrigation facilities. The limitation of the budget and the possibility to have immediate
effects were considered necessary for the final selection. The expected components were:
Rehabilitation/construction of small scale weirs
Small scale pumping station
Farm ponds
Shallow wells
Conveyance canals, such as open canal/pipeline
Others
2) Soft Component
Soft component was to assure that the farmers’ incomes be increased hand in hand with hard
component. The core problem in the area is regarded as low income and high expenditure from their
agricultural activities. The problem is mainly caused by; 1) High cost of agricultural inputs, 2) Low
productivities, 3) Low market prices, and 4) Damages on the products. Soft component in the Pilot
Project was therefore considered to be as follows:
To organize farmers’ groups such as;
- Farmers’ water users group
- Cooperative group
- Production group
To provide extension services such as;
- Marketing
- Disease/ pests control
- Soil improvement
- Diversification/Rotation farming
- Trainings for farmers
(2) Basis of Selections for the Proposed Pilot Project Sites

The proposed sites were supposed to meet the following conditions to be selected as the Pilot Project
sites. The selection was made through the discussion with TSG and other agencies concerned.
• The area is irrigable throughout the year.
• Because the farmers are responsible for O&M of the project, irrigation facilities to be
constructed or rehabilitated are small in size.
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• The area is easily accessible for conducting study tours for community people and related
agency’s personnel concerned.
• People have high needs for project implementation.
• People have strong will to participate in the project.
• Well-performing village organizations exist.
• There is no problem on land acquisition.
(3) Proposed Pilot Project Sites

Based on the above objectives, strategies, basis of selections for the project sites and assumed project
components, three (3) Pilot Project sites were listed in Ratchaburi and four (4) in Kanchanaburi. The
summary of the profiles of the sites are shown below, and the details are shown in Figure 1.2.1 and
Table 1.2.2. The summary of the cost estimate at each candidate site is shown in Appendix.
Table 1.2.1 Proposed Pilot Project Sites

Main components for Beneficiaries Irrigable Cost
Proposed Site
implementation HH people area (rai) MBt
Ratchaburi
1.Upper Huai Mahad Res. Piped distribution
183 780 1,300 5.01
system by gravity
2. Tung Moo Ploi Res. Piped distribution
68 233 1,250 5.38
system by gravity
3. Huai Yai Lek Weir Weir ,Outlet with open
60 200 1,500 10.06
canal by gravity
Kanchanaburi
1. Ban Tha Phayom Weir Pump with pipeline,
80 360 1,500 4.43
Distribution Tower
2. Huai Lam Khung 4 Weir Outlet with pipeline by
50 80 500 4.97
gravity
3. Huai Sisiat Weir Weir, Outlet with open
90 145 1,350 7.38
canal by gravity
4. Huai Lam Khung 9 Weir Outlet with pipeline by
55 270 400 4.60
gravity
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1.2.2 Selection of the Pilot Project Sites

(1) Selection Criteria
Based on the criteria on the selection of the Pilot Project proposed by the Study Team, the Provincial
Offices in RID and TSG members finalized it. The criteria consisted of 11 items as below.
Table 1.2.3 Selection Criteria for the Pilot Project

Score
No Criteria Remarks
5 4 3 2 1
1 Land is good for farming
2 Irrigable area having enough water resources as supplemental
3 Farmers have good knowledge and skill for farming practice
4 Farmer’s group/ organization have existed.
5 Good condition to demonstrate project’s effects to other areas
6 People are willing to pay for sharing cost in project
implementation and O & M costs
7 No problem on land acquisition
8 Good accessibility as study tour by rural people and agency’s
personnel
9 TSG members are committed to project implementation and
willing to participate in project activities.
10 In order to enhance/establish farmer’s organizations, persons
with strong leadership should be able to participate
11 Peoples are willing to participate in project activities including
workshops
(2) Priorities of the Candidate Sites

1) TSG’s Recommendation
Two Pilot Project sites were selected each from Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi Provinces. The
candidate Pilot Project sites were given priorities using the above selection criteria. According to the
tables below, Upper Huai Mahad Irrigation Project in Ratchaburi obtained the highest score of 50.25
as well as Ban Tha Phayom Electrical Pumping and Water Distribute Project in Kanchanaburi with the
score of 48.00. The details of the score at each site are shown in the Appendix.
Table 1.2.4 Priority of Pilot Project Candidate Sites in Ratchaburi

Project Name Average Score Remark
Upper Huai Mahad Reservoir Irrigation Project 50.25 1
Tung Moo Ploi Reservoir Irrigation Project 43.0 2
Huai Yai Lek Weir Irrigation Project 41.0 3
Table 1.2.5 Priority of Pilot Project Candidate Sites in Kanchanaburi

Project Name Average Score Remark
Ban Tha Phayom Pumping and Water Distribute Project 48.00 1
HuaiSisiad Weir and Water Distribute Project 39.25 3
Huai Lam Klung No.9 Water Control and Distribute Project 42.00 2
Huai Lam Klung No.4 Water Control and Distribute Project 39.25 3
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2) Study Team’s Recommendation

The Study Team reviewed and studied the candidate sites from economic viewpoint. The table below
shows the result of cost-benefit analysis. According to the table below, the cost benefit ratio in Huai
Sisad Project became higher than Ban Tha Phayom Project in wet season, on the contrary, that in dry
season was quite reverse. The cost benefit ratios in total irrigable area showed 4,962 Bt/Rai in Ban Tha
Phayom Project and 4,942 Bt/Rai in Huai Sisiat Project, both of which were nearly equal. Taking the
budget limitation into consideration, the Study Team finally recommended Upper Huai Mahad
Reservoir Irrigation Project and Ban Tha Phayom Electrical Pumping and Water Distribute Project as
the Pilot Project sites, same as the recommendation from TSG.
Table 1.2.6 Summary of the Evaluation of the Pilot Project Sites in Ratchaburi
Irrigable Construct. Ratio
Candidate Sites Priority
Area(Rai) a* Cost (Bt) b* b*/a*(Bt/Rai)
Upper Huai Mahad Reservoir 1,300 3,500
4,550,000 1
Irrigation Project 1,700(400) 2,674
Tung Moo Ploi Reservoir 1,250 3,936
4,920,000 2
Huai Yai Lek Weir 1,500 6,400
9,600,000 3
Upper: Irrigable area in rainy season, lower: Total irrigable area, and (300) shows the irrigable area in dry season
Table 1.2.7 Summary of the Evaluation of the Pilot Project Sites in Kanchanaburi
Irrigable Construct. Ratio
Candidate Sites Priority
Area(Rai) a* Cost (Bt) b* b*/a*(Bt/Rai)
Ban Tha Phayom Pumping 500 7,940
3,970,000 2
and Water Distribute Project 800(300) 4,962
Huai Sisiad Weir and Water 1,150 6,017
6,920,000 1
Distribute Project 1,400(250) 4,943
Huai Lam Klung No.9 Water 345 12,000
4,140,000 4
Distribute Project 445(100) 9,303
Huai Lam Klung No.4 Water 400 11,275
4,510,000 3
Distribute Project 500(100) 9,020
Upper: Irrigable area in rainy season, lower: Total irrigable area, and (300) shows the irrigable area in dry season
(3) Details of the Selection Process

1) Upper Huai Mahad Reservoir Project Site
Three candidate sites for the Pilot Project were selected by RID Provincial Office from the list of the
requests of Tambons1 to RID made in the past. The suggested budget and criteria given by the Study
Team were the basis for the selection. Among three sites, TSG members finally selected Upper Huai
Mahad Reservoir (UHMR) as the Pilot Project site. The following were the main reasons of the final
selection.
1) Existence of water storage facility
2) Amount of available water
3) Readiness of the farmers, i.e., high-level of participation can be expected
4) Existence of sugar mill factory nearby (in the town)
5) Eagerness of cooperation from the concerned agencies
1
The requests are made also by villages and individuals.
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Prior to this process, those three and other requested sites in the list had been assessed as feasible by
RID Provincial Office, and RID Regional Office had already given its approval for implementation2.
In principle, feasibility of the requests is assessed based on i) whether adequate water volume can be
made available for agriculture and drinking water development, and ii) whether expected benefits are
justifiable. RID usually prioritizes those feasible requests taking into consideration of i) budgets, ii)
farmers’ seriousness of development, and iii) equitable distribution of the places within the area
possible to obtain water.
The project of UHMR was originally proposed from the village to the Tambon, and then to RID two
years ago. According to the village chief, the proposal was prepared through village meeting in which
80% of the village households participated. The proposal was made because of the expectation that
yields and productions of pineapple, sugarcane and fruits be increased by irrigation. All of the
households in the village rely on agriculture; however the lands cannot be expanded for agricultural
purpose any more. Increase of land productivity with irrigation is considered as the key.
2) Ban Tha Phayom Weir Project Site

There were four candidate sites for the Pilot Project, recommended by three TAOs. Each of the TAOs
with the staff from RID Provincial Office discussed on the selection of the sites with the people in its
respective Tambon, and proposed those sites to TSG. They were not included in the list of the RID, but
instead the areas with existing water storage facilities and irrigation development potential were
selected through the discussion with those people. TSG finally selected Ban Tha Phayom Weir
(BTPW) as the proposed project site. The main reason of selecting BTPW was that it was the only area
where has a river (Lam Pa Chi River) with perennial water flow.
In general, RID Provincial Office places high implementation priority on large or medium scale
projects among those requested to them. RID conducts a preliminary survey at the proposed project
sites for making sure that the requested projects fall into RID’s responsibility. Among them, the areas
with no existing water storage facilities are given first priority for implementation.
2
When a project is requested to RID, it usually conducts preliminary surveys to assess whether the requested project is
feasible or not. The survey report is then sent to RID regional office for approval.
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CHAPTER 2 IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

2.1 Overall Implementation Schedule
2.1.1 Implementation Process and Responsible Agencies
The Figure below shows the process and the responsible agencies for the implementation of the Pilot
Project (PP).
Flow Responsible Agencies
Planning TAO/TSG/RID C/P/

JICA Study Team
Recommendation of the
candidates
Decision on the PP site Steering Committee
Topographic Survey Regional 13 RID Office

Detail Design (Office Engineer)
Cost Estimation and Provincial RID/TSG/

Implementation Schedule JICA Study Team
Provincial RID/
Implementation
Region 13/TSG/
JICA Study Team
Hard Components Soft Components
Figure 2.1.1 Implementation Process and Responsible Agencies
2.1.2 Overall Implementation Schedule

After the selection of the Pilot Project sites by the Steering Committee, topographic survey, detail
design and cost estimate were undertaken by RID Regional 13 Office. Those works’ period was
supposed to be approximately 1 month. After that project implementation was started. The more detail
is shown as below.
Table 2.1.1 Overall Implementation Schedule of the Pilot Project at Each Province
2003 2004
Items
Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
Decision of the PP Site
Topographic Survey
Detail Design
Cost Estimate &
Implementation Schedule
Procurement
Implementation
2-10
Chapter 2 Implementation Process
2.1.3 Construction Method

There were two (2) methods considered for the implementation of the Pilot Project. One was direct
force account basis by RID Region 13 Office, and the other was contract basis with private contractors.
Taking into account of reduction of construction costs and periods as well as RID’s capability in the
construction of similar water resources and irrigations facilities, the direct force account basis by RID
was applied.
JICA
Headquarters
- Supplier
- Materials
Study Team - Fuel
- Spare Parts RID
Payment - Employment of Procurement
common labor
Figure 2.1.2 Cash Flow in the Pilot Project
2.2 Implementation Plan of Soft Component

(1) Participatory Planning
The plan of the Pilot Project was prepared through the following participatory process:
(a) PCM <October 2003>
Workshop
Objectives: To prepare the detail plan of the project. (Target, Index, Activities etc.)
Output: Project Design Matrix (PDM), Plan of Operation (PO)
Sight Investigation
Objectives: To decide the canal alignment, location of pump station and other
irrigation facilities etc. with the farmers by using the RRA tools such as
Mapping
Output: Opinions are reflected into the design of the irrigation facilities.
Requests from the villager are reflected into the plan of hard component.
(b) RRA (2) <January 2004~>
Objectives are to:

- Grasp the current situation of the villages on qualitatively
- Find appropriate persons who could be trainers
- Train trainers on RRA method (village leaders and advanced farmers)
- Monitor the progress of hard and soft component activities
- Reflect the results of monitoring into the following activities
Output:
- Current situation of the villages
- Skilled trainers on RRA
- Proper project cycle management
2-11
(2) Activities in Soft Component

All activities in soft component were planned and implemented through PCM and discussions. The
expected components at the commencement of the Pilot Project were as follows:
(a) Study Tour (1) <Advanced practices >: ~Learn from other advanced projects~
The visits to advanced villages in other area will be made. The farmers or leader of the villages shall
cooperate with RID counterpart and TSG for preparation of the agenda and schedule of the tour. The
agenda are, for example, to learn O&M of irrigation facilities, cost sharing, collection of water fee, etc.
(b) Study Tour (2) <Peer monitoring>: ~Learn mutually~

To learn from the progress of another Pilot Project site, the villagers shall make mutual visits. The
leaders of each village shall explain their activities. After the mutual visits, joint meeting shall be held
to discuss the current problems and ideas of solution. In particular, the roles of each actor and process
of participatory development shall be discussed so that the results of discussion can be reflected into
the Draft Master Plan.
(c) Training: ~Conduct technical training on various fields~

Depends upon the needs, the villagers can receive a series of training. The expected items were as
follows:
Leaders Training Livestock
Credit Farming practice
Marketing System Soil Improvement
Water and soil conservation Irrigation Management
Reforestation Participatory Development
(d) Learning Center: ~learn from the advanced farmers in the site~
In order to learn from successful agricultural practices, the advanced farmers shall be identified as the
“learning center.” Those farmers shall teach their methods to other farmers. To support this activity,
the costs shall be bone from the budget of the Pilot Project, if possible.
(e) Demonstration: ~present the experience of the Pilot Project to the farmers from the other Tambons~
In order to have people in other villages in the study area learn from the experiences of the Pilot
Project, the representatives of TAOs in each sub basin shall be invited to the site. The representatives
in each village shall make presentation on their activities.
(3) Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation were planned to be conducted throughout the process of the Pilot Project,
and the results of evaluations shall be reflected on the succeeding activities as well as on the Draft
Master Plan. The following were planned for monitoring and evaluation of the project at the
commencement of the Pilot Project:
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Chapter 2 Implementation Process
(a) Participatory M&E

Through the participatory process including PCM, monitoring shall be made in accordance with
evaluation indexes. Leadership, management, relationship with the others, functions of TSG and other
related agencies and household economy are expected as the evaluation indexes.
(b) Baseline Survey

To grasp the change of socio-economic conditions brought by the Pilot Project, the baseline survey
shall be conducted before and after the implementation of Pilot Project. Twenty to thirty percent of
total households in each site are recommended to be a number of the samples. All the activities on soft
component shall be decided thorough PCM and PRA planning process.
2-13
CHAPTER 3 SITUATIONS OF UHMR SITE

The following describes the situations of Upper Huai Mahad Reservoir Project (UHMR) site when the
Pilot Project was started.
3.1 Project Site

(1) Location
The project site is at Nong Chok village3, which is located at about 70 km from the center of
Ratchaburi Province. The road to the village is all paved, and the village lies along the concrete road.
(See the location map)
(2) Population and Areas

The population of the village is 653, and the number of the households is 158. The village area covers
9,200 rai, of which the agricultural land occupies 4,459 rai. Sugarcane and pineapple cover 3,160 rai
in total. Both crops occupy the similar size of area. Other crops planted in the village are mango (160
rai) and vegetables (50 rai). There is a tendency that the area for pineapple is increasing due to its high
price of selling. There are two main water resources in the village for agriculture and domestic water
use; Upper and Lower Huai Mahad Reservoirs.
(3) Village History

Nong Chok village was initiated in 1966. There were ten families moving into the area from Chom
Bueng district in the same province, seeking for new agricultural lands. Then, they started sugarcane
production after cleared the land. The main events in the village are shown below:
Village History of Village Nong Chok

1972 The first road was constructed, and more people moved into the area. They cleared the land
for growing cassava and other crops. The price of a land at that time ranged from 50 to 100
Bt per rai.
1973 The bigger and longer road was constructed through the village by one of the influenced
man who wanted to produce sugarcane in the nearby area.
1974 A village primary school was constructed by the Border Patrol Police (BPP). Two BPPs
were assigned as teachers.
1979 The village was officially named as Ban Nong Chok.
1982 Nong Chok village was divided into two villages; Number four and five villages.
1983 A village pond and a weekend market were constructed.
1984 The upper and lower Huai Mahad small-scale irrigation projects were constructed by Royal
Irrigation Department (RID).
1985 Electricity was provided to the village.
1989 The primary school was transferred to the ministry of education.
1997 One of the primary school buildings was burned and new building was constructed in the
same year.
2002 The headman retired and the new headman was elected.
3
The meaning of Nong Chok is water weed.
2-14
(4) Cropping Pattern, Rainfall Data and Labor Requirement

Average yields of sugarcane and pineapple are 8 t and 4 t/rai, respectively. Cropping pattern of main
crops in this area is shown below:
Table 3.1.1 Cropping Pattern, Rainfall Data and Labor Requirement
Duration
J F M A M J J A S O N D Remarks
Activity
1. Sugarcane r 9 a. Harvesting
Production b. Transplanting
y c. Fertilizer / chemical
application
2. Pineapple a. Transplanting
Production b. Maintenance
e c. Chemical application
×
d. Weed control
t/ e. Harvesting
3
3. Rainfall data
4. Labor In the peak period,

requirement labors are hired from
other regions.
(5) Markets
Sugarcane is sold only to the Sugar Factory in Ratchaburi at 580 Bt/t4. Pineapple is mainly sold to
Kanchanaburi Pineapple Factory at 3.1 Bt/kg while some is sold to middlemen at lower price. The
small amount of pineapple is processed for can by a housewife group in the village when the price of
raw product is low.
(6) General Information of Gender

In this village, it is said that men and women work together in the farm, and the difference of roles
between genders depend on each family. There seems to be no gender difference in the forest use. The
villagers say that the one who is freer in the family goes to the forest to collect bamboo shoots,
mushrooms and firewood. In addition, it is said that both man and woman can become a village leader,
if he or she is a good person and devotes his/her time to others.
However, in fact, there are some differences between men and women. Men can take ‘heavier jobs’
such as spreading agrochemicals by using heavy machines with motor in the farm, and thus in case
where only husband is engaged in that sort of work, he tends to make decision on the agricultural
management such as how to utilize chemical fertilizer and how much to pay for it, although the wife
keeps money in the family for daily purpose in many cases. The villagers in a key informant interview
said that husbands tend to receive agricultural training provided mainly by the DOAE district, while a
wife participates in the training for short term when her husband is not available. Presumably the skills
and technologies provided are appropriate only for men’s work, although women also plow asparagus
4
This price includes the government support of 80 Bt/t.
2-16
Chapter 3 Situation of UHMR Site
farm by using lighter instrument. In addition, probably many women cannot leave the house because
of domestic duties and childcare, while many men are almost free from that ‘work’. For details of
gender division of labor in households, see the section of household interviews.
3.2 Village Organizations

(1) Village Administration
The overall responsibilities of village development and administration lie under the village headman.
The headman of the village was elected in 2002. Under the village headman, the village committee is
organized with ten positions. There are two assistant headmen; one for peacekeeping is responsible for
conflict management among the villages and village security, while another for social welfare is for
village development. The responsibilities of other positions and the organizational chart are as follows:
d for growing cassava and other crops. The price of a land at that time ranged from 50 to 100 Bt per rai.
1973 The bigger and longer road was constructed through the village by one of the influenced man
who wanted to produce sugarcane in the nearby area.
1974 A village primary school was constructed by the Border Patrol Police (BPP). Two BPPs were
assigned as teachers.
1979 The village was officially named as Ban Nong Chok.
1982 Nong Chok village was divided into two villages; Number four and five villages.
1983 A village pond and a weekend market were constructed.
Village Headman
Mr. Sai Thongsri
Asst. Headman Asst. Headman

(Peacekeeping) (Social Welfare)
Mr. Ruai Bunkert Mr. Suchart Saikeaw
Mr. Prajuab Puengteang Mr. Peeraphong Prainoy
Women /Children Rep. for TAO Social Welfare Public Health

and Youth Mr. Phian Kitsakul Mrs. Pranee Mr. Bua Sayan
Mr. Somnuek Mr. Somjit Kraikergrit Yimsanguan
Charoentham
Education and Culture Occupation Promotion Finance

Mr. Koson Naknaka Mr. Bunchu Saikeaw Mr. Preecha Chanwichit
Figure 3.2.1 Structure of the Village Committee in Village Nong Chok
2-17
(2) Village Groups

There are the following seven groups in the village, supported by the different government agencies:
Table 3.2.1 Village Groups
Annual Budget Loan / Interest
Groups Member Main Activities
(Bt) Member (Bt) (%)
1. Domestic Water Users 150 64,000 - - Secure water supply to
all members
2. Poverty Reduction 62 280,000 20,000 6 Provide credit
3. Pineapple Producers 103 (To be 2,300 6 Provide credit and

identified) organize the producers
for selling the crop
4. Sugarcane Producers N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
5. Housewives 78 (To be 7,800 / 6 Saving member fee of

identified) month 100 Bt/member/Month
6. Village Development 103 1,06,000 20,000 6 Provide credit
Fund
7. Community Forestry 75 - - - Protect 742 rai of
community forest
The housewives group, pineapple producers group and domestic water users’ group are active and
directly related with production activities and water management. The details of each group are as
follows:
1) Pineapple Producers Group

The Group was founded in 1994. The group received 10 t of chemical fertilizer for three years during
1994 to 1996 from the Pineapple Association because the area experienced severe drought during that
time. Each member was able to buy maximum five bags at the price of 100 Bt/bag. In 1997, the group
was assisted 170,000 Bt for purchasing fertilizer to be sold to the members. The paid money from the
members was deposited as the group fund, and the group was able to save about 240,000 Bt by 2002.
The loan can be made available to the members from this fund when they need to buy fertilizers.
Interest rate is set at 6%.
The group has joined with other three pineapple groups in the same Tambon, buying the share of
102,000 Bt. Individual members do not need to pay the member fee. The purpose of making the group
at Tambon level is to have stronger bargaining power when selling the products. This Tambon group
can save up to 8,000 Bt/year, and 10% of the net profit has been distributed to the members every year.
Currently, the numbers of the members of the Tambon group as well as the one organized at Nong Jok
village are 304 and 64, respectively.
The factory gives the members the minimum price guarantee of 2 Bt/kg, and currently pays 3.1 Bt.
The members are usually paid 20 days after selling their products to the factory, or they can borrow
money from the group if cash is immediately needed. If borrowed, 2% is deducted when they are paid.
It is allowed for the members to sell the products individually at their own risk, or 1% is collected by
2-18
the group if sold through the group. The members rent a truck to carry their products to the factory.
The members prefer to sell their products to the factory since the middlemen pay only half of it and
they feel they are cheated.
The average expenditures of pineapple production per rai per year are estimated at 5,300 Bt. The cost
at the first year is high because those for seedling, land preparation and transplanting are needed. The
details on the expenditures are shown in the following table:
Table 3.2.2 Expenditures for Pineapple Production

Amount (Bt)
Items
1st year 2nd year 3rd year Total
1. Land Preparation 500 - - 500
2. Seedling (700 pc/ rai) 5,600 - - 5,600
3. Labor for transplanting 780 - - 780
4. Herbicide 500 500 500 1,500
5. Labor for spraying 110 110 110 330
6. Fertilizer application (2 times) 1,310 1,310 1,310 3,930
7. Labor for harvesting 650 650 650 1,950
8. Transportation to the factory 400 400 400 1,200
(Total for three years) 15,790
(Average per year) 5,263
According to the members, the problem concerning pineapple production is wilt. The current average
yield is 5 t/rai, and the members expect it be raised to 18 t/rai5 if water becomes available.
2) Domestic Water Users’ Group

In 1989, the villagers were provided with the development budget from TAO for constructing ten
storage tanks at the Upper Huai Mahad reservoir. A domestic water users’ group was set up since then.
The members paid 2 Bt/m3 of water used. Ten years later, the public health office financially
supported for the construction of a new clean water supply system, and at that time the group
increased the water fee to 4 Bt/m3. The members now pay according to the reading of the meter
installed at every member’s house. The total length of the pipeline is now 3.2 km.
Originally, it was intended to provide drinking water to the villagers through the water supply system.
The villagers however feel difficult to manage the water purification process, and use the system for
their domestic needs. They rely on rain for collecting drinking water.
Presently, all the villagers except six households benefit from the pipeline. The group has saved
66,292 Bt. The saving was spent not only on water-related activities but also on other social activities
such as school playground, children lunch program and additional cleaning of the reservoir. The group
has a committee, which is responsible for managing water and water fee. The committee structure is
shown in following:
5
It is said the farmers in Pechaburi are able to produce 18t/rai.
2-19
Chairman
Mr. Samruam
Secretary Water Fee Collection Finance Five Committee

Mr. Sai Mr. Koson Mr. Preecha Members
Figure 3.2.2 Structure of the Water Users’ Group
The committee is conscious of financial transparency of group activities. Financial transactions of the
group are audited at the meetings held once a month or two months. The results are then indicated on
board for notifying the members. The following table is the main financial features of the group:
Table 3.2.3 Main Financial Feature of Water Users’ Group

Items Figure
1. Average amount of water fee collected 6,000 – 8,000 Bt/month
2. Average volume of water used 2,500 m3/month
3. Average cost of electricity 4,500 Bt/month
4. Net saving 2,500 Bt/month
5. Salary of the water fee collector 1,500 Bt/month
3) Housewives Group
In this village, there is only one women’s organization, which is called the housewives’ group. The
institutional profile of the group is shown below.
Table 3.2.4 Institutional Profile: Housewives’ Group

Problems
Foundation and
Management Achievements and Needs
Group’s Goals
Difficulties
Founded in 1995 Consisted of chairperson, To participate in the No Support for
by Community assistant, secretary, finance village activity organization sawing activity,
Development and public relation comes to i.e. knowledge,
Department To work together and support them market, and
Selected by voting look for the way to fund
To coordinate for increase income
increasing income 78 members Fund to buy
To donate for the equipment and
To support health Firstly pay 115 Bt for the public, e.g. temple, modern
membership, and then pay school technology for
To promote 100 Bt monthly from the agriculture
community next month To save money to
development borrow with low Livestock,
Meeting on the 7th of every interest rates, 1 Bt/ 100 animal nursery,
To change month for getting Bt/ month cow and pig
attitudes in the information from the
village Province, District, to the Have done activities
village together by volunteer
To improve
quality of leaders Discuss problems and how
to solve them
2-20
The housewives’ group looks active here. It has donated to the temple and school in the community by
producing and selling pineapple toffee and chili paste, and its accumulated fund is an important source
of credit for women’s productive activity. Although women have to pay 15 Bt for the membership and
100 Bt for monthly saving in the first month, and then they have to keep paying 100 Bt every month, it
still holds 78 members. By being a member, they can borrow money with low interest that is 1 Bt for
100 Bt/ month. The members are very fond of their group activity, and a woman says, ‘if a woman
does not like the group, she just leaves.’
Middlemen BAAC
Market Middlemen
Bamboo Credit
shoots
Credit Sugarcane
Members factory
TAO Info.
Seeds
Credit
Credit Pineapple
DOAE Middlemen factory
District
CDD Housewives’ group Chinese

Foundation
permission
Com. forest
group
Figure 3.2.3 Institutions related to Women’s Incomes
For their incomes, women sell sugarcane, pineapple and bamboo shoots to factories or markets, and
there are many cases of selling those crops and products to middlemen with determined prices. BAAC,
sugarcane factory, DOAE and housewives’ group provide credit for their agricultural production.
Furthermore, DOAE and other governmental institutions provide general information, agricultural
techniques, seeds, seedlings and animal nursery such as chicks and calf. Women regard housewives’
group as the most helpful institution and it receives financial support from a Chinese foundation.
DOAE District is also seen as important for agriculture. Although it is not directly related to women’s
economic activity, the financial support for school is also seen as important for women, because it
reduces an educational cost.
2-21
(3) Preference of Income Generating Opportunities for the Housewives

Eight members of the housewives’ group listed up various income sources for their households as well
as some income generating activities to be suggested to the group. The members compared every pair
of the options one by one, and ranked which is better opportunity for income. The result is shown in
the table.
Among the women, cattle-raising is the most popular opportunity for income generation. They can
raise some cattle in a group, just pasture on hills, and earn large amount of money at once. Other
livestock except duck is also popular, but the prices are not so high and it is necessary to take much
care, especially of goats. Sawing is the second most popular way of income generation as new activity
of housewives’ group instead of making pineapple toffee and chili paste, but they need sawing
machines for starting. However, asparagus and newly-cultivated vegetables such as white radish are
relatively low in their options, because they require more inputs and the water is not so available yet.
Bamboo shoots and mushrooms from the community forest are also women’s source of income. The
price of mushrooms is high, but it is difficult to find them, compared with bamboo shoots.
Figure 3.2.4 Pair-wise Ranking of Better Income Opportunity by Women

A C BS P M Ch S D G PT CP WR Total
Asparagus
18
Cow 0
8 88
Bamboo 2 8
Shoot 6 0 26
Pig 0 8 0
8 0 8 72
Mushroom 8 8 4 8
0 0 4 0 12
Chicken 0 8 0 8 0
8 0 8 0 8 56
Sawing 0 8 0 0 0 0
8 0 8 8 8 8 80
Duck 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Goat 0 8 0 8 0 0 8 0
8 0 8 0 8 8 0 8 64
Pineapple 0 8 0 8 0 0 8 0 8
Toffee 8 0 8 0 8 8 0 8 0 56
Chili 0 8 0 8 0 8 8 0 8 8
Paste 8 0 8 0 8 0 0 8 0 0 40
White 0 8 8 8 0 8 8 0 8 8 8
Radish 8 0 0 0 8 0 0 8 0 0 0 24
Note: 0 ---- Point of the option at upper line
8 ---- Point of the option at left column
Ranking Result was as follows:

1. Cow (88 pts), 2. Sawing (80 pts), 3. Pig (72 pts), 4. Goat (64 pts), 5. Pineapple Toffee & Chicken
(56 pts for each), 7. Chili Paste (40 pts), 8. Bamboo Shoot (26 pts), 9. Vegetables (e.g. white radish)
(24 pts), 10. Asparagus (18 pts), 11. Mushroom (12 pts), 12. Duck (0 pts)
2-22
3.3 Village Households

Five farmers’ households were individually interviewed. They were selected as the representatives
from relatively rich, medium and poor farmers’ categories in the village. The details of each household
are summarized as follows.
(1) Mr. Sanga Sinwongket (Poor)

Mr. Sanga (70) and his wife (55) have six children. All of them completed primary school only. Three
of the children are women. Four of them are already married and stay out. The family bought totally
42 rai of land at 250 Bt/rai when they started living at the current place. Each child was then given five
rai from the parents, and therefore the rest of 12 rai remains for Mr. Sanga. The household incomes
and expenditures are as follows:
Activities Incomes (Bt) Expenditures (Bt)
1. Pineapple Production 60,000/ year N/A
2. Working as daily labor 150/ day
3. Loan from the poverty alleviation fund 10,000/ year 10,000 Bt/year with 6 % interest
4. Loan from the village development fund 2,000/ year 2,000 Bt/year with 6 % interest
5. Running a small repair shop (motorcycle) 2,500/ month 1,500/ month
6. Household consumption 150/ day
7. Water fee 40/ month
8. Electricity 300/ month
He received extension services mainly from the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), Land
Development Department (LDD), and the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO). However, he is
not satisfied with the services because the qualities were not high.
(2) Mr. Koson Naknakha (poor)

Mr. Koson (41) is married and has two children. One son is 13 year old and studies at Ban Kha
secondary school. His daughter is 9 years old studying in the village primary school. Mr. Koson owns
50 rai of the land where he cultivates 28 rai of sugarcane, 4 rai of pineapple, some bamboo and
vegetables. The family incomes and expenditures in 2002 are as follows:
Activities Incomes (Bt/year) Expenditures (Bt/year)
1. Pineapple Production 21,169 N/A
2. Sugarcane Production (286 tons) 146,307 100,598
3. Mango Production 1,000 -
4. Vegetable Production 2,000 N/A
5. Salary for collecting Water Fee 1,500 -
6. Loan from BAAC 150,000 150,000 (*)
7. Loan from the village development fund 15,000 15,000 (*)
8. Loan from the pineapple group 1,300 1,300 (*)
9. Loan from the sugarcane factory 20,000 20,000 (*)
10. Loan from World Vision 4,000 4,000 (*)
Note (*): Repayment with 6% interest.
2-23
He hires labor from January to April for harvesting sugarcane, paying 60 Bt/100 sugarcanes. It takes 8
days to harvest all in 28 rai with 10 labors. He takes sugarcane and pineapple to the factory and
middlemen, respectively. Some vegetables are sold to middlewomen in the village.
The family belongs to the groups of (i) domestic water users’, (ii) village development fund, (iii)
pineapple producers, (iv) sugarcane producers, (v) BAAC, (vi) World Vision, (vii) Public Health, and
(viii) housewives. He receives extension services from the following agencies; DOAE, ALRO, Fishery
Department, RID and Public Health.
The family needs water pump since they will not benefit from the irrigation system to be constructed
by the Pilot Project. They also need to improve soil fertility. The agricultural activities the family
wants to try in future are fruit tree growing and fish raising in net.
(3) Mrs. Suphaporn (rich)

Mrs. Suphaporn (39) is one of four family members. One son already completed school, and a
daughter is now at the last year of primary school. Mrs. Suphaporn owns two farm plots with total area
of 25 rai. She also rent in another 25 rai.
The agricultural activities in the first half of 25 rai are; sugarcane, fishpond and a pond of reserving
water. Another half of 25 rai is used for growing five rai of longan and seven rai of pineapple. The rent
plot is totally used for sugarcane growing. The family head is trained as the soil improvement
technician. The family can produce up to 16 t of sugarcane per rai where the soil is improved. She
claimed that sugarcane yield could be increased up to 19 t / rai if water is available.
Mrs. Suphaporn belongs to five groups namely; housewives group, pineapple production, domestic
water users, BAAC and village development fund. She receives extension services from Land
Development Department, sugarcane factory and the Rural Development Department.
The following table is the family incomes and expenditures:

Activities Incomes (Bt/year) Expenditures (Bt/year)
1. Pineapple Production - 49,000 (1st year)
2. Sugarcane Production 120,000 50,000
3. Running a small food/input supply shop 100/ day (net profit) -
4. Sold six goats 30,000 -
5. Bought 10 goats - 30,000
6. Loan from BAAC 200,000 150,000
2-24
(4) Mr. Samruam (rich)

Mr. Samruam (61) had been the village head for 20 years. He was one of those who moved into the
village at first. He owns four plots of land with total 131 rai. His agricultural activities are cow raising
(31 cows), goat raising (35 goats), fish raising, pasture production and some fruit production. He
obtained extension services from DOAE, LDD, Livestock Department, Rural Development, and RID.
He thinks that after the irrigation system is constructed, the farmers will grow vegetable crops to gain
immediate incomes. He also suggested the benefit of having one bull for breeding purpose.
His main income is from selling cows at 15,000 to 20,000 Bt/head. Other livestock with promising
market is goat. The live goat costs 60 Bt/kg. The details of the family’s main incomes and
expenditures are as follows:
Incomes Expenditures
Activities
(Bt/year) (Bt/year)
1. Sold five cows 75,000 -
2. Vaccination 1,000
3. Bought hay 13,000
(5) Mrs. Nuan Phimpha (middle)

She is 46 years old and a mother of two children. Her daughter graduated recently and now works at
TAO. She owns 25 rai of agricultural land6, in which 10 rai of pineapple and 15 rai of sugarcane were
cultivated. She received similar extension services with other villagers; for example, ALRO, BAAC,
Public Health and DOAE. Last year, the family earned net income from sugarcane production at
70,000 Bt and another 200,000 Bt from pineapple 7 . The total production volume and yield of
sugarcane were 130 t and 9 t/rai, and those of pineapple were 50 t and 5 t/rai, respectively.
Activities Incomes (Bt/year) Expenditures
1. Pineapple Production 20,000 (net profit) 6,930 Bt/rai
2. Sugarcane Production 70,000 (net profit) 4,000 Bt/rai
3. School fee for daughter - 2,000 Bt/month
4. Household consumption - 150 Bt/day
3.4 Gender in Agricultural Work at Household Level

The participants were asked in the group interview to classify the villagers into 3 levels of living
conditions: upper; middle; and lower. The households were then selected from each level for
household interview. In addition, the ‘good producers’ were also selected for the interview about
gender. Though some of them did not participate in the group interview, all female interviewees are
the members of the housewives’ group. They are able to pay some fees for monthly saving of the
group, and thus are considered to be better-off than non-members. The stories of each interviewee are
described below.
6
She also rent in 28 rai of pineapple and sugarcane production.
7
The selling prices of sugarcane and pineapple were 580 Bt per ton and 4 Bt per kg, respectively.
2-25
(1) Good producer (1)

This 35-year-old woman seems to be a very active member of the housewives’ group. She is a member
of TAO. She has a 36-year-old husband, one son (15 years old) and one daughter (2 years old). She
and her husband cultivate pineapples in 4 rai of their land and in other land rented. As the sources of
income, she makes pineapple toffee and collects bamboo shoots from the forest. She used to have 2
cattle, but she sold them to buy a motorcycle. In addition, she receives money as the TAO member. At
the moment of the interview, her husband just has gone to a neighboring province to capture shrimps
by chartered vehicle for 2 days.
She is busy with pineapple care in October and November. She usually gets up at 5:30am, prepares
breakfast and then washes dishes and cloths. She works on weeding from 8:00 to 11:00, but she is also
responsible for childcare. When she has a monthly meeting, she goes to TAO at 9:00 and the meeting
continues up to 12:00 or even 14:00. When she goes to the farm, she works from 12:00 to 17:00. After
coming home, she steams rice and has dinner. She checks daily news on TV at 8:00pm, and goes to
bed at 9:00pm. She is relatively not busy from March to May. When it is permitted, she goes to the
community forest to collect bamboo shoots at 3:00am. She usually finishes collecting them at 6:00am,
but in case where good places are already occupied, she continues to work in the forest until 9:00am or
10:00am.
She says that she keeps household money and makes decision on how to use it. However, she
discusses farming management with her husband. She explains that the major difference between
husband and wife in labor is that the husband works on construction and goes far to work. Because
they have a small child, she cannot leave it alone in a house. It is heavy work for her to carry many
pineapples and seedlings in the farm. DOAE District provides many inputs and other services, but she
says they are not appropriate for pineapple. She is still struggling for income, and when she does not
have enough money, she asks her family and friends for wage labor.
(2) Good producer (2)

In this family, the wife is 31 years old and the husband is 36 years old. They have a 9-year-old
daughter and a 5-year-old son. In addition to them, the wife’s younger brother, his wife and their son
live in the same household.
They earn incomes from the pineapple cultivation and wage labor in the farm. They cultivate
pineapples in 5-6 rai of their land and additional rented land. The husband says that they cannot
cultivate sugarcane because they need to hire labor. The wife used to saw sacks for agricultural use
with women’s group, but quitted 4 or 5 months ago because they became busy with other works.
Moreover, they can prepare canned bamboo shoots for selling. The price of bamboo shoots is 190 Bt
/ can, but they can sell them more than 200 Bt during dry season.
Their working patterns are shown below. They are busier from May to September for taking care of
pineapples, but both of them cannot identify when the slack season is for them. They are almost
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always busy, but take a rest when they have no work. The husband tends to work longer and earns
more money than the wife, because they say that the wife is responsible for house work and childcare
and it is too hard for the woman to work when it is very hot. It is heavy for the wife to carry
pineapples from the farm and to spread agrochemicals by using machine with motor. As a result, the
husband is responsible for when, how much and how to utilize agrochemicals. Although the wife
keeps money for daily use, the husband makes decision on buying agricultural inputs.
DOAE District provides them with training on how to use fertilizer and other chemicals twice a year.
Both of them can participate in the training, but the husband tends to attend more. DOAE organized a
problem-solving group in the village 5 years ago, and it examines the request from farmers for
agricultural inputs. Because this household is regarded as ‘good producer’, extension staff of DOAE
visits and asks them what they need for the production. The pineapple producers’ group and
housewives’ group are also good channels for them to get credit.
In the husband’s opinion, the wife’s sub-income can be increased by women’s group activity.
Because they sell the canned bamboo shoots only by word of mouth, they need a new market or
person to buy them. Concerning pineapple as their main crop, they need a mini-factory, of which the
plan was disappeared before, near the village. Now they are thinking on introduction of new crops
such as jackfruits in their farm.
Figure 3.4.1 Daily Activities of Wife and Husband in Busy Season (May-September)
4:00 Spread agrochemicals

5:00 breakfast
Wash dishes & cloths
5:30 take a rest
7:00 farming Have meal brought to the farm
(in different farm from husband)
(e.g. wife – their own land, husband – wage
labor) 8:00 farming
Spread weed-killer, fertilizer, etc.
11:00 lunch
12:00 take a rest at home
Take more rest when it is too hot
13:00 farming
15:00 farming
17:30 take a rest & bath, TV

17:00 cook
19:30 dinner
20:00-21:00 go to bed 21:00-22:00 Go to bed

Wife’s Dairy Activity Husband’s Daily Activity
2-27
(3) Upper level woman

This 43-year-old woman lives with her 45-year-old husband. Their daughter and son are studying in
Bangkok now, and come home during vacation. She has 80 rai of land, but she rents it out for others.
Instead, she works in 80 rai of her father’s farm for pineapple and sugarcane farming. When bamboos
shoot out, she goes to the forest to take them for selling.
She is busy with harvesting sugarcanes from January to April or May, but it is impossible to say when
she is busy with pineapple cropping because it takes 14 months to grow. While she is harvesting
sugarcane, she gets up at 5:30am, steams rice and washes dishes. After that, she works in the farm
from 6:30am, and employs 4-5 villagers to cut and tie up sugarcanes to send the factory. When the
farming activity is very busy, she employs up to 10 villagers for harvesting. She says that she cannot
be employed for other farms, because she is a large land owner and there is some pressure on her to
hire wage labor in her farm. Although she takes a rest from 11:00am to 2:00pm, she works in the
farm until 5:30pm. After coming home, she cooks, watches TV, takes a rest, and then goes to bed at
10:30pm.
She says that she and her husband work together in the farm. For her, it is heavy task to carry
pineapples from the farm to the vehicle. Although her husband sometimes cooks, she is mainly
responsible for domestic tasks, and she feels that the woman is busier and even more tired than the
man. However, the wife keeps money and makes decision for daily use. Since she started to work in
agriculture 2 years ago – she used to sell vegetables in the market of another town – she cannot
remember which institution helped her in agricultural production. She says that it is easier to work in
commerce, because she can earn more income with less cost. She feels that more care is needed for
agriculture especially in terms of management such as when to plant crops or how much money to
save for investment. For the agricultural development, she says that it is necessary to stabilize the
prices of products, but she expects that the Pilot Project with irrigation will help the production of
pineapple toffee.
(4) Middle level woman (1)

This 49-year-old woman lives with her 43-year-old husband and 7-year-old grandchild. Their first
daughter, who is mother of the child, and their son are working in Bangkok, and the second daughter is
married and lives separately in the village. They cultivate 15 rai of sugarcane and 15 rai of pineapple.
Both husband and wife work in other farms for wage, and they make canned bamboo shoots, too.
They say that both husband and wife do the same work together, because they take a pick-up track for
going the wage work. The husband explains that he gets up at 6:00am, and after having breakfast
quickly, he goes to the farm to harvest sugarcanes from December to April. The lunch time is generally
from 11:00 to 12:00, but when it is very hot, he takes a rest until 14:00, and then works until 18:00.
After coming home, he has dinner, watches TV (but he does not watch drama), and goes to bed at
8:00pm. The wife agrees that she does the same work as the husband, but actually prepares for meals
2-28
before her husband eats. He sometimes washes cloths, but normally he does not undertake domestic
work. The daughters used to help domestic duties before, but now the wife has to be responsible for
them. In addition, the wife does not spread agrochemicals in the farm. They say that the wage of
farming labor is the same between men and women, but in this household, the husband keeps and
controls money because, they say, the wife forgets easily and the husband decides when to spread
agrochemicals. The husband participates in the training of how to utilize fertilizer and pesticides by
DOAE District once a year, and he says that about 30 persons attend the training in the village. He
sees it relatively useful, but the wife does not like the activity of housewives’ group. Women get
together and discuss problems in the meeting, but she feels that they just discuss and do not find the
solution.

This 53-year-old woman lives with her 57-year-old husband and granddaughter whose mother is
divorced and works in a computer factory in the neighboring province. Her 30-year-old son is married
and lives separately near her house. She cultivates 20 rai of pineapple and 3 rai of sugarcane with her
husband. She also goes for wage work in other farms, and takes bamboo shoots for selling during the
season. She explains that pineapple can be cultivated in every season, but it is good to plant it in
January. She plants pineapples every 5 rai/ month from January, so that they can be harvested in
different months, and thus she is busy until June. She does all farming activities such as weeding and
even fertilizing, but her husband helps her use heavy items such as sword and hoe (See the Wife’s
Daily Activity – Middle Level 2). Her husband also goes fishing and catch shrimps in the river of the
different province. However, he does not undertake domestic tasks, and her granddaughter washes
cloths.
In the family, the wife keeps money, but she and her husband discuss and decide together how to use
the money. However, she says that her husband makes decision on large amount of cost. They
sometimes complain each other on agricultural management, such as when they should stimulate
pineapples by hormone. It is heavy for the wife to carry their products from the farm, so they
sometimes hire laborers, too. She has been engaged in agriculture for 26 years and likes to learn and
try various things. Her husband was vice-chairperson of the village, and thus she can be informed any
trainings and extension services through him. That is why she attends every meeting of agricultural
services, especially of DOAE District, and has learned how and when to cultivate crops. She used to
cultivate asparagus, too, but she stopped because the quality of the products is required to be too high.
She says that the young people whose parents have no land go to the city to work. In addition, the
young people who go to the university do not continue agriculture. She explains that it is necessary to
hold large size of land to make livelihood by agriculture now, and hopes that it can be done in small
land with better quality of products. However, there are lots of problems and she cannot identify what
to do in order.
2-29
(6) Lower level woman

This 39-year-old woman was ranked as poorer, probably because she is divorced and small land-holder.
She has one son (20 years old) and two daughters (17 and 9 years old), and the son is doing military
service. She cultivates 5 rai of pineapple and 5 rai of sugarcane, and also works as wage laborer for
120 Bt/day. The heavier work is paid for 130 Bt/day, but women usually cannot take it. As the Wife’s
Daily Activity (Lower Level) shows, she works in housekeeping at a shop in the village for 20Bt/hour,
as well as in farming. When she is busy with sugarcane harvesting from December to March, she
works from 7:00 to 11:00 in the morning and from 2:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon. It is hard for her to
cut sugarcanes and carry pineapples, and it becomes much harder to work and take responsibility for
livelihood management. Her elder daughter is still in high school. When she has no class, she earns 60
Bt and 100 Bt/day by babysitting and by housekeeping respectively in order to eat at school and to use
motorcycle.
The mother received the training on how to utilize leguminous plants as natural fertilizer by DOAE
District 5 years ago. However, there is no additional service for her after that. Her land is far from the
water, and is not covered by the Pilot Project. It is difficult for her to rent the land near the water;
because it is necessary to pay 300 Bt/rai/year at once (generally 3 years are needed for pineapple
which requires 14 months to grow). In addition, it is necessary to buy fertilizers and other inputs and
to rent machines and vehicles, which she cannot afford by herself, for agricultural production. BAAC
and the housewives group are available for her to borrow money. Although it is hard for her to find
money for the monthly payment of the housewives’ group, she can take more advantage than
disadvantage by being a member.
Figure 3.4.2 Wife’s Daily Activity in Busy Season (Middle Level 2 and Lower Level)
5:00 breakfast
5:00 breakfast, send child to school send children to school
7:00 farming 8:00 work as housekeeper

Planting, weeding, fertilizing
10:00 farming
11:00 lunch
11:00 lunch take a rest
13:00 farming
weeding
14:00 farming
17:00 work as housekeeper
18:00 Prepare for meal 19:00 dinner

cleaning Wash dishes
TV
20:00 go to bed 22:30 go to bed
Lower Level-Busy Season (Oct. – Nov.)
Middle Level 2-Busy Season (Jan. - June)
2-30
Chapter 4 Situation of BTPW Site
CHAPTER 4 SITUATIONS OF BTPW SITE

The following describes the situations of Ban Tha Phayom Weir Project (BTPW) site, when the Pilot
Project was started.
4.1 Project Site

(1) Location
The project site is at Ban Tha Phayom village, Tambon Nongphai, Dan Makham Tia district. It is
located at 29 km from Kanchanaburi city. It takes about one hour drive from the city on the paved road.
The village is located five kilometers from the center of Dan Makham Tia district.
(2) Population and Area

The population of the village is 620, and the number of households is 129. Total area covers 3,950 rai,
of which the agricultural land covers some 3,900 rai. The villagers grow sugarcane (2,000 rai), sweet
corn (300 rai), babycorn (300 rai), varieties of vegetable (300 rai) and asparagus (10 rai). Most of the
farmers use ground water to irrigate their crops. There are total 112 deep wells in the village.
(3) Village History

Before 1957, some 10 families settled in this area. They opened forests to make charcoal and obtain
lands for growing crops. Later, seven more families moved in the area to form a village. The reasons
of selecting this location were good soil fertility, sufficient water and large agricultural land without
owners. The chronological events are:
Village History in Ban Tha Payorm

1957 Farmers joined together as a village.
1961 The first village head was elected (Mr. Som Siriming)
1965 The village was officially set up under Tambon Dan Makham Tia. Villagers grew
soybean and other crops for oil, making timber and hunted.
1969 Forests were opened. Farmers started to grow sugarcane and cassava.
1971 Outbreak of grasshoppers (1971-1975). Farmers sought assistant from DOAE district.
1975 Agricultural area was flooded. It took long time until the water level reduced to normal.
Since then, flooding occurred almost every year.
1976 Military and RID constructed water resource facilities
1983 Thaphayorm weir was constructed
1987 New village head was elected (Mr. Samchai Jonghormkhachorn)
1997 Outbreak of worms destroyed sugarcane
1998-now Flooding remains as main problem
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(4) Cropping Pattern

There are at least five main types of crops cultivated in the area.
・ Sugarcane is cultivated in middle of May when rain starts. Harvesting period is from January to
February.
・ Asparagus is put in the nursery bed for two months before transplanting. After transplanting, it
takes four months for growing. During this period the farmers apply fertilizer, irrigate and prepare
supports so that the stem will not fall down. Then harvesting lasts two months. After that leaves
became brown and recess. Shoots are taken away. Roots are still under the ground waiting to
produce new shoots.
・ Sweet Corn, Baby Corn and other vegetables are cultivated all year round except flood period.
The following table shows more details:

Table 4.1.1 Cropping Pattern
Duration
J F M A M J J A S O N D Remarks
Activity
Sugarcane a b a: harvesting
b: transplanting
c c: crop maintenance
Asparagus a b a: nursing
b: growing
c d c: harvesting
e d: recession/ fertilizer
e: harvesting
Baby corn a b c d e a-e Each stage takes 2
months.
Sweet corn All year round except
flood period
Vegetables* All year round except
flood period
*/ Vegetables: Eggplant, Chili, Cucumber, Long bean etc.
September to October: stagnant flood
(5) Markets
Since the farmers in the village grow various crops, markets are also various. The main markets of
sugarcane are two sugarcane factories in Kanchanaburi. Baby corn and sweet corn are sold to three
local middlemen. Asparagus is sold to Siam Taniyama Company. Vegetables are sold to the village
middleman.
(6) Input Supply

Farmers obtained credit and some inputs from the middlemen and sugarcane factories.
2-32
4.2 Village Organizations

(1) Village Organization
The overall responsibility of the village development is under the village head. He was elected in 1987
as the second headman of the village. The village committee is organized comprising of nine positions
namely; village head, deputy village head and members of the committee. Among these ten positions,
two women are elected as the committee member. List of them is in the following table:
Table 4.2.1 List of Village Committee

Name Position
Mr.Somchai Jonghormkhachorn Village Head
Mrs. Sawang Butrdee Deputy Village head
Mrs Sai Seangsai Member
Mr. Somwang In-Osod Member
Mr. Amnuai In-Osod Member
Mr. Pharai Talakham Member
Mr. Rachan Weankrue Member
Mr. Thawee Janeaphitam Member
Mr. Samrerng Ienrikhan Member
(2) Village Incomes

Main income of the village is from agriculture. Main crops are babycorn, sweet corn, asparagus,
sugarcane and vegetables. Furthermore, livestock such as cow, pig, fish and chicken are found in the
village. Middlemen play an important role to directly collect agricultural products from the farmers.
Additionally, some farmers take their produces by themselves to sell at Sri Muang Market, Ratchaburi
province. Fishery is considered as a source of family consumption but not for commercial. The
following diagram shows different sources of income of the village.
Sugarcane Sweet corn
Baby corn Income Cattle
Vegetables Fishery
Figure 4.2.1 Main Income Source of the Village
Information regarding each crop is summarized in the following table:
2-34
Table 4.2.2 Profile of Main Crops and Animals

Area Source of input No. of Price
Crops Market
(rai) supply growers Bt/kg
Baby corn 300 middlemen 35 3 local middlemen 2.30 Bt/kg
Sugarcane 2,000 factories 50 8 factories 580 Bt/t
Sweet corn 300 farmers and 70 middlemen 2.50-5.00 Bt/Kg
middlemen
Asparagus 10 farmers 3 Siam Taniyama 5-58 Bt/kg depend
on quality
Varieties of 300 farmers and 100 Middlemen/Srimuang 5-20 Bt/kg
vegetable middlemen vegetable market in
Ratchaburi
Cattle 500 heads farmers 50 Local market 10,000 Bt /head
(3) Production Groups in the Village

Some of the production groups in the village were interviewed. They are considered as the potential
groups for development. The detail of each group is discussed and summarized below:
(a) Sugarcane Group

In Ban Tha Phayom, the sugarcane growing area covers about 2,000 rai. There are about 50 growers.
The average yield is 4 t/rai. The growers claim that they could raise the production up to 10t/rai with
irrigation. Sugarcane was sold to eight different factories. However, two main factories, Wangkhanai
and Prajuab sugar factories were told to be the biggest markets. Both of them are located in
Kanchanaburi province. The selling price is at 500 Bt/t plus 80 Bt/t subsidized by the government.
The growers faced some disease and worms problems such as white leaf (Rokbaikhao) and bucks
(Duang). Even though there are about 50 growers, they do not work as a group but separated into three
quotas. The head of the quota played the role of middlemen between the growers and the factories. He
provided loan (Kiew) to the member of his quota. Average input cost is 3,700 Bt/rai. Sugarcane can
last for three years after planting.
The farmers said only big farmers will grow sugarcane in the future because of high input cost and
long duration needed for the production. The sugarcane association told the farmers that sugarcane
production might be reduced in this area since the government promoted sugarcane in the Northeast. A
certain amount of sugarcane
Table 4.2.3 Input Cost for Sugarcane Production
production is now allowed for the Input Cost (Bt/rai)
growers. The production exceeding 1. Plowing 750
the allowed amount would get lower 2. Seedling 600
3. Labor for growing 650
price. The guaranteed price of the 4. Soil covering 130
year is indicated by the end of 5. Labor for applying fertilizer 70
6. Herbicide cost and labor 600
November. The cost of inputs for
7. Apply second time two types of fertilizer 900
sugarcane production is shown in Total 3,700
the table.
2-35
(b) Baby Corn Group

There are 35 babycorn growers with totally about 300 rai of the land. The size of farm range is from 3
to 14 rai. Average yield is 1.2 t/rai. Production period is two months with 7-10 days harvesting. There
are three middlemen buying babycorn. The biggest one is from Thamaka district in Kanchanaburi. The
other two are from the village nearby. In the harvesting period, the middlemen visited farmers’ plots
every day to pick up the produces. Instead of paying cash, they give a bill of the quantity to the
farmers everyday. At the last day of the harvest, total amount is calculated based on the bunch of bills.
After deducting the cost of the advance input supply such as fertilizers and/or agricultural chemicals,
total amount should be paid at once.
The reasons why the farmers sell only to middlemen are 1) price is not so bad, and 2) the cost for
advance supply is not so high (10 to 20 Bt higher than the market price per item). It is also the fact
that they have no other options for marketing their products. The farmers also take loan from the
middlemen about 1,000 Bt/rai. The price of babycorn is 2.3 Bt/kg. The proper size of ear is 8-10 cm.
The farmers sell stem to cattle raiser at 400 Bt/rai. Most of the growers use deep well as the main
source of irrigation. The growers said they could increase yield by the following means: 1) Improve
soil condition using compost from corn stem and rice hull, 2) appropriate land level, and 3) sufficient
water.
The farmers need to have the demonstration farms so that they can learn how to make compost and
increase yield. Two farmers offered to prepare their lands for the demo. farms (Mr. Somchai Suksawat
and Mr. Precha Saengsai). The farmers prefer babycorn to sweet corn since babycorn requires slightly
less cost than sweet corn, and its market price is much more stable than sweet corn. Input cost of baby
corn production is shown in the following table.
Table 4.2.4 Input Cost for Babycorn Production

Input Cost (Bt)
Seed 328Bt/bag (4kg)/rai (quota 1) or 360Bt/bag (quota 2, 3), bought from quota
Labor 130Bt/rai for seeding (take 2~3hours/rai)

Family labor: 2~3hours/day to take care of babycorn
Pesticide/Herbicide 150Bt/rai
Fertilizer Urea 46-0-0 (370~395Bt/rai),
Nitrogen21-0-0(240Bt/rai), 15-15-15 (440Bt/rai)
<Labor cost>: 30Bt/fertilizer 1bag (50kg), 2bags/rai = 60Bt/rai
Gasoline for pump 150Bt/rai
Labor for harvest 600Bt/t (labors from this village)
Pump Pump (4,000Bt/unit for 7rai---last 7 years), maintenance: 50Bt/year, Pipeline
(1,000Bt/rai---last 4years) Watering once/3days (riding irrigation)
Total Input Cost 1,800~2,000Bt/rai
2-36
(c) Vegetable Production

There are about 100 vegetable growers and totally 300 Table 4.2.5 Input Cost for Vegetables
Activities Cost (Bt/rai)
rai of the land. The size of vegetable field ranges from 4
Land Preparation 250
to 13 rai. Various types of vegetables are cultivated Ridging 250
such as Chinese lettuce, eggplant, chili, and others. Seed 1,000
Herbicide/Insecticide 2,000
Yield per rai of vegetable ranges from 3 to 5t. Most of
Fertilizer 1,000
the produces are sold to the middlemen; some are sold Electricity 1,200
at Sri Muang vegetable market in Ratchaburi province. Labor cost 4,000
Total Input Cost 5,000-10,000
Harvesting period of each crop lasts about 10 days. The
farmers will get their income at the end of harvesting. The general input cost of vegetable shows in the
table.
(d) Asparagus Group

There are three farmers growing asparagus. They were interviewed because the villagers see that there
is a good potential for making profit with this crop, since market is stable and price is guaranteed.
Collection point belongs to the Asparagus Group. The farmers have to pay 1% of their sales as the fee
to the group. Siam Taniyama Company comes to pick up the products by the cold-storage-truck every
day. The group can get payment once every three weeks. Average yield is 1,200 kg/rai/one harvesting
season (2month). Total income is 36,000 Bt/rai/2months. Harvesting cycle is 3.5 times/year. The
farmers sell their products at Dan Makham Tia district. The prices range from 35 to 58 Bt/kg
depending on quality or grade. The lower grade produces are sold at local market at 5-30 Bt/kg. Input
cost and price of asparagus is in the following tables:
Table 4.2.6 Input Cost for Asparagus

Input Cost (Bt/rai)
Seed preparation: <2~2.5 months> Subtotal 880 Bt
1.1 Seed
(100grams produces 2,500~3,000 seedlings) 300
1.2 Plastic bag 160
1.3 Fertilizer: 15-15-15 (20kg) 200
1.4 Plow: /rai for plot nursing 200
Plot preparation <A few days> Subtotal 2,200 Bt
2.1 Plow 500
2.2 Ridging 200
2.3 Manure (1.5 t) 1,500
Crop Maintenance <4 months> Subtotal 10,638 Bt
3.1 Labor for transplanting 500
3.2 Fertilizer: 240kg of 15-15-15 2,400
3.3 Insecticide: (3 times/month) 1,800
3.4 Labor for weeding 300
3.5 Supporting Stick:(2Bt/stick) 888
3.6 String 350
3.7 labor for soil covering 500
3.8 Compost 2,500
3.9 Application of rice hull 1,000
3.10 Electricity for pumping up of water 400
2-37
Input Cost (Bt/rai)

Harvest <2months> Subtotal 6,000 Bt
4.1 Labor cost 3,000
4.2 Fertilizer application 3,000
Recession <1 month> Subtotal 5,180 Bt
5.1 Labor for removing the stems 480
5.2 Labor for soil covering 600
5.3 Fertilizer 1,150
5.4 Compost (1t/rai) 2,500
5.5 Insecticide 450
Grand Total of Expenditure per rai 24,898 Bt
Table 4.2.7 Price of Asparagus in Each Grade

Grade Price (Bt/kg)
A 58
B 45
C 35
Lower quality 5-30
4.3 Village Households

Five farmers were interviewed. They were selected from the relatively rich, medium and poor farmers.
The detail of each farmer is summarized below.
(1) Mr. Somyot (Medium farmer)

Mr. Samyot, 37, completed primary school. His wife, 36, also completed primary school. They have
two sons of eleven and nine years old. The family owns 18 rai of land divided into 2 plots. They grow
10.3 rai of sugarcane, one rai of chili, one rai of eggplants and two rai of asparagus. Water resource is
from ground water. Chili could be harvested weekly and every two days for egg plant. Mr. Samyot
belongs to some groups namely, village committee, village development fund, production group,
village bank (from PTT) and Dan Makham Tia cooperatives. He faces the following problems in
production:
1) Flooding: Because the area is low, flooding is always a problem. Ditch cleaning is
necessary to remove the dirt and better flow of water.
2) Water Quality: If water quality is bad such as high contents of salt, it causes diseases for
asparagus. Irrigation water from river may be better.
3) Production & marketing of vegetable: High input cost, disease and pest problem. Prices rarely
are the subject of negotiation.
4) Income: Income doesn’t meet with expenditure. Lack of local materials to produce organic
fertilizer.
The family income is mainly from agriculture such as sugarcane, chili and asparagus. The expenditure
is mostly on the agricultural production and also the following items:
2-38
Family Income Family Expenditure

Item Net Income Item Expenditure
1. Sugarcane 30,000 Bt/year 1. Electricity 500 Bt/month
2. Chili 200 Bt/week 2. School fee 4,000 Bt/year
3. Asparagus 70,000 Bt/5years 3. Interest 15,000 Bt/year
4. Gasoline 500 Bt/month
5. Food 3,000 B/month
6. Telephone use 300 Bt/month
7. Water 80 Bt/month
(2) Mrs Suganda (Poor farmer)

Suganda, 27, is married. Her husband, 30, works as labor at 200 Bt/day (25 days/ month). The family
has no land. They own a motorcycle, TV, and a refrigerator. They constructed one house on their
relatives land. Suganda used to work at the ceramic factory, but left it because of her poor health
condition. She earned small income from sewing cloth. She plans to rent a piece of land in irrigated
area to grow vegetable. She also wants to work with other small farmers on cloth making. Her main
incomes and expenditures are as follows:
Expenditure Income
Item Expenditure Item Income
1. Food 1,500 Bt/month 1. Labor work 5,000 Bt/month
2. Electricity 200 Bt/month 2. Sewing 250 Bt/month
3. Water 50 Bt/month Total 5,250 Bt/month
4. gasoline 50 Bt/month
Total 1,800 Bt/month
(3) Mrs. Saiyon (Rich Farmer)

Mrs. Saiyon, 56, is considered as rich farmer. Her husband is 57 years old. They have five daughters.
Two of them are married and stay out with their husbands. One daughter lives with the parents and the
others work in town. This family owns eight plots of farmland. Total area is 199 rai. They grow ten rai
of babycorn and the rest of land is for sugarcane.
Most of her sugarcane filed was rain fed area. She faces some disease problem like white leaf and
bucks. Sugarcane production is 6 t/rai without irrigation. She Family Income
said the yield could be improved with irrigation. She sells Item Net Income
sugarcane to Prajuab sugar factory in Tha Makha, the closest 1. Sugarcane
(3,100 t/year) 300,000 Bt/year
factory. Her main expenditure is the input cost for sugarcane
2. Baby corn 5,000 Bt/year
and babycorn production, repayment of debt to sugarcane 3. Gas station 36,000 Bt/year
factory (300,000 Bt/year) and BAAC (500,000 Bt/year). Total 341,000 Bt/year
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(4) Mr. Suraphon Sindeanthong (Medium farmer)

Mr. Suraphon, 39, is married. He has two sons. He Expenditure on Sweet Corn
owns 10 rai of land splitting into two plots. He grows Item Expenditure
1 Plowing 250Bt/rai
about eight rai of sweet corn. His main expenditures
2 Ridge making 200Bt/rai
are input cost of sweet corn production. He earned 3 Seed 600Bt/rai
annual income from sweet corn production at 40,000 4 Weed Control 100Bt/rai
5 Chemical fertilizer 450Bt/rai
Bt. He said he could reduce the input cost and raise 6 Nitrogen fertilizer 240Bt/rai
production by improving soil quality using compost. 7 Urea 365Bt/rai
8 Harvesting 250Bt/rai
He also wants to improve the irrigation system in his
Total 2,455Bt/rai
farm even though it may cost him some 30,000 Bt in
doing so.
(5) Mr. Suk Bood-dee (Rich farmer)

The family tree of Mr. Suk is shown below:
Mr. Suk Mrs.

(53) Sawang
1st son Wife 2nd son Wife 1st

(25) (24) (24) (24) daughter
- Mr. Suthep - Mrs. Lek - Mr. Somsak - Mrs. Nam-kang - Miss. Walayer
- Mathayorn 3 - Prathaorn 6 - Prathaorn 6 - Prathaorn 6 - Studying at the
- Grocery owner - Help husband - Help parents on - Help husband faculty of Technical
sugarcane firming medicine at private
U in BKK
1st son 2nd son 1st daughter
(6) (3M) (1)
- His mother-in-law (61) also stay
- Now Prathorn 1 with his family
Land Properties
1) Moo 1 Tambon Nong-Phai: 20rais <sugarcane>
2) Moo 4 Tambon Nong-Phai: 15rais <sugarcane>+<donated for village tap water 0.5rai>
3) Moo 4 Tambon Nong-Phai: 5rais <sugarcane>
4) Moo 5 Tambon Dan Makham Tia: 40rais <cow breading – 30heads>
The houses and farms of the family are located as follows:
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Asphalt road
House (2nd
Grocery shop House of 1st son family
son family lives together)
Cattle Labor
shelter 20rai
Gage (Sugarcane 17rai)
(Babycorn 3rai)
20rai (sugarcane) 20rai (sugarcane)
Laterite road : Deep well

Crop Pattern
The cropping patterns and other information of sugarcane and baby corn are as follows:
Sugarcane
March: Start transplanting:

10 month-old-seedling <K-200, K-92> (8,000Bt/rai)---Transplant 10rai
Seedlings are bought in this area.
April: Apply fertilizer (15-15-15)---soil covering
- Fertilizer: 500Bt/bag (50kg)/rai + Labor cost <buffalo> 150Bt/rai
- Labor cost 30Bt/bag (50kg)
- Apply fertilizer only once for one cropping
January: Harvest
- Labor cost (from Northeast) 95Bt/t
- Yield ~10t/rai
- Selling price: ~500Bt/t at Wang Kanai Sugar Factory (Amphoe Tha Muang): ~
1,300t at Prachaub Sugar Factory (Amphoe Tha Maka): ~ 3,200t
Babycorn
November:
- Land Preparation: use his own tractor
- Transplanting <Variety No.414> 320Bt/bag (4kg)/rai. ~3 times/year
He usually buys from Amphoe Tha Maka
- Application of fertilizer (15-15-15) 500Bt/bag (50kg)/rai (Labor fee 30Bt/bag)
- Application of herbicides 170Bt/bag (800g)/3rai, 150Bt/bottle (1L)/rai
December: Harvest
- Labor fee 0.5Bt/kg
- Yield 1t/rai
- Selling price 2.30Bt/kg to middleman
- Stems are sewed as food for his own cattle
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Income (net)
The family’s incomes (net) from crop productions are as follows:
1) Sugarcane 600,000Bt/year *1
2) Babycorn 10,000Bt/year *2
3) Selling cow 300,000Bt/year *3
4) Selling farm input to his sub-quota 100,000Bt/year
5) Renting tractor to his sub quota 100,000Bt/year
6) Total 1,110,000Bt/year
The details of the above calculation are as follows:

*1/ Sugarcane: *2/ Baby corn: Total 3rai
Growing by himself 100rai Yield 1t/rai ×3times/year= 9t/year
+ sub quota 300rai= Total 400rai 9t/year×2.30Bt/kg= 20,700Bt/year
Income: 4,600t/year ×500Bt/t=2,300,000Bt/year Expense: 10,700Bt/year
Expense: 1,700,000Bt/year Net income 10,000Bt/year
Net income (1st year) 600,000Bt/year
Net income (2nd year) 1,000,000Bt/year
Net income (3rd year) 1,000,000Bt/year
*3/ Cow breeding Additional Expenses

(Expense) - Education for daughter 120,000Bt/year
Labor fee 4,000Bt/month - Food/domestic water supply
Food 4,000Bt/month 1,500Bt/month 18,000Bt/year
Breeders (30heads) 30,000Bt/head - Gas
Medicine 100Bt/time 2,000Bt/month 24,000Bt/year
Cage 100,000Bt/30Heads
Electricity arrangement 25,000Bt/30Heads
Pipe arrangement 10,000Bt/30Heads
Pond digging 10,000Bt
Selling Price:
10,000~ 15,000Bt/head ×30heads =400,000Bt/year
Expense: 100,000Bt/year
Net Income 300,000Bt/year
Additional Information
Through the interview, the following information was additionally obtained.
1) He has saving accounts at the Siam Commercial Bank, Krung Sri Syutthaya Bank and
BAAC.
2) He is a chairman of the village waterworks group, a member of the village million Bt fund, a
member of Nong Phai Tambol Administration Organization, and village committee.
3) He rarely contacted with TTC. The developed techniques are from “learning by doing.”
4) If this project can provide more water, he would plant to grow more babycorn, long bean and
reduce area of sugarcane.
5) He satisfies in his current status, the relationship among villagers is good.
6) His wife also helps making a decision in the family
7) Problems are low price of sugarcane and high cost of growing babycorn
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4.4 Gender in Agricultural Work at Household Level

For the household interview, it was asked in the group interview that women classified themselves into
3 levels of living conditions: upper; middle; and lower. However, the female participants in the group
interview hesitated to do that, and they said that ‘there is only middle class in the village’. When the
village chief (male) came to the women’s session and advised the participants, finally they suggested 2
households for each category from the group members, mainly based on land-holding size. Regarding
that the membership of housewives’ group is not so large, however, those households might be
better-off than non-members. The stories of each interviewee are described below.
(1) Upper level woman (1)

This 52-year-old woman is the chairperson of the housewives’ group. She has 54-year-old husband,
two sons and one daughter. Her daughter is 23 years old, and she is studying science at university in
Bangkok. Her elder son is 27 years old, and lives with his wife and children at the house next to his
parents. The younger son is married, too. He is 26 years old and lives together with his parents, wife
and baby, helping his parents’ work.
This household has 120 rai of sugarcane farm and 40 cattle. The husband manages farming and animal
raising activities ‘as household head’, but the wife also sells agricultural chemicals as her own
business. For both wife and husband, the busiest season in a year is from January to March. They are
busy with harvesting sugarcane, but they employ wage laborers. The husband takes other farmers to
his sugarcane farm by his truck, leaves them for cutting and tying up sugarcanes, and then transports
sugarcanes to the factory. As shown above, the wife also goes to the farm with the husband and
supervises the workers. While she is working in the farm, her daughter-in-law takes domestic work at
home.
Figure 4.4.1 Wife’s Daily Activity (Upper Level 1)
5:00 go to farm with husband

6:00 cooking, washing dishes, cleaning
Open the shop of fertilizers and chemicals
12:00 lunch
Take a rest Have lunch when she has time
14:00 farming
17:30 Close the shop
Dinner
18:00 dinner TV
TV
21:00 go to bed 22:00 go to bed (up to the movie)

Busy Season (January - March) Slack Season (October - December)
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For the couple, the slack season is from October to December. During this season, she gets up slightly
later than the busiest time, and works in her agrochemical shop after the domestic duty until the
evening. She stays up a little later for watching movie on TV, and then goes to bed. The husband
employs wage laborers for cattle-raising, too. In slack season, he supervises the workers’ job such as
giving food and water and counting the number of cattle for 2 hours per day on average felt.
Comparing with the husband, the wife seems to get up earlier and goes to bed later, because she has
domestic duty – though now her daughter-in-law is more responsible for it – and the husband gets
more tired from farming activity. The husband says he goes farming more often and even earlier than
the wife. He gets more income from larger business of sugarcane and cattle than the wife, but the wife
keeps money for daily use. They discuss together what they are going to do for deciding how to use
money, but the husband says he is stronger in decision-making than the wife. Nevertheless, the wife
manages an agrochemical shop and negotiates how much to buy and sell in what prices. Although the
prices of sugarcane cannot be negotiated, the husband can negotiate those of cattle. Such management
activity is the hardest work for them.
They remember that 5 years ago, ‘Miyazawa Fund’ came from the government to provide agricultural
inputs. However, the Fund came to the village just one time, and there is no follow-up activity until
now. They can receive training on sugarcane cropping by DOAE District once a year, and the
sugarcane factory also provides funding.
For both of them, water is the biggest problem in their agricultural production. The water floods affect
their farm almost every year, and only those who are close to the water source can irrigate their farms.
Although they feel that the largest flood occurred 4 years ago, that of this year severely affected their
land. They lost harvests of vegetables, corn and sugarcane of 80 rai, and in case where the land is
seriously damaged, they have to buy new land. They hope that they can get more income from the land
by selling in the market in the future, and repay loans to the bank.
(2) Upper level woman (2)

This 44-year-old woman lives only with her husband. She has 3 daughters: the first is married and
lives in another village; the second has just finished the university and now works in Bangkok; and the
third is studying at university in Bangkok. The first daughter sometimes leaves her children in her
parents’ house, so the woman takes care of them instead of her daughter.
She has 7 cattle now. Before the water flood, there were more up to 20, but after the flood damaged the
grass (looks like sugarcane) planted for feeding cattle, she sold many. In addition to cattle, she has 30
rai of corn in the village where her father lives. It takes 2 hours to reach there by car, so she never
comes home for lunch when she works there. When she is busy with peeling corn during June and July,
she starts to work in the farm at 8:00am, instructs the farming activity to the employees, and then
works until 5:00pm. Her husband is a driver of public transportation. He shuttles a bus between the
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village and the city twice a day, and one service takes 4 hours. He works on the shuttle service in
rotation, and thus his working hour is not fixed daily.
The woman explains that her husband earns more money than she does, because he works without
holiday. Nevertheless, she keeps all household money for daily use, and when there is necessity of
large use, the wife and the husband discuss together. The wife sells her agricultural products at her
own risk, but the prices of corn cannot be negotiated. Those of cattle are negotiable in the market, and
they are favorable for her at present. For her, it is the hardest work to carry corn from the farm to the
vehicle.
She says she has never received agricultural extension service. She participates in the village meeting
at TAO once a month, but it is just for information sharing. When the water flood damaged her corn,
DOAE District provides new seedlings for compensating the loss of harvest. Her grass for feeding
cattle is also damaged. Although she knows how to take care of cattle, she wants to improve animal
raising skills.

The village chief’s household was ranked as ‘middle class’ and was interviewed, too. The wife is 44
years old, and she produces sugarcane, corn, bean, banana, chili, eggplant, mushroom, etc. in 46 rai of
her husband’s land. At this moment, she is harvesting eggplants and mushrooms, and in fact, a pair of
woman and man came to buy eggplants as ‘middlemen’ by vehicle during the interview. In addition, a
woman came to the house for selling her mushrooms to the village chief. Their chili was damaged by
the flood this year.
Her husband (48 years old) has income from the work as the village chief, but he is always busy with
that job and moves within the village for the meetings with TAO and villagers. That is why the wife
starts to work in the farm earlier than the husband even during the busiest season
(December-February), although both of them get up at 5:00am. They sometimes employ wage laborers
for the farming activity, and supervise cutting and sending sugarcane. After lunch break generally from
12:00 to 14:00 (or 15:00), they start to work again and come home at 5:00pm or 6:00pm. The wife
steams rice and prepare for dinner, and after dinner, she washes dishes and cloths. Because it is too hot
in the daytime, she says it is better to wash cloths in the evening. After watching TV news, they go to
bed at about 9:00pm. However, the husband stays up very late – even until 1:00am – when he is busy
with village meetings.
Because the husband often goes to the village meeting, the wife works alone in the farm. It is hard for
her to carry tools and products, and to spread agrochemicals with heavy equipment. The wife usually
keeps money from agricultural production, but the husband keeps his income as village chief with him.
They discuss how to use the money, and the wife sometimes asks the husband for money. The farming
management is also a topic, and for instance, they discuss where the labor is available.
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The husband always participates in trainings provided by DOAE District, and introduces the
knowledge to his wife. One of them is about organic fertilizer, but he says it was not so effective in
this village. He wants to know more about how to manage household, for example, in agricultural
investment, saving and raising income. The wife says she wants more labor for farming.
They have 2 sons. The elder son works in seafaring after the university. The younger son is studying
agricultural science at university now. Though the wife does not want them to keep farming, but the
younger son might work as agricultural scientist near the village, and she wishes that the family live
together in the future.

This 43-year-old woman has 5 family members: husband (48 years old); daughter (22 years old); son
(20 years old); her nephew (her younger sister’s son aged 15); and her husband’s mother (86 years old).
She cultivates 14 rais of sugarcane, 2 rais of corn, and some vegetables such as eggplant and bean. She
raises 4 buffaloes and 2 chickens, too (but she says she cannot produce chick). Her daughter and son
go to school in Kanchanaburi city by motorcycle, and they help farming on Saturday and Sunday.
Thus basically she and her husband work in the farm.
She is the busiest with harvesting sugarcane from January to March. During the busy season, she
works in the farm from 7:00am to 7:00pm with one-hour lunch break. She hires cutting machine from
the sugarcane factory, and then the factory worker cuts sugarcane by her instruction. Her husband
works in spreading agrochemicals in the farm, because it is heavy duty. However, the wife works
almost all farming activities except spreading chemicals, and even cuts sugarcane for harvesting.
Her husband goes to sell their agricultural products by car, but she says that the wife keeps money
from the sale. For the daily use of money, the wife decides how to spend, and is stronger in decision
making than the husband. However, they discuss together on large amount of costs.
The wife says that DOAE District is the most helpful agency for agricultural production by providing
fertilizer that is generally expensive for her, seedlings and credit. It provides demonstration, too, and
women also can participate. However, in reality, the husband participates in the village meeting which
women’s group is not invited to. Instead of her, her daughter attends the meeting of the housewives’
group on Saturday and Sunday.
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Figure 4.4.2 Wife’s Daily Activity (Middle Level 2)
5:00 steam rice, cook, wash dishes

5:00 steam rice, cook, wash dishes clean floor, wash cloths
7:00 go to farm go to chat

Factory worker cuts sugarcane by
machine
12:00 lunch, rest 12:00 cook lunch
13:00 take buffaloes to the water

13:00 farming
17:00 children come home
18:00 dinner
19:00 cook, wash cloths TV
22:00 go to bed 22:00 go to bed
Busy Season (January - March) Slack Season (October – November)
In addition, BAAC provides credit, and PTT also sometimes come to the village for asking people’s
needs and supporting them. The wife feels that she is working harder than before because they need
more education fee for 3 children. Now she is preparing the land for nursery so that they can harvest
and sell crops before the next flood. She expects the children to finish the college and to get job in
good company with good salary, because the village life and agriculture are very hard to live.
(5) Lower level woman (1)

This woman is 52 years old. Her husband is 55 years old, and has problem of high blood pressure.
Thus he works in the farm only when he feels better, and their married son aged 27 is assisting them.
24-year-old daughter has not entered higher education, and undertakes domestic work with the
daughter-in-law aged 22.
She bought 80 rai of land, but has paid only for the half. She has cultivated sugarcane and rice, but it
takes more than 1 year to obtain income by producing sugarcane. That is why she has cultivated chili
and corn for this year. As shown in the ‘Wife’s Daily Activity (Lower Level 1), she is busy with taking
care of chili and corn during January to March or April, and sells products in May. She is usually not
busy from October to December, but now she is busy with land preparation due to the water flood.
When she is busy, she starts to work at 8:00am, and has lunch at 11:00 or 12:00. Her farm is divided
into some places, so when she goes far, she takes boxed lunch to the farm. She takes more rest when it
is too hot around the noon. In that case, she works until later in the evening.
She has problem with her heel, and thus she cannot carry heavy things. She says that men work in
heavy agricultural activities such as spreading chemicals and preparing land, and women work in
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weeding and putting lighter fertilizer. She sometimes works as wage laborer in other farms, too. Her
products of chili and corn are sold to middlemen in board price, which is already set in the market. The
wife keeps money and decides how to spend for daily purpose. She says that her husband’s opinion is
stronger than hers in money use, but she is like an advisor to him.
The most helpful institution for her agricultural production, she says, is BAAC to get loans. PTT and
the village money fund also provide credit in lower rates, and DOAE District provides training and
seedlings. However, because it is not good for her to walk in a long distance, her daughter, son or
daughter-in-law attends the meeting actually.
Figure 4.4.3 Wife’s Daily Activity in Busy Season

Wife’s Daily Activity (Lower Level 1) Wife’s Daily Activity (Lower Level 2)
5:00 clean the floor 5:00 steam rice, cook, breakfast

7:00 breakfast Wash dishes and cloths
8:00 farming
8:00 farming
Watering by sprinkler, fertilizing, weeding,
11:00 lunch etc.
Carry small lunch to the far place
Take more rest when it is too hot 12:00 lunch
Take a rest
14:00 14:00 farming

farming
17:00 Work until later if takes more rest

17:00 steam rice, cook
TV
18:00
Prepare for food with daughters
Wash dishes
TV (stay up later in case of interesting one) 20:00 go to bed
22:00 go to bed
Busy Season (January - April) Busy Season (December – January)
Although it is good that she has still worked in agriculture for a long time of her life, the prices of corn,
sugarcane and chili are not stable. It costs a lot to buy good seedlings, but the prices of products are
very low. She wants to improve the quality of her products, and especially to prevent the disease of
sugarcane.
(6) Lower level woman (2)

A 28-year-old woman lives with her husband aged 30, her younger sister, and her father. She cultivates
soybean and corn in 7 rai of land inherited from her father, and has no livestock. She is busy with
taking care of soy bean and corn in December and January. As shown in the ‘Wife’s Daily Activity
(Lower Level 2), she gets up at 5:00-5:30am, and takes domestic duties such as preparing meal and
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washing. Then she goes farming. During the busy season, she gives water by sprinkler twice a week in
different plot in rotation, fertilizes and weeds the farm. After lunch break, she starts to work again, and
then goes home at 5:00pm. She prepares a meal again, and after watching TV she goes to bed at
8:00pm.
She says that she and her husband undertake almost the same work except spreading agrochemicals in
the farm. However, her husband tends to work longer because the wife is responsible for the domestic
work. She says her husband does not share domestic jobs, and instead of it, he works in hard job such
as construction. Her 65-year-old father also sometimes helps agricultural work, and goes to take
mushrooms to sell in the forest.
The income from the farm and the husband’s income from construction work are passed to the wife.
She decides the daily use of money alone, but in case of large costs, she and her husband discuss
together. However, her father is also an authority to make decision in the family. For instance, he used
to have 19 rai of land, and gave 7 rai to her. The wife and the husband discuss the management of this
size of land, but 12 rai of farm still remains with the father. The father and the unmarried younger
daughter cultivate 12 rai, and the daughter sells their products.
In addition, although the wife feels that DOAE District is the most helpful to obtain seedlings, seeds
and information of how to grow crops, her father attends the village meeting and introduces the
information to the family. BAAC provides loan, but it is difficult for her to repay. Therefore she
suggests that the prices of agricultural inputs such as fertilizer be decreased, and then the amount of
inputs be increased.
Although she thinks that the life has become better and more comfortable than before because of the
availability of road and electricity, she wants to increase production of bean and corn and thus
agricultural incomes.
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CHAPTER 5 PROJECT DESIGN

5.1 Project Approaches and Activities
After the RRA surveys, the framework of the Pilot Project was discussed with the villagers in the
workshop held in two villages. As the goal of the development for the Lam Pa Chi River Basin is
defined as “agricultural incomes meet its costs” in the draft Master Plan, the Pilot Project was
designed with the same objective. The participants of the workshop discussed the problems and
solutions of the agriculture in the area, and selected the possible approaches to be included in the Pilot
Project. The details of the discussions are summarized in the problems trees, objectives trees and
PDMs.
Through the discussions, the following relationship with the core problem was identified:
Direct Causes
1. Selling prices of the crops are low.
Core Problem 2. Agricultural expenditures are high.
3. Crop productions are low.
Agricultural incomes do not meet its (Upper Huai Mahad Reservoir Project)
expenditures.
1. Selling prices of the crops are low.
2. Agricultural expenditures are high.
3. Crop productions are low.
(Ban Tha Phayom Weir Project)
As shown above, the direct causes of the core problem are the same in two sites and can be divided
into three. The possible solutions to each cause, and the approaches to be included in the Pilot Project,
were identified in the following ways:
Cause 1. Selling prices of the crops are low.
Solutions by the Pilot Project Project Approaches
(1) Improvement of crop qualities Provision of agricultural

(2) Introduction of new cash crops extension services
Strengthening of farmers
(3) Improvement of price negotiation power of the farmers
groups
Cause 2. Agricultural expenditures are high.
(1) Improvement of usage of fertilizers and pesticides Provision of agricultural

(2) Introduction of organic fertilizers extension services
(3) Promotion of group purchase of necessary inputs
groups
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Chapter 5 Project Design
Cause 3. Crop productions are low.

Project Approaches
Solutions by the Pilot Project
Provision of irrigation
(1) Construction of pipeline irrigation system facilities (incl. WUG)
(2) Improvement of farmers’ knowledge on cropping and soil Provision of agricultural

improvement extension services
The project was therefore designed to have the above three approaches so as to tackle the core
problem and its causes. In addition, the project intended to strengthen the public supporting system for
the farmers, focusing particularly on the TTCs and TSGs, which were the key stakeholders to ensure
the smooth implementation of the project activities as well as the project sustainability.
Through the workshop, the farmers, TSG members and the Study Team discussed and agreed to
include the following activities in the project.
Project Approaches Project Activities
Provision of agricultural - Establishment of demonstration plots

extension services - Conduct of study tours
- Provision of trainings on crop planning, quality and quantity
improvement, introduction of new crops, use of fertilizers and
pesticides, making of organic fertilizers, livestock rearing
Provision of irrigation - Establishment and provision of trainings to WUG (water users’ group)
facilities (incl. WUG on O&M of irrigation system and water management
establishment) - Discussion on pipeline alignment
- Survey, design and cost estimate on construction
- Construction of irrigation facilities
- Discussion and provision of trainings to WUG on group management
Strengthening of farmers - Establishment and management of the WUG fund as a revolving fund,
groups saving strengthening
- Facilitation of group activities
- Strengthening collaboration between WUG and other farmers groups
Strengthening of the - Meeting with TSG and TTC members on project planning, monitoring
TSGs and TTCs and evaluation
- Provision of TOT trainings on project management and institutional
strengthening
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5.2 PDMs and POs

The PDM (0) and PO (0) were prepared based on the results of the workshops and discussions among
the farmers, TSG members and JICA Study Team, and finalized by TSG members in December 2003.
Then, they were refined to the PDM (1) and PO (1) in February 2004 through further discussions
among the same stakeholders, by including the project details such as the schedules, budgets and
responsible persons and organizations for each activity. The PDM (1) and PO (1) were considered as
the core of the project design. The project design was slightly modified based on the results of the
monitoring in May 2004, and reflected into the PDM (2) and PO (2) as attached in Appendix.
5.3 Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators

(1) Monitoring and Evaluation Schedule
The monitoring was planned not only to observe the problems arising day by day, but to make the
project implementation smooth especially when the project faces difficulties. After the selection of the
project sites, budget allocation and the preparation of the PDM and PO, the monitoring was started by
the Study Team in cooperation with the agencies concerned. Even during the Study Team’s absence
from June to October 2004, a local consultant and RID counterparts conducted the monitoring with the
farmers once a month. The final monitoring (=evaluation) was conducted in November 2004 based on
the results of the evaluation workshop and the baseline survey by the Study Team, RID counterpart,
other agencies concerned and the farmers. The monitoring activities are shown as below.
Table 5.3.1 Schedule of the Monitoring for Pilot Project

No. Time Surveyor Output
1. April,’04 Social Dev. Specialist Monthly Progress Report
2 May, ’04 -ditto- Monthly Progress Report
3 May 24, 26,’04 Study Team, RID C/P Workshop for Monitoring, Progress Report (2-2)
4 June to October,’04 Social Dev. Specialist Monthly Progress Report
5 November,’04 Study Team, RID C/P Technology Transfer Seminar, Progress (3)
(2) Evaluation Index

The evaluation index were prepared based on the PDM (1) and PO (1) prepared in February 2004. The
proposed evaluation index is shown in the following table:
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Table 5.3.2 Indicators of UHMR in Ratchaburi

Target Area: Nong Chok Village, Tambon Nong Phan Chan, Ban Kha District, Ratchaburi
Project Period: From November 2003 to November 2004 (from the planning to evaluation stages)
Prepared: May 25, 2004
Groups to be
Items Indicators
asked
(1) Overall goal
The living standards, Total debts are decreased by 5% by 2006. WUG
improved? Average agricultural incomes are increased by 5% by
2006.
The number of migrant workers is increased by 5% by
2006.
(2) Project Purpose
Agricultural incomes, 5% of average agricultural incomes are increased. WUG
increased to meet
expenditures?
(3) Outputs
1. Pineapple Average selling price is more than 2kg/Bt. WUG, DOAE
Average expenditures for farming are reduced by 10 %.
Average yield is increased from 4 to 6 tons/rai
2. Sugarcane Average selling price is increased from.580Bt/t to 600Bt/t WUG, DOAE
or higher, by improving the CCS rate
Average expenditures for farming are reduced by 10 %.
Average yield is increased from 10 to 12 tons/rai.
(4) Activities
1 Water Users Group Number of Participants, Activities with other groups, WUG, RID,
(WUG). Role & Regulation, Water Fee, Collection of water fee, O DOCP
& M system, WUG’s fund
2. Demonstration plots Average yield, Improvement of farming (organic Advanced
Sugarcane, pineapple and fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, cropping calendar, water farmers
vegetables. management for irrigation, impacts (WUG),
DOAE
3. Study Tours WUG
3.1 The study tours by Places, Times, Participants, impression & impacts DOAE,
WUG Times, Participants, impression & impacts, ripple effect RID/Study
3.2 The study tours from Team
other Tambons.
4. Trainings
4.1 TTC members. Participants, Training contents, Impression & impacts TTC
4.2 TSG members -ditto- TSGs
4.3 Improvement of Places, Times, Participants, Trainings are useful or not. Pine DOAE,
qualities of pineapple& Places, Times, Participants, Trainings are useful or not WUG
sugarcane. DOAE, WUG
4.4 Improvement of selling Participants, Times, Expenditure, Effectiveness
prices of pineapple. DOAE, WUG
4.5 Use of fertilizers and Participants, Times, Expenditure, Effectiveness
pesticides. LDD, WUG
4.6 Produce and use of Participants, Time, expenditure, Effectiveness
organic fertilizer
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Groups to be
Items Indicators
asked
5. Joint purchasing
5.1Fertilizers,pesticides, Number of groups, Effectiveness WUG, DOAE
herbicides and tractors
6. Irrigation Facilities RID province,
6.1 Plan of main and Activity of survey, design, implementation schedule and WUG
secondary pipelines cost estimate, cost sharing,, Explanation & Discussion to
WUG
6.2 Installation of Main and Joint Inspection RID, WUG
secondary pipelines.
6.3 Installation of Tertiary Cost sharing including land acquisitions, Implementation WUG, RID
pipelines. Schedule
6.4 Trainings for water Purchasing cost, Implementation, DOCP, RID,
management and O&M Times, Participants, Technology transfer, for water WUG
management and O&M
7. Monitoring TTC meeting, Monitoring survey Monthly Report TTC
7.1 TTC Monitoring survey and Monthly Report TSG
7.2 TSG
Table 5.3.3 Indicators of BTPW in Kanchanaburi

Target Area: Tha Phayom Village, Tambon Nong Phai, Dan Makham Tia District, Kanchanaburi
Project Period: From November 2003 to November 2004 (from the planning to evaluation stages)
Prepared: May 25, 2004
Persons to be
Items Indicators
asked
(1) Overall goal
The living standards of Total debts are decreased by 20%by 2006. WUG
the farmers, improved? The values of high-value assets (car, house, land) are
increased by 10% by 2006.
Number of migrant workers is increased by 10%by 2006.
Higher education of children is increased by 10% by
2006.
(2) Project Purpose
Agricultural incomes, Average agricultural incomes are increased by 5%. WUG
increased to meet Average agricultural expenditures are decreased by 5%.
expenditures?
(3) Outputs
1. Sweet Corn Average selling price is increased from3.50Bt/kg WUG/DOAE
to.4.0Bt/kg or higher
Average expenditures are reduced to 2,200Bt/rai
Average yield is increased from 1.5 to 2 t/rai.
2. Baby Corn Average selling price is increased from 2.3Bt/kg to WUG/DOAE
3.0Bt/kg or higher
Average expenditures are reduced to 1,600Bt/rai.
Average yield is increased from 1.2 to 1.5 t/rai.
3. Long Bean Average selling price is increased from 7Bt/kg to 10Bt/kg WUG/DOAE
or higher
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Persons to be
Items Indicators
asked
4. Eggplant Average selling price is increased from 5Bt/kg to .7Bt/kg DOAE/WUG
or higher
Average expenditures are reduced to 700Bt/rai.
Average yield is increased from 200 to 300 kg/rai.
(4.) Activities
1. Water Users Group Number of Participants, Activities with other groups, WUG, RID,
(WUG) Role and Regulation, Water Fee, Collection of water fee, DOCP
O & M system, WUG’s fund
2. Demonstration Plots Average yields, Improvement of farming (organic Advanced
2.1 Baby Corn fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, cropping calendar, water Farmers,
2.2 Sweet Cone management for irrigation, impacts DOAE
2.3 Other Vegetable
3. Study Tours
3.1 Study tour by WUG Places, Time, Participants, Impression & impacts WUG
3.2 Study tour from other Places, Time, Participants, Impression & impacts, ripple DOAE,
Tambons effect RID/Study
Team
4. Trainings
4.1 TTC members Place, Time Participants, Training contents, Impression & TTC
impact
4.2 TSG Members - ditto - TSG
4.3 Compost Training - ditto - DOAE, LDD,
4.4 Improvement of - ditto - WUG
qualities and quantities DOAE, WUG
of crops. DOAE, WUG
4.5 Chemical free - ditto - DOL,
vegetable production Farmers
4.6 Artificial breeding - ditto-
5. Irrigation Facilities
5.1 Plan of pump, main and Activity of survey, design, implementation schedule and RID, WUG
secondary pipelines cost estimate, cost sharing, Joint Inspection with WUG
5.2 Construction of pump, Cost sharing including land acquisition, Implementation RID, WUG
main and secondary Schedule,
pipelines
5.3 Installation of Tertiary Purchasing cost, Installation know haw, Implementation, RID, WUG
pipelines
5.4Trainings for water Times, Participants, Technology transfer, for water DOCP, RID,
management and management and O&M including electricity fee for pump WUG
maintenance
6. Qualities Check
Qualities of groundwater Study quality of groundwater and soil. LDD, WUG
and soil study
7. Monitoring
7.1 TTC TTC meeting, Monitoring survey, Monthly Report
TTC
7.2 TSG Monitoring survey and Monthly Report
TSG
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5.4 Implementation Structure and Accounting System

(1) Implementation Structure
The project implementation structure was established as follows:
JICA Study Team RID Central Office
Village TSG &

Village Administration Agencies at District
and Province
Water Users’
Group
TTC
Pineapple Sugarcane Housewives TAO

Growers Growers
Existing farmers’ groups
Farmers
The project was implemented in collaboration with the villagers, government agencies and JICA Study
Team. In the villages, the WUG, established by the project, was responsible for coordinating and
managing all the project activities under the supervision of the village administration. The existing
farmers’ groups, such as pineapple growers group, sugarcane growers group, housewives group, etc.,
were located under the WUG. For example, the WUG acted as the coordinating body for the whole
village when an agency conducted trainings. The WUG, in collaboration with the farmers’ groups,
discussed the project plans and monitored the project activities at the village level. In addition, the
WUG is supposed to collect and manage the water fees as well as the WUG fund. The water fees are
the fund to be used for O&M of the irrigation facilities, and therefore shall be collected from the WUG
members. The WUG fund is considered as a revolving fund for facilitating the group activities by
making loans with low interest rates available, and shall be collected and used by the farmers
themselves.
The necessary supports were provided to the farmers by the public agencies, such as TTC, TAO, TSG
and other agencies at the provincial and district levels. JICA Study Team together with the RID central
office provided necessary guidance, and financial and technical supports. This structure, besides JICA
Study Team and RID central office, is considered as permanent for ensuring the project sustainability,
and shall be applied to other villages in the area when conducting similar development activities.
The following describes the general characteristics of the key agencies such as TTC and TAO in the
implementation structure:
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a) Technology Transfer Center (TTC)

As an extension arm of Department of Agricultural Extension, the Technology Transfer Centers
(TTCs) were established at all Tambons of the country in 2000 (announced on November 21, 2000). In
principle, TTC members are selected by the villages and officially appointed by the district chiefs,
besides the secretary who is a district agricultural extension officer. In this Tambons in the project area,
Tambon Nong Phan Chan in Ratchaburi and Nong Phai in Kanchanaburi, the numbers of the current
TTC members are 15 each. For Tambon Nong Phan Chan, the listed members are all men, from
various institutions such as TAO, village administration, or village production groups, or they are
simply advanced farmers. For Tambon Nong Phai, the TTC was recently reorganized with the new
members. The reasons were to have the members more evenly from all the villages by selecting the
equal number from each village, and to make sure the Pilot Project is smoothly implemented with
more active members. Most of the TTC members are TAO staff.
Among the members of TTC, only the secretary is paid salary as a government officer. All the
members are however paid Bt. 50 a time when they participate in TTC meeting. When a district officer
comes to a village for providing training to the farmers, he/she is generally given allowance of 80 to
90Bt/day and cost of fuel. When a farmer becomes an instructor, 300Bt/day is paid. In general, each
TTC makes an activity proposal for the next year, simply by selecting some activities from the list
prepared by the provincial DOAE. The DOAE then allocates the budgets to all TTCs based on those
proposals. TTC’s activities are therefore decided and implemented based on their proposals and the
budgets are allocated from the province.
b) Tambon Administration Organization (TAO)

The Tambons are classified from Class 1 to 5 depending on the size of their annual revenue. In
principle, their revenues are mainly from i) tax revenue from the area, ii) allocation from the Ministry
of Interior, and iii) project funds from various public agencies.
Tambon Nong Phang Chan in Ratchaburi has the annual and 5-year development plans. In principle,
the Tambon receives development proposals from each village, and then an annual development plan,
necessary budgets for implementation and project priorities for the whole Tambon are discussed at the
Tambon’s assembly meetings held twice a year. The TAO has 18 staff, 3 supporting staff, and 12
permanent and 10 temporary labor. Among those 18 staff, 3 staff are responsible for administration
and 15 staff are the members of the assembly. This Tambon is classified as Class 5, and its budget
sources and amounts in this year are as follows:
1. Income (tax revenue): Baht 3.8 million
2. Ministry of Interior: Baht 2.08 million
3. Various public agencies: Baht 10 million (approx.)
Tambon Nong Phai in Kanchanaburi has 12 villages within its jurisdiction, and each village has
proposed three priority projects for its development. Those proposals, in total 36 projects, have been
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included in the 5-year development plan for 2001 to 2006. To prioritize them, site conditions and
necessary costs are mainly taken into account. The budget sources and amounts of this Tambon are as
follows:
1. Income (tax revenue): Baht 3 million
2. Ministry of Interior: Baht 2 million
3. Various public agencies: Baht 50 million (approx.)
(2) Project Accounting System

In order to operate the project properly, the Study Team proposed a procurement and payment system,
which is shown in following page. According to the suggestion of the representative from RID
headquarters, the bank accounts were separated for hard component and soft component in order to
avoid complication. The Study Team, then, explained the system to TSG, responsible for the activities
of both hard component and soft component. In the discussion, TSG suggested to have several
agencies manage the bank account of soft component in order to secure fairness and transparency
through the careful observation. Then, TSG opened bank accounts for hard and soft component
separately and nominated a few responsible persons on the accounting.
In UHMR project, the representative of RID provincial office took care of every procurement and
payment for hard component while soft component was managed by both DOAE and RID provincial.
In the case of BTPW project, three parties such as TAO, WUG and the Study Team were nominated as
the responsible organizations for the accounting of soft component. The following figure shows the
responsible organizations on accounting.
UHMR in Ratchaburi Study Team BTPW in Kanchanaburi
Hard Soft Hard Soft

Component Component Component Component
RID DOAE RID RID TAO WUG Study

Province Province Province Team
Responsible organizations for the Activities Responsible organizations for the Activities
Note: Approval & payment Request
Figure 5.4.1 Responsible Organizations for Accounting in the Pilot Project
In the payment process of soft component in UHMR, for example, the responsible organizations for
specific activities requested some budget to DOAE and RID province. DOAE and RID province, then,
approved the request, withdrew the cash from the bank account and paid it to the responsible
organizations. This payment process was applied to all the activities in the project.
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Figure 5.4.2 Procurement and Payment Guideline for the Pilot Project
Procurement and Payment Guideline for the Pilot Project

Procurement and payment for the Pilot Project (PP) implementation under the Study on Application of
Participatory Planning in Rural and Agricultural Development Project in Lam Pa Chi River Basin shall
follow the procedure as stated below:
Basic Principle:
JICA supports main part of the budget for implementation of the PP.
RID implements the PP by the manner of Force Account.
Items:
Items JICA may support Items JICA may not support
○ Materials/ Equipment × Per diem for agencies
○ Labor fee for construction × Transportation for agencies
○ Trainers (Fee/ Per diem)
○ Transportation only for study tour
○ Fuel for construction equipments
Procedure:
Agencies submit Detail Plan (for soft component) and B/Q (for hard component) to
RID province
RID province concludes Detail Plans and Monthly Disbursement Schedule
RID Province sends the Plan, B/Q and invoices to JICA Study Team and RID
central for approval
JICA Study Team transfers money to the bank a/c of both TSG (soft) & RID (hard)
For soft component, TSG distributes money to the agencies
Conduct the activities according to the plan

~ Each Agency procures the materials and employs the labor ~
Agencies send the receipts to RID Province
RID Province collects all the receipts and send them to JICA Study Team (weekly)
Receipt
The Receipts are to be used for the reimbursement from JICA Headquarters. Therefore, the receipts
must satisfy the following condition.
1) Receipts should NOT be issued by government agencies but suppliers or labor only
2) The attention should be to the name of “Sanyu Consultants Inc.”
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5.5 Implementation Schedule

Based on the PO (1), the detailed implementation schedule of each activity up to November 2004 was
discussed and finalized in the TSG meetings in Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi respectively. To decide
the schedule, the conditions such as ability of the organization, limited budgetary allocation, etc were
taken into consideration by each responsible agency. The implementation schedules for each Pilot
Project are shown in the tables in the following pages.
5.6 Project Cost

Based on the PO (1), the revised cost for implementation was estimated. For UHMR, the estimated
costs for hard component and soft component were 3,422,000Bt and 470,070Bt respectively. For
BTPW, the cost for hard component was estimated at 3,543,000Bt, and that for soft component was
at 470,070Bt. The summary of each project cost is shown in the table below, and the breakdown is
shown in following pages.
Hard Soft
Project Name Total
Component Component
UHMR Project 3,422,000 470,070 3,892,070
BTPW Project 3,543,000 470,070 4,013,070
Total 6,965,000 940,140 7,905,140
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Chapter 6 Project Details and Outcomes
CHAPTER 6 PROJECT DETAILS AND OUTCOMES

6.1 Detail Plans of the Responsible Agencies
According to the PO (1) revised in February 2004, the agencies in TSG such as RID, DOAE and DOL
prepared the detail plan of each activity for which they are responsible. In the detail plans, each
agency made clear the persons in charge, steps to be taken, the expected number of participants, etc.
The example of the detail plans in BTPW project in Kanchanaburi is shown below. This was prepared
by DOCP, the responsible agency of activity 0-3, “Establishment of Water Users Group”. The plan
shows the steps how to establish and strengthen the group. Based on the detail plans, the responsible
agencies carried out the activities. All the detail plans of the activities in both BTPW and UHMR are
attached in Appendix.
Table 6.1.1 Example of the Detail Plan
No. Budget Other
Responsible Organi Date of
Objective Steps partic Requested major
person zation request
ipant (Baht) stakeholder
Water Users Mr. Sayan DOCP 1. Explain objectives 20 10,000 Study 23/02/04
are able to Ketphan 2. Establishment of WUG Team
manage 3. Selection of committee TTC
irrigation 4. Establishment of rules
water and regulation
effectively 5. Development of plan
6. Water User group
meeting to explain all
above
Note: Information is the example from the activity “0-3: Establishment of Water Users Group”
6.2 Plans of Institutional Strengthening

To enhance the sustainability of the project, one of the most important aspects is the capability of the
implementing organizations such as RID, DOAE and DOL and “grass root level organizations” such
as women’s group and WUG. In addition, effective coordination among them is also important for the
sustainability. In the Pilot Project, the Study Team proposed the Implementation Structure as described
in Chapter 5. In the Implementation Structure, TSG, TTC and the farmers organizations were supposed
to play the main roles for implementing each activity. To strengthen such organizations, some
activities were planned as shown in the following:
For Administrative Organizations:
a) Training on Trainers (TOT) for TSG
b) Training on Trainers (TOT) for TTC
c) TTC meeting
For Grass Root Level Organization:
d) Water Users Group (WUG) meeting
For coordination among the party concerned:
e) TSG meeting (among government agencies)
f) Joint meeting with WUG and other farmers’ group (among farmers groups)
g) Joint monitoring workshop (between government agencies and farmers groups)
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These approaches for institutional strengthening are visualized in the Figure 6.2.1.
Workshop
TOT
TSG
Meeting
Meeting
Water Users’ Group
TOT
(WUG) TTC
Meeting
Producers’ Housewife’s Pineapple

group Group Group
Cluster of Production Groups
Figure 6.2.1 Approaches on Institutional Strengthening
a) Training on Trainers (TOT) for TSG

The TSG’s strengthening was one of the most important issues,
Objectives of the TOT for TSG
since this organization was just established by this study, and - To understand participatory
their roles and responsibilities were not so clear to the member approach and how to apply it in
the provincial CEO plan
in the stage of project implementation. Since the TSG is - To understand project approach
composed of several government organizations, most - To be able to prepare the support
plan for TTC and the farmers
challenging issue was to strengthen cooperation among them.
- To learn how to be a good trainer
Although various activities were already done in the process of
planning the Draft Master Plan, more trainings were needed for TSG.
Accordingly, two-day training for TOT was planned for the members of TSG. The objectives of the
TOT are shown in the right box. Through the TOT, TSG was expected to learn what they should do as
the main actor for project implementation and for implementing participatory approach in future’s
projects. They were also expected to learn how to collaborate with and support other government
agencies especially TTC.
b) Training on Trainers (TOT) for TTC

Through the course of the Study, it was found that TTCs, in
Objectives of the TOT for TTC
general, are not functioning well as expected. However, in - To understand the roles and
the Pilot Project, the roles of TTC were crucial for supporting responsibilities of the TTC
the farmers so as to reach the project goals. Two-days TOT - To be able to prepare the support
plan for farmers
was therefore planned for TTC with the participation of some - To learn how to be a good trainer
farmers. The objectives of the TOT for TTC are shown in the
box.
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c) TTC Meeting
TTCs are in charge of providing extension services related to agriculture, fishery and livestock. It is
one of the most important tasks for TTCs to provide the services to the communities constantly.
However, due to the lack of human resources and budget, TTCs face difficulties to provide expected
services to the farmers. Given the fact, in the Pilot Project, periodical meeting was proposed to
monitor their performances by themselves. The periodical meeting was believed to provide good
opportunities to the members to understand their roles and responsibilities.
d) Water Users Group Meeting

One of the main components of the Pilot Project was irrigation development in both UHMR project
and BTPW project. After the completion of the Pilot Project, the farmers should operate and manage
the irrigation facilities. Water Uses Group (WUG) was therefore planned to be established in the Pilot
Project. WUG was then empowered through On-the-Job-Training (OJT) in the series of activities.
e) TSG meetings
Since TSG was established for this study, its members were not quite sure of their roles and
responsibilities. Moreover, since the members were consisted of the representatives from the different
agencies, the capacities of each member as well as the TSG as a whole were yet to be understood.
The Study Team therefore conducted a series of TSG meetings for improving those issues.
f) Joint meeting with WUG and other farmers’ group <Self Monitoring & Evaluation>
In order to monitor the progress of each activity constantly, it was proposed that the members of WUG,
Housewives’ Group, and other production groups have a meeting monthly. WUG was supposed to lead
the meetings as the core organization. In the meetings, the participants were supposed to report the
progress of each activity and discuss how to improve it. Through this process, it was considered that
the ownership of the farmers towards the project would be cultivated.
g) Joint workshop for monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring workshop was planned with the farmers, TSG, TTC and the Study Team. Its main
objective was to monitor the progress of each activity and revise the plan, if necessary. In terms of
“institutional strengthening”, it was supposed to facilitate the process in which main stakeholders sit at
the same table and discuss the issues. Through the discussions from various points of view, the
stakeholders were expected to learn the different ideas of the other people. The relationships among
the stakeholders were also expected to be deepened.
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6.3 Achievements of the Pilot Project

6.3.1 Progresses and Performances of the Project Activities
All of the project activities, except one in progress, proposed in POs (2) in UHMR and BTPW were
completed by November 2004 as shown in Table 6.3.1.
Table 6.3.1 Progress of the Project Activities

Not Nothing is
Project Completed Total
completed done
As of May 2004 (Monitoring)
UHMR 12 4 6 22
BTPW 6 5 10 21
Total 18 9 16 43
As of November 2004 (Evaluation)
UHMR 22 0 0 22
BTPW 20 1 0 21
Total 42 1 0 43
(1) UHMR
1) Progress of each activity
Hard Component
The irrigation facilities were constructed all by RID Ratchaburi. Eight (8) farmers out of twenty six
(26) installed tertiary pipes on their farms. The other farmers will install it after the existing crops such
as sugarcane and pineapple are harvested. It should be noted that one of the beneficiary farmers
installed an electric pump in his tertiary pipes so as to further bring up irrigation water to his farmland
where the land level is higher than the water level of the reservoir. According to RID Ratchaburi, some
farmers are willing to introduce vegetables and fruits trees.
Soft Component
All the soft component activities were completed as scheduled. The demonstration plots for sugarcane,
pineapple and vegetables were established, and the training for irrigation water management was
conducted. The farmers had a chance to visit the project site of BTPW. In that occasion, they
recognized that the activities of compost making were very attractive. The farmers from UHMR asked
the details of compost making, and the farmers of BTPW agreed to send one of the ingredients
necessary for compost, which is available at reasonable price in the village. Through this way, the link
between both areas was established. It also should be noted that RID Ratchaburi established a
demonstration plot of sugarcane with their budget. The progress of each project activity in UHMR is
shown in Table 6.3.2.
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Table 6.3.2 Progress of Each Activity in UHMR

Responsible
No. Activities Progress
Persons
0-1 The baseline survey JICA, RID ○
0-2 PDM (0) and PO (0) reviewed with major stakeholders JICA, TSG, Farmer ○
0-3 The meetings held to establish the Water Users Group (WUG) RID, Farmer ○
0-4 The meetings held between the WUG and village groups WUG, DOAE ○
0-5 The WUG fund established and accumulated WUG ○
0-6 The demonstration plots established for sugarcane, pineapple and vegetables WUG, DOAE ○
0-7 The study tours conducted by WUG DOAE, WUG ○
0-8 The study tours to the village from other Tambons DOAE, WUG ○
0-9 Meetings conducted with TTC members DOAE ○
0-10 Trainings conducted to TTC members on TOT JICA ○
0-11 Trainings conducted to TSG members on TOT JICA ○
0-12 The monitoring and evaluation surveys JICA, TSG ○
1-1 Trainings conducted for the improvement of qualities of pineapple and sugarcane DOAE, WUG ○
1-2 Trainings conducted for the improvement of selling prices of pineapple DOAE, WUG ○
2-1 Trainings conducted on the use of fertilizers and pesticides DOAE, WUG ○
2-2 Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and tractors obtained by groups DOAE, WUG ○
2-3 Trainings conducted on the make and use of organic fertilizers LDD, WUG ○
3-1 Alignment of main and secondary pipelines discussed and fixed RID, Village Head ○
3-2 Survey, design and cost estimates for pipeline installation RID, Village Head ○
3-3 Main and secondary pipelines installed RID, WUG ○
3-4 Tertiary pipelines installed WUG ○
3-5 Trainings conducted for water management and maintenance RID, WUG ○
Note: ○: Completed, △: Some activities are done but not completed, ×: Nothing is done
2) Performances of each activity

The performances of the project activities planned in PO (2) were observed from the planning stage in
November 2003, through the monitoring stage in May 2004, to the evaluation stage in November 2004.
The results are shown in the table below.
Table 6.3.4 Performances of Each Activity in UHMR

Expected
Activities Performances
Results
(0-1) The baseline - Baseline information The baseline survey was conducted. 50 households were
survey is conducted. of 50 households (24 interviewed on socio economic situations, and the report was
beneficiary households prepared. Information was used for the project evaluation.
from pipeline irrigation
and other 26)
(0-2) PDM (0) and - PDM(1) and PO(1) PDM(0) and PO(0)were reviewed with major stake holders in
PO(0) are reviewed with January 2004, and PDM(1) and PO(1) were prepared.
major stakeholders. PDM(1) and PO(1) were revised during the monitoring survey
in May 2004 with major stake holders, and PDM(2) and
PO(2) were prepared. More detailed information was asked to
the responsible agencies to prepare and submit.
(0-3) The meetings are - Group structure, RID took incharge of WUG’s establishment and
held to establish the leader selection, strengthening. Group structure and the committee were
Water Users Group regulations, work plan, established, and rules and regulations were prepared. The
(WUG). etc. group was registered at the district governor’s office as the
certified group. The best performance of RID staff resulted in
strong water user group.
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Expected
Results
(0-4) The meetings are - Regulations, work The meeting was organized between WUG and other village
held between the WUG plan, monitoring groups for discussing project plans, progresses and necessary
and village groups. reports of project countermeasures.
activities, etc.
(0-5) The WUG fund is - Revolving fund with Revolving fund was developed and managed by the WUG and
established and low interest rates for housewife group. 100 farmers benefited from the activity. 600
accumulated. group activities bags of fertilizer were purchased and distributed equality to
all the members. All the members paid 100 Bt as the member
fee.
The revolving fund was the mean to reduce input cost of the
farmers in crop production. Each member could save 186 Bt
by obtaining chemical fertilizer from group. The WUG plans
to increase amount of fund in the future.
(0-6) The demonstration - 2 plots (1 rai/plot) One rai of sugarcane, one rai of pineapple and half rai of
plots are established for from 2 households vegetable were planted as demonstration plots. They were
sugarcane, pineapple - 0.5 rai for vegetables used as the learning sites of the villagers and people from
and vegetables. outside the area. Most of the results of the demonstration
farms can be observed after the harvest time in 2005.
(0-7) The study tours by - Pineapple growers in Farmers visited the pineapple grower in Phetchaburi province.
WUG are conducted. Chonburi province. They could observe the high yield of pineapple with
- Advanced WUG in irrigation. Farmers said the soil quality in Ban Nongchok is
other areas better than in Phetaburi. If they improved their management
and irrigation, they could easily increase pineapple yield.
(0-8) The study tours to - Achievements of hard Study tour was conducted by WUG and RID under the
the village from other & soft components are supervision of the Study Team. The representatives from 16
Tambons are conducted. presented Tambons in the Lam pa chi area were invited. Participatory
- The comments of the irrigation development process was explained by RID officer.
participants are Irrigation system was visited. Demonstration plots were also
collected on used as the learning station for participants. Participants
implementing structure understood that the irrigation system contributed a lot to the
& activities crop production. Process of budget request for project
- Potential expansion of implementation was also discussed among the TAO.
the similar project to
other areas as discussed
(0-9) Meetings are - Regulations, roles and TTC members organized monthly meetings to discuss on the
conducted with TTC responsibilities progress of activities. The member of water user group was
members. - Progress reports also the member of TTC. He could report the project’s
progress to TTC members. TTC chairman participated
regularly in meetings and training. Therefore, he was able to
communicate with the farmers effectively.
(0-10) Trainings are - TTC members can TTC members participated in TOT training with the TTC
conducted to TTC facilitate farmers’ members of Kanchanaburi. The role of TTC in the project was
members on TOT. meetings. the facilitator and coordinator for technical support.
Therefore, training course on “Training of the Trainers” was
organized. The roles and responsibilities of TTC were
identified by the participants. Work process of the TTC was
also prepared. Some skills such as how to be be a facilitator,
how to organize farmer meetings were explained. After
training, the participants were more confident to work with
WUG and coordinate with government agencies. The
evaluation results indicated that the participants felt the
improvement of their skills as the change agent. They
requested three days training instead of two. The trainers
suggested that the full TOT course should cover five days.
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Expected
Results
(0-11) Trainings are - TSG members can TOT training was also conducted for TSG members. The roles
conducted to TSG facilitate farmers’ and responsibilities of TSG were identified by the
members on TOT. meetings. participants. The CEO plan of Ratchaburi province was
analyzed, and the participants accepted that it was important
to include the PO in the provincial development plan in order
to integrate technical support from government agencies at the
provincial level. Some skills such as how to be a facilitator,
how to organize farmer meetings were explained.
Duration of the training was mentioned too short. The
participants requested three days instead of two.
(0-12) The monitoring - Monitoring and The monitoring and evaluation surveys were conducted in
and evaluation surveys evaluation reports May and November 2004 respectively. The results of the
are conducted. survey were analyzed and summarized in the reports.
(0-13) Irrigation system - Roles & responsibility Irrigation system was transfer to TAO Nong Phan Chan.
is transferred to TAO of TAO & WUG Necessary document were prepared by RID. The process of
tentatively - O&M manual irrigation transfer by the Pilot Project could be the model for
- Spec of the facilities this type of projects in the future.
- Official letter
- Water fee
(1-1) Trainings are - Improvement of The DOAE officer from provincial office organized training
conducted for the selling prices of course on how to improve quality of pineapple and sugarcane.
improvement of pineapple and
qualities of pineapple sugarcane
and sugarcane.
(1-2) Trainings are - Improvement of The training was conducted for the improvement of selling
conducted for the selling prices of prices of pineapple, but actual outcomes are yet to be seen.
improvement of selling pineapple
prices of pineapple.
(2-1) Trainings are - Improvement of use Farmers learned better how to apply fertilizer effectively.
conducted on the use of and costs of fertilizers
fertilizers and and pesticides
pesticides.
(2-2) Fertilizers, - Improvement of costs Chemical fertilizer was obtained by group approach. It could
pesticides, herbicides of fertilizers, be a good example for the farmers to organize themselves in
and tractors are obtained pesticides, herbicides group for obtaining inputs at lower cost.
by groups. and tractors
(2-3) Trainings are - Improvement of use The farmers were trained on compost making. They are able
conducted on the make and costs of fertilizers to produce compost now. There is a tendency that the farmers
and use of organic replace chemical fertilizer with compost.
fertilizers.
(3-1) Alignment of main - Alignment of main Completed

and secondary pipelines (L=1,675m) and
is discussed and fixed. secondary pipelines
(3-2) Survey, design and - Design and cost Completed

cost estimates for estimates
pipeline installation are
conducted.
(3-3) Main and - Main and secondary Completed and operational.

secondary pipelines are pipelines installed
installed.
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Expected
Results
(3-4) Tertiary pipelines - Tertiary pipelines Six farmers already installed tertiary pipes in their farm. The
are installed. installed remaining farmers will install after harvesting their crops.
(3-5) Trainings are - Rules of water One day training was organized on water management and
conducted for water management and maintenance.
management and maintenance
maintenance.
(2) BTPW
1) Progress of each activity
Hard Component
Although the progress was slower than the plan at the time of monitoring in May 2004, the
construction of the irrigation facilities was completed. The pump station, main and secondary pipelines
as well as supplementary facilities were installed by RID in due location. However, only seven (7)
farmers out of twenty one (21) have connected their tertiary pipes with the main system. The other
farmers are still anxious that the fee of pumping irrigation from Lam Pa Chi River may not be
reasonable.
Soft Component
The activities of “Training on Artificial Breeding” and “Training on Compost Making” are worth
describing. Promoted by the project, an artificial breeding center was established in TAO Nong Phai,
where Tha Phayom village locates. Also, through the activity of compost making, the WUG started to
make profits. The demand on compost is increasing, and the farmers are willing to expand its
production. The progress of each activity in BTPW is shown in Table 6.3.4.
Table 6.3.4 Progress of Each Activity in BTPW

Responsible
Persons
0-1 The baseline survey JICA, RID ○
0-2 PDM (0) and PO (0) reviewed with major stakeholders JICA, TSG, Farmer ○
0-3 The meetings held to establish the Water Users Group (WUG) RID, Farmer ○
0-4 The meetings held between the WUG and village groups WUG, DOAE ○
0-5 The WUG fund established and accumulated RID, WUG ○
0-6 The demonstration plots established for baby corn, sweet corn and other vegetables WUG, DOAE ○
0-7 The study tours by WUG DOAE, WUG ○
0-8 The study tours to the village from other Tambons DOAE, WUG ○
0-9 Meetings conducted with TTC members DOAE ○
0-10 Trainings conducted to TTC members on TOT JICA ○
0-11 Trainings conducted to TSG members on TOT JICA ○
0-12 The monitoring and evaluation surveys JICA, TSG ○
1-1 Farmers trained on how to make compost LDD, WUG ○
1-2 Compost made and used by the group DOAE, LDD, WUG ○
2-1 Pump Irrigation System constructed RID, WUG, Village ○
Head
2-2 Qualities of groundwater and soil studied LDD, WUG △
2-3 WUG trained on operation and maintenance of the system RID, WUG ○
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Responsible
Persons
3-1 Production of each crop planned DOAE, WUG ○
3-2 Trainings conducted for the improvement of qualities and quantities of crops DOAE, WUG ○
3-3 Trainings conducted on chemical free vegetable production DOAE ○
3-4 Training on artificial breeding of cow and feed preparation DOL ○
Note: ○: Completed, △: Some activities are done but not completed, ×: Nothing is done
2) Performances of each activity

The performances of the project activities are shown in the table below.
Table 6.3.5 Performances of Each Activity in BTPW

Expected
Results
(0-1) The - Baseline The baseline survey was conducted. 30 households were interviewed on
baseline survey information of 50 socio economic situations, and the report was prepared. Information was
is conducted. households used for the project evaluation.
(0-2) PDM(0) - PDM(1) and PDM(0) and PO(0)were reviewed with major stake holders in January 2004,
and PO(0) are PO(1) and PDM(1) and PO(1) were prepared. PDM(1) and PO(1) were revised
reviewed with during the monitoring survey in May 2004 with major stake holders, and
major PDM(2) and PO(2) were prepared. More detailed information was asked to
stakeholders. the responsible agencies to prepare and submit.
(0-3) The - Group WUG was established at the beginning of the project implementation in
meetings are structure, leader March 2004. The group structure was decided including the leader, asst.
held to establish selection, leader, accountant and public relation. The rules and regulation were
the Water Users regulations, work prepared. The WUG used PO as the work plan. Book keeping and how to
Group (WUG). plan, etc. manage the group were trained by DOCP. (Since there were only 24
members, the group may not be registered as a cooperative yet. At least 50
members were required. Since the group had to maintain and operate the
irrigation system, RID and TAO were requested to supervise it.) The group
once collected pumping cost and paid for electricity. The accountant was
capable in managing account and also supervised the members in book
keeping and preparation of farm records. The WUG leader was confident that
the WUG, at this moment, could perform its tasks.
(0-4) The - Regulations, The existing production groups in the village usually worked directly with
meetings are work plan, the quota heads. This relationship existed already long time. Members of
held between monitoring production groups obtained inputs from the heads on credit. After selling
the WUG and reports of project products, inputs costs are deducted. Those situations were intended to
village groups. activities, etc. change.
Besides the existing groups, two new groups were established during the
project implementation; compost making group (40 members) and baby corn
production group (20 members). WUG worked intensively with these
groups. Some members of these groups are also members of WUG. WUG
paid the leading role in organizing meetings, preparation of the production
plan, coordination between farmers and government agencies and mobilizing
financial resources from the project, DOAE, village development fund and
other sources.
(0-5) The WUG - Revolving fund 150,000 Bt was allocated by the project as the revolving fund for compost
fund is with low interest making. The fund was accumulated by collection of member fee (total 6,000
established and rates for group Bt), village development fund (18,000 Bt) and compost making activity
accumulated. activities (30,000 Bt). Storage house was constructed with the fund. Necessary
equipments, tools and raw materials were purchased. As a result, six tons of
compost were already produced and sold to the members. According to the
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Expected
Results
WUG leader, 14 tons of compost per month could be produced by the group.
The rules and regulations of the revolving fund were prepared. Bank account
was opened. DOCP supervised on book keeping and business development
while LDD supervised on compost making and quality control.
(0-6) The - 100 rai for baby 1). DOAE provided in total 400 kg of baby corn seeds to 20 farmers. Each
demonstration corn (by DOAE) farmer grows five rai. Each rai of baby corn produced on average 1.3 ton.
plots are - 1 rai for sweet Total production was 130 tons. The price of baby corn was 2.30 Bt per kg.
established for corn Net profit of baby corn production per rai was 850 Bt. The farmers earned
baby corn, - 0.5 rai for other total income of 85,000 Bt.
sweet corn and vegetables
other vegetables 2). One rai of sweet corm was cultivated in the demonstration plot. The
investment cost of sweet corn is 2,500 Bt. It was harvested only one time.
Total income was 3,868 Bt. The plot was damaged after the first harvest.
3.) 0.5 rai of yard bean was produced in the demonstration plot. The
investment cost is the 4,500 Bt. After harvesting some products, the crop was
damage by flood.
All demonstration plots showed good yields. It can be used as the learning
sites for the villagers. During harvesting there was big flood and the two
demonstration plots were damaged. Therefore, suitable planning for crop
production was recommended in order also to avoid loss from flood.
(0-7) The study - Advanced Study tour was organized during July 2-3, 2004 to visit advanced compost
tours by WUG agricultural areas making group in Nakhonratchasima province, Northeast Thailand. About
are conducted. - Advanced sixty participants were from TAO, TTC, WUG and compost making group.
WUG in other Compost making was demonstrated there. Compost was being produced by
areas the members of the group on rotation basis. Group management was also
discussed. Chemical free vegetable production was also visited. Then, home
stay was organized in the target village.
After the study tour, the compost making group of BTPW developed and is
using its own production and management techniques. With those
techniques, only two labors are needed to produce compost. The members of
the group could order it as much as they wanted, and the group committee
prioritized the orders and supplied compost accordingly.
The participants learned about compost making and enjoyed the hospitality
from the home stay. DOAE staff accepted the study tour with home stay
could be a model for future study tour for the farmers. Study tour is also
considered good for building up a relationship among the participants.
(0-8) The study - Achievements The study tour to the village from other Tambons was conducted on
tours to the of hard & soft September 28, 2004. The representatives from 16 Tambons were invited.
village from components are TAO Nongphai, DOAE Dam Makham Tia district, and WUG organized the
other Tambons presented activity under the coordination and supervision of the Study Team. Three
are conducted. - The comments learning stations were prepared; artificial breeding, compost making and
of the vegetable production. Dam Makham Tia district governor was invited to
participants are open the study tour. Performance of irrigation and agricultural activities were
collected on presented. The discussion and presentation in each station were fruitful. The
implementing farmers representatives presented their achievement while the government
structure & agencies supported the presentation.
activities
- Potential The opinions of the representatives from other Tambon were obtained only
expansion of the informally during the field demonstration. They accepted the participatory
similar project to irrigation development could meet farmers’ needs. The participatory
other areas as approach and implementing structure could also be practiced in their areas.
discussed The success of organizing the study tour depended very much on the good
cooperation of the stakeholders within Tambon.
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Expected
Results
(0-9) Meetings - Regulations, TTC members were revised. The TAO members became the TTC members.
are conducted roles and The main reason was the TTC worked under TAO. Since they were the same
with TTC responsibilities members, TTC could more easily receive support from TAO. However,
members. - Progress reports WUG claimed that the members of TTC were so busy with the TAO
workload and could not coordinate effectively for technical support to WUG.
Therefore, the roles of TTC should be more clearly specified. Capacity

building was also needed.
In the future, TAO is responsible for the budget allocation and supervision of
TTC. Therefore, its roles should become clearer and more specific.
(0-10) Trainings - TTC members TTC members participated in TOT training with the TTC members of
are conducted to can facilitate Ratchaburi. The role of TTC in the project was the facilitator and coordinator
TTC members farmers’ for technical support. Therefore, training course on “Training of the Trainers”
on TOT. meetings. was organized. The roles and responsibilities of TTC were identified by the
participants. Work process of the TTC was also prepared. Some skills such as
how to be a facilitator, how to organize farmer meetings were explained.
After training, the participants were more confident to work with WUG and
coordinate with government agencies. The evaluation results indicated that
the participants felt the improvement of their skills as the change agent. They
requested three days training instead of two. The trainers suggested that the
full TOT course should cover five days.
(0-11) Trainings - TSG members TOT training was also conducted for TSG members. The roles and
are conducted to can facilitate responsibilities of TSG were identified by the participants. The CEO plan of
TSG members farmers’ Kanchanaburi province was analyzed, and the participants accepted that it
on TOT. meetings. was important to include the PO in the provincial development plan in order
to integrate technical support from government agencies at the provincial
level. Some skills such as how to be a facilitator, how to organize farmer
meetings were explained.
Duration of the training was mentioned too short. The participants requested
three days instead of two.
(0-12) The - Monitoring and The monitoring and evaluation surveys were conducted in May and
monitoring and evaluation November 2004 respectively. The results of the survey were analyzed and
evaluation reports summarized in the reports.
surveys are
conducted.
(0-13) Irrigation - Roles & The pump irrigation system was transferred officially to TAO in September
system is responsibility of 2004 after the completion.
transferred to TAO & WUG
TAO tentatively - O&M manual
- Spec of the
facilities
- Official letter
- Water fee
(1-1) Farmers - 20 farmers are LDD organized training course for 20 farmers on compost making. The
are trained on able to produce participants became able to produce compost.
how to make compost.
compost
(1-2) Compost - A group of 20 Compost making group was established. They could benefit from being in a
is made and members is group in order to mobilize resources.
used by the established.
group. - 50 tons of The budget of this activity was integrated in the revolving fund (0-5), and
compost is compost was produced. Six tons of compost was already produced. 14 Tons
produced. of compost could be produced per month. There was high demand for
compost in the area due to the high cost of chemical fertilizer and the
government policy to promote organic farming.
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Expected
Results
(2-1) Pump - 1 pump One pump system was constructed and operational.
Irrigation irrigation system
System is is constructed.
constructed
(2-2) Qualities - Qualities of Soil quality was tested by the LDD. Results were sent to WUG. Suggestions
of groundwater groundwater and were to improve soil quality by using compost. Ground water quality testing
and soil are soil are identified was under processing.
studied. - Means to
improve water WUG and compost making group developed its skills in testing qualities of
and soil quality water and soil. In the future, they could provide supports to other farmers on
are suggested. how to improve soil for specific crop production.
(2-3) WUG is - WUG is able to WUG is now able to operate and maintain the system.
trained on operate and
operation and maintain the
maintenance of system
the system
(3-1) Production - Training needs Six farmers only use the irrigation now, and it is difficult to prepare a
of each crop is are identified. production plan covering the whole project area. However, WUG and TTC
planned - Production plans start to plan together, and baby corn production group planed for production
are made. effectively. In the future when more farmers use water from the pump
system, the production plan at the project level can be made.
It is recommended to prepare a production plan as the farmers in this area

suffer from flood. Good planning could avoid damage. The plan will also
help the farmers not to overproduce the same crops.
(3-2) Trainings - Selling prices of Training was conducted for the improvement of qualities and quantities of
are conducted crops become crops. The farmers learned how to apply fertilizer through the irrigation
for the higher. system in order to save time on fertilizer application and amount of fertilizer
improvement of - Production used. By this method the farmers could save at least fifty percent of fertilizer.
qualities and volumes of crops
quantities of become higher.
crops.
(3-3) Trainings - An organic WUG and compost making group visited the advanced farmers to learn
are conducted vegetable group organic farming techniques. This technique will become one of the important
on chemical free is established. strategies of the area for future crop production.
vegetable - Chemical free
production. vegetables are
produced.
- Production costs
become lower.
- Selling prices of
crops become
higher.
(3-4) Training - 3 farmers are Training on artificial breeding was one of the most successful activities in the
on artificial able to breed Pilot Project. The farmers within and outside the project area participated in
breeding of cow cows artificially. the training. The artificial breeding center was established to provide
and feed - Cow feed is permanent services to the farmers. The farmers already started to have the
preparation are produced by the benefits from this activity.
conducted. trained farmers.
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6.3.2 Institutional Strengthening

As it was the intention of the project, many relevant agencies participated in the project
implementation at the provincial, district and Tambon levels. Major stakeholders in the provincial
and/or district levels were MOAC, RID and DOAE, and others including LDD, Livestock department,
DOCP and CDD. Those agencies shared the major part of the TSG. At the Tambon level, TAO and
TTC were the main stakeholders and participated in several meetings and training courses for them to
be able to implement the project smoothly and support the farmers. At the village level, the WUG was
established in each village and received different types of technical supports. The WUG was the key
stakeholder in the village to organize the farmers and coordinate all the activities.
Communication is essential for institutional strengthening, and the Pilot Project facilitated the
communication among the stakeholders by frequent workshops, meetings and discussions. Some of
the study tours are also considered as useful for not only learning technical issues but also building a
team by spending time together. Although the stakeholders had to spend a lot of their time for the
project, as it is the nature of participatory approach, this was able to contribute largely to strengthen
institutional ties.
As a result, the following achievements can be pointed out in terms of institutional strengthening:
1) The link between the government agencies and the farmers has been strengthened. In BTPW, the
WUG in Tha Phayom feels they now know to which organizations and whom they contact when
the farmers have technical difficulties.
2) The TAO Nong Phai involved intensively in the project activities and closely working with the
WUG in Tha Phayom village. The TAO is already responsible for the O&M of the irrigation
system of BTPW. The commitment of the TAO towards the project will help strengthen the WUG
and assure the continuation of the project activities.
3) The compost making group in Tha Phayom village has been recognized by the district chief. This
will raise their chance in receiving financial support for continuation and expansion of the
activities.
4) The WUG in Tha Phayom was given the task to manage the project budget with the TAO, since
the TSG Kanchanaburi had difficulties to handle it. The WUG had to keep account books and be
able to explain all the transactions, and this eventually contributed to build their management
capacities to some extent. The WUG in Nong Chok together with the housewife group have been
responsible for managing the revolving funds. By the same token, their management capacities
have been strengthened.
5) The WUG in Nong Chok has been recognized by the villagers as the core of agricultural
development, not only water management for irrigated fields, but also coordination of all
agricultural activities conducted by various farmers’ groups in the village. This will help
strengthen the WUG further.
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6) The Kamnan (Tambon’s leader) of Tambon Ban Kha was actively involved in the project
activities, especially in meetings and workshops. He is also the head of TTC Ban Kha as well as
the head of the pineapple growers group of 4 Tambons. The chief and the ex-chief of Nong Chok
village are also the members of the same TTC, which makes the TTC functional, though to some
extent. The TTC with the Kamnan as the head will therefore further support the WUG for the
continuation of the project activities.
7) TSG members were acting as the coordinators at the provincial level as well as the providers of
technical support to the farmers. To strengthen the capacities of the TSG, they were given TOT
trainings besides the meetings and workshops. It is proved in both sites that the TSG members
were able to facilitate the development process such as constructing the facilities, organizing the
training courses and the study tours as well as being resource persons on certain topics like water
management. This will help continue the project activities in both areas and expand the similar
activities to other areas.
6.3.3 Number of the Beneficiaries

The numbers of the beneficiaries from the project were various activity by activity. It ranged from
three farmers by the demonstration plots (excluding demonstration effects to other farmers) to 100
farmers by the revolving funds. In most of the activities, more than 30 farmers participated and
benefited. As it was intended, the direct beneficiaries of the project were much beyond the direct
beneficiaries of the irrigation systems. The project activities attracted more farmers than originally
expected as follows:
- Study tours to advanced areas
- Exchange visits between two sites
- Revolving funds
- Training on artificial breeding
- Training on compost making
6.3.4 Handing Over of the Irrigation Systems

Handing over the ownership of the project irrigation system from RID to the local organization is
remarkable achievement of the Pilot Project in terms of participatory irrigation development. RID
policy indicates that small scale irrigation projects shall be transferred to local organizations once they
are completed. The Study Team realized this policy and suggested to RID, TAO and WUA, during the
project monitoring in May 2004, the transfer of the system by the end of the Pilot Project. It was
intended to further strengthen WUG and draw the commitment from TAO by facilitating the transfer.
Since then, RID provincial offices in both areas took necessary steps for the handing over.
In BTPW, the pump irrigation system was transferred to Nong Phai TAO immediately after completion
in September. RID Kanchanaburi claimed that the TAO and WUG should be responsible for the
payment of the pumping cost right after construction. TAO Nong Phai has an experience in adopting a
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pump irrigation system, when one existing pump station was transferred from RID to TAO. Moreover,
the public health department transferred a water pipe system to the TAO as well. Through those
experiences, the TAO is considered to have enough capacity to manage the project’s pump irrigation
system. The WUG in Ban Tha Phayom also demonstrated their responsibilities by being able to collect
and pay all the pumping cost covering four months of operation.
In UHMP, RID Ratchaburi prepared the detail documents on the system design, operation manual,
water user group development and participatory irrigation development process as well as the
sugarcane demonstration plot. Before the transfer, WUG meeting was held to discuss on it and WUG
decided to receive the irrigation system. TAO Nongphanchan also agreed to receive the system.
The handing over ceremony was then organized as one session of technology transfer seminar on
November 18, 2004. All parties concerned for the irrigation system such as RID Ratchaburi and
Kanchanaburi, WUG leaders, village headmen, TAO chairmen and the leader of the Study Team
cosigned the covering letter
The following is some lessons useful for small scale irrigation:

- Firstly, irrigation system must be completed and operational before the transfer. If local
organization and water user group see some problems in the system, they should request for repair.
- Secondly, WUG should be established at the beginning of the development for them to be able to
participate in all steps of irrigation development. In case of UHMR, WUG participated in planning
the alignment of the pipeline, and more farmers were able to benefit from the system. The
members of WUG observed the installation of main pipe and the construction of major facilities of
the system. They were also trained on operation and maintenance, and the operation manual was
prepared. Through those activities, WUG is expected to be able to maintain the system in future.
In BTPW, WUG was established in March 2004. WUG members provided local knowledge on the
flood water level to RID. As a result, the pump station was constructed much higher than the plan
and was actually protected from heavy flood in May. They also participated in planning the
alignment and obtained prior consent from the beneficiaries before construction. They were
trained on operation and maintenance of the system as well.
- Thirdly, the rules and regulations should allow the handing over to local organizations. TAOs as
the local organization is now authorized by law to receive infrastructures constructed by any
agencies within their responsible areas. Then, they can secure their annual budget or request
additional budget from the district chief or provincial administration organization to maintain the
system. The tasks of TAO should include the supports of the responsible farmer groups for
operating the system.
- Finally, RID must take necessary steps to transfer the system, such as the preparation of necessary
documents and trainings of WUG on operation and maintenance of the system.
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6.4 Expenditures and Cost Sharing

6.4.1 Expenditures
In this section, actual expenditures are compared with the budget. The budget was originally prepared
in PO (1) in December 2003 and approved by JICA in January 2004. In UHMR, total 3,451,902 Bt
was disbursed for hard component against the budget of 3,422,000 Bt. For soft component, total
439,202 Bt was disbursed against the budget of 470,070 Bt. In BTPW, total 3,542,850 Bt was
disbursed for hard component against the budget of 3,543,000 Bt. For soft component, total 42,6801
Bt was disbursed against the budget of 470,070 Bt. As a whole, the entire budget was disbursed in due
course. The summary of the budgets and expenditures is shown in the following table.
Table 6.4.1 Budgets and Expenditures of the Pilot Project <Conclusion>

Hard Soft
Project Item Total
Component Component
UHMR Budget 3,422,000 470,070 3,892,070
Expenditure 3,451,912 439,302 3,891,214
101% 93% 100%
Balance △29,912 30,769 856
BTPW Budget 3,543,000 470,070 4,013,070
Expenditure 3,542,850 426,801 3,969,651
100% 91% 99%
Balance 150 43269 43419
Total Budget 6,965,000 940,140 7,905,140
Expenditure 6,994,763 866,103 7,860,865
100% 92% 99%
Balance △29,763 74,038 44,275
Unit: Bt
Note: Although activity of “Trainings of Trainers (TOT)” was conducted jointly with UHMR and BTPW,
the expenditure is halved in the table above.
In terms of the disbursement, the following remarks and lessons were obtained:
a) Accounting System
In order to operate the Pilot Project properly, a special accounting system was set up. In
particular, the bank accounts were opened separately for hard and soft component, and the
account of soft component was managed by several government agencies. As a result of
evaluation on this peer accounting system, it can be said that the system enabled to secure
certain levels of fairness and transparency for soft component.
b) Budget planning in hard component

Regarding hard component, almost hundred percent of the budget was properly disbursed in
line with the construction schedule and estimated cost. It was reconfirmed that RID has enough
experiences in implementing this kind of irrigation projects and therefore was able to estimate
the project cost precisely. It is concerned if TAO can perform the same when it becomes
responsible for executing small scale irrigation development in future.
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c) Budget planning for soft component

Different from hard component, the cost of soft component was roughly estimated at the time
of planning PO. Given the actual disbursement, it was found that some budget items were
overused and some were not used at all. In particular, the trainers’ fees were much higher than
expected. Given the fact, it is suggested to make a budget plan more specifically. Regarding the
shares of the budget, soft component took about 11.0% of the total budget or 12.4% of hard
component. Thus, in future, budget of soft component could roughly be estimated at 10% to
15% of hard component, if the components and scale of the project are similar to the Pilot
Project.
d) Cost reduction
To conduct a series of trainings and meetings, certain amount of budget should be used for
using a meeting place. In the Pilot Project, the public utilities such as elementally school were
used for the meetings. Since it can reduce the project cost, public utilities should be more
exploited.
e) Compensation for non-beneficiary farmers

During the initial stage of implementation in UHMR, some compensation was paid to
non-beneficiary farmers in order to install the main pipeline under their farmlands. To excavate
for the pipes, it was necessary to cut their pineapples. To this end, RID made an agreement with
the farmers to provide compensation for the excavations necessary for installation and
maintenance of the pipes for the coming three years.
The details of the expenditures in both UHMR and BTPW are summarized in the following tables:
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6.4.2 Cost Sharing

The principles of the cost sharing among the stakeholders were set prior to the Pilot Project as shown
below. JICA was to support the materials and cost for construction; the farmers were to undertake
operation and maintenance; RID was to implement hard component; and other related agencies were
to provide extension services to the farmers. Basically, the costs of the Pilot Project were shared
according to the principles. The result of the cost sharing is summarized in the table below.
Table 6.4.4 Results of Cost Sharing

Stakeholders Principles Results
Farmers - Operation & Maintenance - O&M of the irrigation system will be undertaken by
(O&M) TAO and WUG with support from RID. WUG will
collect water fee for O&M.
- Ownership of the irrigation facilities were already
handed over to the TAOs
- Construction of tertiary - Some farmers installed on farm level irrigation facilities
pipelines and connected with secondary pipelines
- Other farmers are yet to install:
*Waiting for harvest of sugarcane and pineapple in
UHMR
*Waiting for the amount of electric fees to be actually
paid
- Land Acquisition for - All the beneficiary farmers provided their lands for
facilities construction of irrigation schemes
- Compensation was provided for non-beneficiary farmers
in UHMR
RID - Topographic survey - Topographic survey was conducted by RID
- Detail Design/ Cost - Detail design and cost estimation were conducted by
Estimation RID
- Detail design was revised according to the farmers’
requests in BTPW
- Construction - Construction of irrigation facilities were completed with
(direct account) the materials, labor and fuel supported by JICA
- Pumps and supplemental materials were installed by
contract basis
- Others - Training on water management was provided to the
farmers
- Demonstration plot was established by RID
Private sector - Loan for farmers - No loan was given by the private sector as a part of the
Pilot Project activities, there is little incentive for sugar
factory to invest small scale project
Other related - Provide extension services - A series of trainings were provided by DOAE, DOL,
agencies and support strengthening LDD, and DOCP
the farmers organizations
- Others - Artificial Breeding Center was established in BTPW
- Additional training was provided
JICA - Materials, Labor fee, Fuel - All the construction materials, necessary equipments for
soft components, labor, fuel were provided by JICA
Regarding the cost sharing, the followings results are noticeable.
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Positive Results
In parallel with the project activities in BTPW, DOL established an Artificial Breeding Center in
TAO Dan Makham Tia by its own budget. One permanent staff of DOL has been assigned to
provide the services in and around the project area.
DOAE provided an additional training for the farmers in BTPW by inviting the chief provincial
officer of DOAE Ranong Province.
DOAE provided total 400 kg of baby corn seeds in BTPW (20 kg/ 5 rai/ person×20person)
DOAE secured 70,000 Bt of budget to provide the extension services to the farmers
RID established 3 rais of the demonstration plot for sugarcane in UHMR
RID provided a series of trainings on irrigation water management upon the request from the
farmers in UHMR
The compost making group was financed by the Village Development Fund in BTPW
Negative Results
Compensation was provided to non-beneficiary farmers in UHMR from JICA’s budget
Transportation was provided to the farmers and the related agencies in order to conduct trainings
The pump and supplemental materials were installed by contract basis in BTPW
6.5 Impacts
The impacts which were not expected or foreseen at the beginning of the Pilot Project were seen.
There are the following 11 events identified as the project impacts:
(1) TAO Nong Phai Selected as the Best TAO in the Province For Two Years
(2) Compost as One-Tambon-One-Product (OTOP)
(3) Incorporated the Project Plan in the CEO plan (Ratchaburi)
(4) Establishment of Artificial Breeding Center
(5) DOAE’s Intensive Area for Chemical-Free Vegetable Production in BTPW
(6) DOAE’s Support to Baby Corn Production in BTPW
(7) RID’s Support to Establish Sugarcane Demonstration Plot in UHMR
(8) Gender Issues Concerned
(9) Promotion of Environmental-friendly Agriculture
(10) Link with An Advanced Farmer for Technical Advice & Marketing
(11) Save the Farming Time with Irrigation
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(1) TAO Nong Phai Selected as the Best TAO in the Province For Two Years
The TAO Nong Phai is one of 96 Tambons in Kanchanaburi province. It was selected as the best TAO
and won “the Good Governance TAO” prize in 2003. In 2004, it was selected again. The criteria of
selecting the best TAO are comprised of seven items, namely;
1) Justice - Rules and regulations must be prepared based on the TAO’s tasks and the necessity of
the area.
2) Responsibility - TAO must respond to the complaints or requests of the people promptly with
proper actions.
3) Transparency - The management of the budget must be transparent and can be audited for the
last two years.
4) Participation - People’s participation must be promoted in identifying problems or needs,
preparation of the action plan, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of activities.
5) Efficiency - Budget should be spent efficiently.
6) Natural resource management - Natural resources should be protected and managed properly
with participation of all stakeholders.
7) Promotion of income generating activities - Income generating activities must be promoted.
In order to apply for the best TAO, the proposal explaining each of the seven items in details must be
prepared and submitted to the provincial office. A committee was established comprising of the
officers at the provincial level, university lecturers and NGOs’ staff to carefully read the proposals and
prepared the short lists of the best TAOs. The committee visited the TAOs to examine actual situations
and finalized the results. Finally, The TAO Nong Phai was announced as the best TAO in good
governance. As the prize, total budget of Bt 1.6 million was allocated by Kanchanaburi provincial
governor.
In the proposal, the TAO Nong Phai referred the participatory development process of the Pilot Project
as the good example of how the TAO supported the farmers. The TAO coordinated the meetings,
participated in the study tours and trainings. Moreover, the TAO office was used as the meeting place
for the WUG, TTC and other production groups. The pictures taken during the planning process of the
Pilot Project were used in the proposal.
(2) Compost as One-Tambon-One-Product (OTOP)

In Tha Phayom village, compost has been produced by the compost making group under supervision
of the WUG and the TAO Nong Phai. The ingredients of compost are available in Kanchanaburi
province. Six tons of compost were already produced and distributed to the group members at Bt 100
per bag (50 kg). The production capacity of compost is 14 tons per month, and at the moment there is
higher demand even from outside the village. The farmers who used compost have been satisfied with
the quality. The Land Development Department will conduct the standard test of compost quality and
certify it according to the results. If certified, the farmers will be more confident to use compost, and it
will also stimulate its selling.
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The TAO now wants to promote the compost as OTOP, and will discuss with the compost making
group about the production plan. If the volume of production should be increased, it will need more
budgets. The TAO may provide part of the budgets and also assist the group for marketing. When it
becomes the OTOP, compost bag will be designed with the names of the compost making group, the
TAO Nong Phai and LDD.
(3) Incorporating the Project Plan into the CEO plan (Ratchaburi)
The project plan of UHMR was included in the provincial development plan, so called the CEO plan.
The CEO plan is important because the provincial governor uses the plan as the basic strategies to
develop the area. The government agencies in the province therefore have responsibilities to integrate
their efforts under the CEO plan.
Some of the government agencies at the provincial level were assigned as the members of TSG. The
TSG supported the project, and it is important now for the project to have been incorporated in the
CEO plan for its continuation with the support from the province.
(4) Establishment of Artificial Breeding Center

Since many farmers in Tambon Nong Phai raise cows as one of the main sources of income, the
service of artificial breeding was strongly requested by them, and the project supported to conduct the
training. In the past, they had to call for the service from other districts and it cost between 500 Bt and
2,000 Bt. Through the Pilot Project, the TAO and Livestock Department decided to establish the
artificial breeding center at the TAO office to provide the service for the farmers within the Tambon
and the nearby areas. Livestock Department provided necessary facilities and a technician while the
TAO provided the office space. After the establishment, the technician provides the service at 150 Bt
per one time and this cost is much cheaper than the service in the past. This activity started in June
2004, and it is expected the concrete impacts be observed after March 2005 when the cows start to
deliver.
It is expected that the center will be more useful for the farmers in future, because not only artificial
breeding but also animal health care will be provided to them.
(5) DOAE’s Intensive Area for Chemical-Free Vegetable Production in BTPW

In Tha Phayom village, there are advanced farmers producing different types of high value vegetables
with compost, natural herbs as pesticide, and effective irrigation. Given the existing conditions, the
village is considered as the high-potential area for high value vegetables, and the DOAE district
selected this village as the intensive area for chemical-free vegetable production. It was included in the
DOAE district’s three year development plan.
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(6) DOAE’s Support to Baby Corn Production in BTPW

DOAE provided inputs and training to 20 farmers in BTPW to produce baby corn. All farmers already
harvested and sold it. The promotion of baby corn production was DOAE’s initiative in order to
increase the farmers’ incomes. The net income of the farmers from this activity was estimated at
85,000 Bt in total, as shown in the table below. The baby corn producers are one of the production
groups to be coordinated under the WUG for water allocation and compost buying.
Information on Baby Corn Production Supported by DOAE
Items Number
Total farmers participated 20 farmers
Total area of production 100 rai
Production area per farmer 5 rai
Average yield per rai 1.4 ton
Total baby corn produced 140 tons
Price of baby corn per kg 2.3 Bt
Gross Income 322,000 Bt
Total net profit of 20 farmers* 85,000 Bt
Net profit per rai 850 Bt
*: Based on the interview to the farmer
(7) RID’s Support to Establish Sugarcane Demonstration Plot in UHMR

RID Ratchaburi initiated and coordinated the establishment of the demonstration plot of sugarcane in
UHMR with Maeklong Irrigation Demonstration Center. RID Ratchaburi was responsible for the
financial support of this establishment. The objective of the demonstration plot is to demonstrate
proper irrigation and water-saving methods for sugarcane production. The size of the plot covered
three rai. The activity is currently ongoing, and it is expected that the WUG learn useful techniques to
increase sugarcane production and apply it in their plots.
This activity was not included in the original PO because at the beginning the RID Ratchaburi was not
sure if the resource person was available. After it was established, it was being used as the learning site
for the farmers and the representatives from other Tambon within the Lam Pha Chi River Basin for the
effective use of irrigation in sugarcane production. It shows clearly that the RID Ratchaburi not only
concentrates on construction of facilities but also promotion of irrigated agriculture. It is believed that,
with effective irrigation, the farmers could increase the yield of sugarcane to be higher than 15 tons
per rai.
The Maeklong Irrigation Demonstration Center is going to be the good source of information. If the
farmers need to learn more on sugarcane varieties, production, and appropriate technologies, they
could contact the center for information. In short, the establishment of this sugarcane demonstration
plot benefits the farmers in and outside of the project area in term of technical assistance, and it will be
benefiting them also in future.
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(8) Gender Issues Concerned

During the project planning women groups in both villages were interviewed. Their main concerns
were high input costs for crop production for both villages, and also low soil quality for BTPW. These
concerns were seriously considered by the Pilot Project, and as a result, the revolving fund was
established in UHMR and used to purchase chemical fertilizer by group at the price lower than market.
100 families became the members of the revolving fund, and each family was able to save some Bt
186 of fertilizer cost by joining the members. The housewife group was given the task to collect the
member fee, and also participated in preparing rules and regulations of the revolving fund. During the
project implementation, they actively participated in all the activities such as training. They were also
able to indicate the places to purchase chemical fertilizer with lower price.
In BTPW, the women group suggested the Study Team to promote compost making for improving soil
quality. The revolving fund was therefore established and used to promote compost making. Some of
the study tours were organized based on the women’s needs, and therefore many women participated;
for example, the study tour to the advanced area of pineapple production from Nong Chok village, and
another tour to the compost making area from Tha Phayom village attracted many women to
participate. The number of the WUG members in UHMR is 25, and the men/women ratio is 15 to 10.
Each of them represents the beneficiary households from the irrigation system, and therefore the
women’s opinions could easily be collected regarding the O&M of the system. Through the Pilot
Project, it was acknowledged that the women in the project area play important roles in many different
tasks; particularly managing the revolving fund, facilitating group activities, replacing chemical inputs
with compost, operating & managing the irrigation system, and reducing agricultural expenditures.
(9) Promotion of Environmentaly-friendly Agriculture

The farmers in Ban Tha Phayom have been using chemical fertilizer and insecticide for over 20 years.
They realized that the quality of soil was getting poorer. Soil improvement using compost and other
herbal liquid was identified by the Pilot Project as the farmers’ needs. In addition, the use of compost
will help the production of chemical-free vegetables. The compost making group considers that in near
future chemical fertilizer will be reduced and finally totally replaced with compost.
(10) Link with An Advanced Farmer for Technical Advice & Marketing
During the project implementation, training was conducted on chemical-free vegetable production.
The advanced farmer, Mr. Lek Malakawong, was invited to train the farmers on appropriate
technologies. He is the owner of large scale crop production farm in Kanchanaburi province. He
trained the farmers on how to grow organic vegetables, how to prepare production plans and how to
promote agro-tourism to the farmers’ field. The farmers also visited his field to see actual practices. He
promised to further provide the farmers with technical advice for compost making and production
planning if the WUG needs. In addition, he proposed the farmers to sell him their organic products at
Bt 10 per kg for any kind. One of the marketing channels was made by the project.
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(11) Save the Farming Time with Irrigation

One member of the WUG in Ban Tha Phayom grew different types of vegetables using the project
irrigation system. He mentioned that time spent on irrigation was now much shorter compared to
groundwater pumping. He used to pump groundwater for one and a half hour but now only 30 minutes
with the project system. The high pressure of the pumps also enables him to spray herbal pesticide and
chemical fertilizer together with irrigation with much shorter time. As a result, he was able to save his
farming time, and this can be applied for many other farmers once irrigation is started to full scale.
6.6 Expectations at the Harvest Time

The Pilot Project included the activities intending to produce the expected results at or after the harvest
time. Those activities are the establishment of the demonstration plots; the conduct of the study tours;
and the trainings on the improvement of crop qualities and quantities, the use of fertilizers, and the
improvement of selling prices of pineapples. However, since the Pilot Project ended in the middle of
cropping seasons, some of the expected results are yet to be seen.
The expected results are shown as the Indicators in the PDM, and according to the assessment at the
evaluation time, the following can be expected at the harvest time:
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Table 6.6.1 Expectations at the Harvest Time (UHMR)

Project Purpose and
Indicators in the PDM Expectations at the Harvest Time
Outputs
Project Purpose
Agricultural incomes of Average agricultural incomes Fruit trees (papaya) have been planted in the
the target farmers are of 20 target farmers’ irrigated area, which may be supplemental to the
increased to meet households are increased by incomes.
expenditures. 5%.
Outputs
1. The crops are sold at 1-1. Average selling price of The selling price of pineapple was more than 2 Bt/kg
higher prices for the pineapple is more than 2 at the evaluation. However, it was more than 3 Bt/kg
target farmers. Bt/kg. (to be forecasted) at the monitoring time (May-June, 2004).
The selling price of pineapple at the harvest time is

therefore yet to be seen, as it largely depends on
market. WUG strengthening is still needed for them
to have more negotiation power with middlemen.
1-2. Average selling price of The selling price of sugarcane was determined at
sugarcane is increased from 620 Bt/ton by the government. The CCS rate
580 Bt/ton to 600 Bt/ton or improvement depends on the last two months of
high, by improving the CCS growing period.
rate (to be forecasted)
Irrigation will raise the possibility to improve the
CCS rate, and therefore the selling price is expected
to be more than targeted if no serious damage takes
place.
2. Agricultural 2-1. Average expenditures The group purchase of fertilizer reduced its costs
expenditures are necessary for pineapple from 1,710 Bt to 1,524 Bt (11% reduction) per
reduced for the target growing are reduced by 10%. household.
farmers. As a result, production cost of pineapple was
2-2. Average expenditures reduced 540 Bt/rai/year from average expenditure of
necessary for sugarcane 5,300 Bt/rai/year.
growing are reduced by 10%. In the long run, the farmers want to replace
chemical fertilizer and pesticide with compost and
organic pesticide.
After the harvest, the members farmers of the

revolving funds should repay for the fee of fertilizer
at 10 Bt higher than the purchased price. This
enabled to reduce the payment of interest rate
compared with the loan with middlemen.
3-1. Average yield of Since irrigation becomes possible, and by the

3. Crop productions are pineapple is increased from 4 observation at the field, the yield increment can be
increased for the target to 6 t/rai (to be forecasted) expected higher than targeted.
farmers.
3-2. Average yield of The farmers mentioned the study tours to the
sugarcane is increased from advanced areas are useful to increase the yields.
10 to 12 tons/rai (to be
forecasted) Irrigation development was much appreciated since
the farmers face serious draught this year.
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Table 6.6.2 Expectations at the Harvest Time (BTPW)

Project Purpose and
Outputs
Project Purpose
Agricultural incomes of 1. Average agricultural Artificial breeding activities have been producing the
the target farmers are incomes of 20 target farmers’ number of the cows with higher rate and with lower
increased to meet households are increased by costs. The quality improvement can also be expected.
expenditures. 5%.
2. Average agricultural
expenditures of 20 target
farmers’ households are
decreased by 5%.
Outputs
1. The crops are sold at 1-1. Average selling price of The recent selling prices were as follows:
higher prices for the sweet corn is increased from - sweet corn = more than 3.5 Bt
target farmers. Bt. 3.50 Bt/kg to 4 Bt/kg or - baby corn = more than 2.3 Bt
high - egg plant = 4 Bt
1-2. Average selling price of The selling prices of vegetables still largely depend
baby corn is increased from on market (including middlemen). The suggestions
2.3 Bt/kg to 3Bt/kg or high are:
(expected value) - promote high-value crops
- conduct more study tours to learn crop rotation
1-3. Average selling price of - identify suitable markets, including making
eggplant is increased from 5 contract between producers and buyers with
Bt/kg to 7 Bt/kg or high expected stronger negotiation power of the WUG
(expected value)
The farmers mentioned the following benefits from
the project will increase the selling prices:
- higher quality of water (irrigation water from the
river) which will raise the quality of crops
- improved knowledge by study tour and other
trainings on quality; for example, now can grow
chemical-free and good quality of eggplant
2. Agricultural
expenditures are reduced 2-1. Average expenditures The farmers felt the expenditures for vegetable
for the target farmers. necessary for baby corn are productions are reduced mainly because of partial
reduced to 1,600 Bt/ rai. replacement of chemicals with compost and organic
pesticide.
2-2. Average expenditures
necessary for sweet corn are Other input costs, such as seeds, gasoline, plow,
reduced to 2,200 Bt/rai. labor, chemicals are still expensive. In addition, the
farmers are now afraid of high cost of irrigation. The
2-3 Average expenditures suggestions are:
necessary for eggplant are - reduction of the use of chemical inputs, including
reduced to 700 Bt/rai. adoption of appropriate farming technologies
- reduction of pumping cost (effective use of water)
- improvement of soil quality
- invent or find appropriate tools to reduce time &
labor
The following activities are useful for the farmers:

- improved knowledge by study tours and other
trainings on compost making
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Project Purpose and

Outputs
- reduced irrigation time (compared with ground
water pumping) which will lead to the reduction of
labor costs
- prepared crop plan for sweet corn
3. Crop productions are
increased for the target 3-1. Average yield of baby The yields of some vegetables will be increased with
farmers. corn is increased from 1.2 irrigation. The following are the forecasts of the
t/rai to 1.5 t/rai (expected three crops:
yield) - baby corn = between 1.2 and 1.8 t/rai
- sweet corn = between 0.8 to 1.2 t/rai
3-2. Average yield of sweet - eggplant = between 50 to 400 kg/rai
corn is increased from 1.5 to
2 t/rai (expected yield) The selection of the varieties and improvement of
farming practices are suggested to assure the yield
3-3 Average yield of eggplant improvement.
is increased from 200 to 300
kg/rai (expected yield) The farmers mentioned the following project
activities will contribute to increase crop
productions:
- trainings on appropriate use of fertilizers and how
to improve soils with organics
Besides the above, the quality of the farm soils could be improved in the long run if the use of
compost is spread and continued. This will contribute to improve land productivity, and as a result, to
increase the production. In particular, the compost is prepared based on the results of soil tests in Tha
Phayom village, which would raise the effectiveness of the compost for the soil improvement.
One of the promising factors for the future is the group activities facilitated by the revolving funds.
The main functions of the revolving funds are the reduction of the production costs, and the
enhancement of group management capacities. By looking at the impacts, more farmers are now being
interested to be the members, and as a result, the amount of the revolving funds has been increasing.
6.7 Necessary Improvement on the Current Activities

Although the achievements and impacts of the Pilot Project have been recognized as mentioned above,
some of the project activities should be improved: The following can be pointed out:
(1) Calculation and Agreement of Irrigation Fee for BTPW

(2) Installation of Tertiary Pipes
(3) WUG Strengthening
(4) Reduction of the Input Costs by Group Purchase
(5) Planning of Crop Production
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(1) Calculation and Agreement on Irrigation Fee for BTPW

The ownership of the irrigation system of BTPW has already been transferred from the RID
Kanchanaburi to TAO Nong Phai, because, the RID Kanchanaburi needed to release the responsibility
of electric fee payment to the users at the earliest time. On the other hand, the irrigation fee necessary
for operating and maintaining the irrigation system, which the farmer users should bear, has neither
been calculated nor been indicated. It should therefore be calculated, discussed and agreed as early as
possible by the RID Kanchanaburi, TAO and WUG. The failure to reach an agreement on the fee
would lead to the early termination of the system operation because of i) the lack of the farmers using
the system, and ii) the lack of the fund accumulation necessary for O&M of the system.
Irrigation may contribute to increase crop productions; however, at the same time may increase the
farmers’ expenditures for production, which was stated as fear by the farmers. It will also be
contradictory to the objective of the Pilot Project, if their expenditures are increased. Therefore, it is
necessary to clearly indicate to the farmers how their incomes could be increased with irrigation and
meet its costs. The farmers will pay it if they see profits.
It seems no appropriate guideline exists for calculating irrigation fee based on the actual costs
necessary for operation and maintenance of the system. It is therefore suggested the RID central find
some skillful technicians for facilitating the process. The following is some examples to be shown
which will help explain to the farmers in BTPW on the profits of irrigation:
1) Difference in yields between with and without irrigation - the proposed production plans
of each crop should be indicated in case of irrigation
2) Difference in electric charges between the BTPW and the current groundwater irrigation
3) Difference in time necessary to irrigate between BTPW and groundwater irrigation
4) Difference in water qualities between the river (BTPW) and the underground which they
currently use
(2) Installation of Tertiary Pipes

In Nong Chok village (UHMR), the number of the farmers installed the tertiary pipes is 8 among 24
expected direct beneficiaries of the irrigation system. The villagers mentioned the pineapple and
vegetable growers installed it, but the sugarcane growers are still waiting until their crops are
harvested. In Tha Phayom village (BTPW), there are 7 farmers among 21 installed the tertiary pipes.
The main reasons of this low installation rate are i) the farmers are not sure how much the irrigation
fee will be, and therefore some of them are afraid they might have to bear high costs, ii) some farmers
are not yet able to recover from last year’s flood, and iii) the Pilot Project was proceeded too fast for
some farmers to catch up with.
The same as the above (1) should be suggested to BTPW for increasing the number of the farmer users
in the irrigation system as well as increasing the effectiveness of the irrigation.
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(3) WUG Strengthening

The WUGs in both villages have been newly established. The one in Nong Chok is already active
since i) there are strong leaders in the village, ii) the village has an experience in forming and
maintaining some village organizations, and iii) the WUG is recognized by the villages as the core of
agricultural development of the village. Improvement is however necessary on the linkage between the
TAO and the WUG, as the TAO was not intensively involved in the project. The WUG in Tha Phayom
is getting active but still only several members are involved. Their activities should further be
upgraded to the whole village level.
It should be recognized that the WUGs in both villages are still in need of the governmental support,
for them to be able to fulfill their responsibilities, such as i) operation and management of the
irrigation system, ii) management of the revolving funds, iii) coordination with other village groups
for agricultural development which includes the preparation of crop planning, and iv) price negotiation
when buying inputs and selling crops. The below is the summary of the expected outputs and the
contributions from WUG strengthening.
Table 6.7.1 Expected Outputs and Contributions from WUG Strengthening

Expected Outputs Ways to Produce the Outputs Expected Roles of the WUG
1. Agricultural expenditures are reduced.
1) Reduction of interest rates Establishment of the (revolving) Organizing the farmers, collection of
funds the fees, and management of the fund
2) Reduction of input costs Group purchase of inputs Organizing the farmers, collection of
(fertilizers, etc.) the fees, and price negotiation
2. Productions are increased.
1) Effective use of irrigation Water management and O&M of Organizing the farmers, rule-making
water the irrigation system and execution
2) Improvement of farmers’ Extension of necessary skills and Organizing the farmers, preparation
knowledge on productions knowledge to as many farmers as of crop planning, and coordination
possible with the authorities of technical
supports
3. Selling prices are increased.
1) Improvement of selling prices Group selling of crops Organizing the farmers, and price
of crops negotiation
2) Improvement of farmers’ Extension of necessary skills and Organizing the farmers, and
knowledge on qualities knowledge to as many farmers as coordination with the authorities of
possible technical supports
Overall
The farmers have the capacities Facilitate discussions and Organizing the farmers, and
on planning, monitoring and meetings among the farmers coordination with the authorities
evaluation
To make the management of the revolving fund’s group successful, the following is suggested:
1) If a person wants to be a member of the revolving fund’s group, he/she shall:
a) pay the member fee when registering for the group, and
b) understand and agree to follow the rules and regulations of the group
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2) The rules and regulations of the group shall be set by the members. The ceiling amounts per
borrowing, durations, interest rates, etc. shall be included
3) The leaders, to be in charge for managing the revolving funds and its group, shall be selected by
the members. The terms of the leaders shall be decided by the members.
4) The leaders shall be responsible for, or shall assign an account to be responsible for, financial
management of the group. The financial records shall be opened to the members whenever needed.
(4) Reduction of the Input Costs by Group Purchase

As was seen in the case of UHMR, the price of fertilizer was lowered from 5,700 Bt to 5,080 Bt per
ton by purchasing large quantity (600 bags=30,000 t) for the members. One household received 6 bags
(=300 kg), which makes the cost of fertilizer 186 Bt (11%) lower for each of them. The reduction of
the input costs for seeds and pesticides could also be possible by the same way since the WUG
together with the housewife group and TTC have already leant the procedure. For BTPW, this activity
was not yet seen. It is suggested for both villages that i) the WUG be further strengthened to be able to
negotiate the prices, and ii) the government agencies support the WUG to identify the markets for
purchasing the inputs.
(5) Planning of Crop Production

For BTPW, the activity to prepare the production plan, intending mainly to increase crop productions,
was scheduled and implemented as a half-day training by an advanced farmer from outside the village.
The farmers also visited the advanced farmer’s farm through the study tour for learning chemical-free
vegetable production. Those activities were assessed as useful by the farmers. It was mentioned,
however, the production plan was not really prepared, and eventually the crops were damaged by flood.
The farmers understood now that the plan is necessary even for reducing the crop damage.
The plan will also be important for effective use of irrigation water. It is therefore suggested to prepare
the production plan for main crops before irrigation practice prevails.

The institutional strengthening was one of the key issues for the Pilot Project. The main purpose was
to establish the institutional system for continuing the project activities in and outside of the village
even after the project is terminated. There are some achievements as already mentioned, but on the
other hands the following still needs to be improved:
1) Involvement of TAO Ban Kha for the continuation of the activities for UHMR: The TAO
Ban Kha was rarely involved in UHMR (the reason is not known), which is a contrast to
TAO Nong Phai, although the TSG, TTC, Kamnan and WUG were active. It is suggested to
let the TAO be in the system, as they are responsible for O&M of the irrigation system as
well as the development of the villages.
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2) Strengthening of WUG for BTPW: The leader and a few members were actively involved
in the Pilot Project and showed their strong commitments to the project. On the other hand,
other farmers were not quite active for the project. As a result, some WUG members had to
bear a lot of responsibilities. There is a necessity for the WUG to have more members and
become capable to facilitate the activities at the whole village level.
3) Rearrangement of TTC: The TTC’s involvement to the Pilot Project was limited in both
areas. It was observed that the current form of TTC is not promising if the TTC should
function as one-stop-service center. The main reason would be that the members but the
district agricultural officer are not paid, which might lessen their commitments to their
responsibilities. They are also not really knowledgeable for agriculture and therefore have
difficulties to provide technical supports to the farmers.
The following points are suggested to be considered for reviewing the form of TTC.
- The number of TTC members should be limited, and the members should be composed of
the knowledgeable persons. The advanced farmers could be considered as the members.
- Or, the number of TTC members could be minimal (2-3 members only), and work as the
coordinators to link the farmers with the advanced farmers in the area.
- TTC members should be paid by DOAE, and by TAO in future.
- The members but the core members can be recruited by contract basis. They are paid for the
outputs they produce, such as village development plans, but not the number of the meetings
they have attended.
4) Roles of TSG: The TSGs assisted the Pilot Project by various ways. In particular, the
project was supported by the TSGs when the meetings were held at the provincial level to
discuss the project plans, monitoring and evaluation results, and problems and solutions at
each stage. Coordination among the different agencies at the provincial level was taken care
only by the TSGs. On the other hand, the roles of the TSGs were minimal when
implementing the project activities at sites. It was observed only a few provincial staff
participated to the workshops and meetings at the villages or provided technical supports to
the farmers. The main reasons could be i) the budgets of coming to the villages were
limited, and ii) the provincial officers have many other tasks. Therefore, it is suggested the
roles of TSG be limited to the meetings, discussions and coordination at the provincial level,
and on-site activities and technical supports to the farmers be left to the district, Tambon or
farmers level.
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6.8 Issues to Be Further Considered as the Next Steps

Although the Pilot Project was terminated, the project activities are supposed to continue. As the next
step of the project (the would-be-second phase of the project), the following issues should be
considered.
(1) Marketing and Processing

(2) Diversification of the Crops in Nong Chok Village
(3) Balance on the Use of Water from UHMR
(4) Expansion of the Direct Beneficiaries of the Pump System
(5) Effective Use of Irrigation Water
(6) Soil Improvement in Nong Chok Village
(1) Marketing and Processing

The level of farmers’ satisfaction towards the Pilot Project shows that the marketing issue remains as
one of the biggest challenges. For improving and facilitating the marketing activities, the following are
suggested:
1) To conduct a market survey on the areas nearby the villages as well as on the national level, intending
to identify suitable market places (including middlemen) and crops with probable selling prices. The
focus should not be given to large and far-away markets as the quantity of selling will be small at the
early stage.
2) To prepare marketing strategies including the improvement of crop production system, and the
establishment of price information system for the village
3) To implement the marketing strategies with the agencies concerned. The roles of each agency as well
as the farmers should clearly be indicated
The processing of the crops and dairy products is also suggested to consider. The group fund
(revolving fund) can be used for facilitating the processing activities.
(2) Diversification of the Crops in Nong Chok Village

Since Nong Chok village relies largely on the production of pineapple and sugarcane, it is suggested to
diversify the crops, particularly to some kinds of vegetables for maintaining and increasing the
farmers’ income. For example, the price of pineapple was high at the time of monitoring, which did
not attract the farmers to grow new crops. However, the price has been falling much lower than
expected, and the farmers now see the necessity of crop diversification.
The Pilot Project had some activities intending to increase the selling price of the crops, such as i)
strengthening the WUG for better negotiation power, and ii) improving the crop qualities. Introduction
of new crops was also conducted for Nong Chok village. With all those efforts, however, it was
recognized by the key stakeholders at the evaluation that the increase of selling price was the most
difficult issue among three expected outputs of the project, and the farmers gave the lowest score of
their satisfaction. Therefore, further trials, including the introduction of new cash crops, are strongly
suggested.
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(3) Balance on the Use of Water from UHMR

The water from the UHMR is used for not only irrigation but also domestic water needs of the village.
It is necessary to assure that the discussion is held and concluded among the villagers on the balance
of the use of the water between two purposes. The TAO and RID Ratchaburi are suggested to support
it.
(4) Expansion of the Direct Beneficiaries of the Pump System

Nong Chok village has proposed RID to extend the pipeline up to the school so that the school and the
households around the line may also be benefited from the irrigation system. This could be possible, if
water is assessed available and the capacity of the pump is enough. Accordingly, the relevant study,
including the above issue mentioned in (3), should be necessary. The cost of pipeline would be born by
the RID and/or TAO together with some contribution from the school and the farmers.
(5) Effective Use of Irrigation Water

Water for irrigation should be used effectively and efficiently in both villages. For Nong Chok village,
water in the reservoir shall be used for both irrigation and domestic use. In addition, the extension of
the pipeline is requested by the village. For Tha Phayom village, electric fees are charged to the users
for every use of water. It is suggested the RID provincial offices conduct or identify suitable
instructors to conduct, with coordination of the responsible TAOs, further O&M training on the
effective and efficient use of irrigation water.
(6) Soil Improvement in Nong Chok Village

It is commonly stated by the agencies and the farmers that the quality of farm soils in Nong Chok
village is poor, which affects the productivity and limits the selection of the crops. As one of the
reasons to degrade soil quality is believed to be overuse of chemical fertilizer, the use of organic
fertilizers is worth consideration. The villagers were trained how to make and use compost, and now
want to produce it to large extent by themselves.
This could be possible by using the revolving fund as Tha Phayom Village has been doing. The
continuous support is suggested.
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6.9 Project Sustainability

Although the Pilot Project was terminated soon, the project activities are expected to continue and
produce the desired outputs as long as it can. At the time of the evaluation, both the government
agencies including TAO and the farmers were well motivated for its continuation. In this regard, the
project sustainability was considered as high. There are however some key issues to be fulfilled for
assuring the project sustainability as follows:
(1) Collection of Irrigation Water Fee for BTPW

(2) Budget Allocation for O&M of the Irrigation System
(3) Collection of Fertilizer Fee for UHMR
(4) Production and Selling of Compost for BTPW
(5) Development of Marketing Strategies
(6) WUG Remains as the Core Organization
(7) Continuation of Supports
(1) Collection of Irrigation Water Fee for BTPW

Once the irrigation water fee for BTPW is agreed by the RID Kanchanaburi, TAO and WUG, all the
beneficiary farmers are expected to pay it as scheduled for assuring proper operation and maintenance
of the irrigation system.
Since the TAO Nong Phai, now responsible for O&M of BTPW, was actively involved in the project
and understood the importance of water fee collection, it can be expected that the TAO handle it.
However, close supervision by the district chief shall be necessary.
(2) Budget Allocation for O&M of the Irrigation System

The irrigation facilities require the costs of O&M, which in principle should be born by the TAO and
the farmer users. Besides collecting the water fee from the farmers, necessary budgets should be
allocated by the TAOs for both UHMR and BTPW according to the regulations.
(3) Collection of Fertilizer Fee for UHMR

For UHMR, the group activity by purchasing fertilizer was facilitated with the revolving fund. The
fund was used to purchase fertilizer, and the members are supposed to repay it in April 2005 when
they harvest crops. It should be confirmed all of the members repay as decided so that the revolving
fund may continuously exist and be used for future activities.
(4) Production and Selling of Compost for BTPW

For BTPW, the group activity of producing compost was initiated and expanded with the revolving
fund. The demand of the compost is getting higher not only by the members but also from outside of
the village. The profit from the selling of compost will be able to expand the group activities, and will
eventually contribute to increase the incomes of the farmers.
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Along with the government policies, the demand of compost can generally be expected to increase
further. Therefore, the efforts should be made to keep producing and selling compost, and its quality
will be the key to keep attracting the customers.
(5) Development of Marketing Strategies

The marketing of crops remains as the main issue for the project. Moreover, once the farmers’ incomes
start increasing, the farmers will further be getting involved in market economy, and therefore
market-oriented strategies will be necessary. The strategies will require the farmers some investment
for expanding agricultural activities, and even at that stage, the development objective will remain the
same as the Pilot Project; i.e., “agricultural incomes meet its expenditures.” For that purpose, the
production of high-value crops such as chemical-free vegetable should be taken into consideration.
(6) WUG Remains as the Core Organization

The WUG at both villages should remain as the core organization in the village for the continuation of
the project activities. The key members of the WUG should be well committed to the activities, and
also have to be respected by other farmers. The WUGs should be able to fulfill the following
responsibilities:
- Planning and implementation of the activities for agricultural development

- Financial transaction with transparency
- Request and coordination of technical and other supports to the authorities concerned
- Facilitation of group activities with motivating other farmers to join
- Conflict resolution within the village
(7) Continuation of Supports

The institutional links between the government agencies and the farmers through the WUG should be
maintained and strengthened, since the farmers are still in needs of technical and other supports. The
following is suggested:
1) DOAE central continuously allocates some budgets for the continuation of the activities and
provides technical supports through provincial or district DOAE.
2) The provincial government provides technical supports particularly when district or Tambon cannot
meet technical needs of the farmers. The provincial government can also coordinate their needs at
the provincial level or let the different villages cooperate for implementing some activities such as
the study tours. It is expected that the project activities be incorporated in the provincial
development plan, and placed under the responsibilities of the provincial governor. Ratchaburi
province has already included the project activities in its CEO Plan.
3) The TAO provides administrative and other on-site supports to the farmers. It is expected that the
3-year development plan of the TAO include the project activities, which enables the TAO to
propose the necessary budgets to higher authorities. The TTC provides technical supports; however,
the TTC’s structure should be modified as mentioned.
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4) To supplement the government supports, the farmer-to-farmer links should be developed and
expanded. As it was conducted in the Pilot Project, the advanced farmers can effectively support
the other farmers. In addition, it is also important to link the farmers with the private entities which
are actively engaged in economic activities such as the companies related to marketing.
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Chapter 7 Project Justification
CHAPTER 7 PROJECT JUSTIFICATION

The implementation of the Pilot Project can be justified from the following aspects:
(1) Application of Participatory Development Approach

(2) Compliance with the Policies/Strategies
(3) Meeting with the Farmers’ Needs
(4) Effectiveness of the Project
(5) Project Efficiency (Costs and Benefits)
7.1 Application of Participatory Development Approach

At the onset of the Study, the objectives for applying participatory development approach were
discussed with the RID and recognized as follows:
- The project should be able to meet the farmers’ needs, and therefore the farmers should participate
from the planning stage.
- To raise the project sustainability, the beneficiary farmers should have the sense of ownership on the
project facilities provided, and feel their responsibility for operation and maintenance of it. To make
it sure, the farmers should participate in the project and bear some costs.
- The government policies now strongly insist that the beneficiaries be actively involved into
development process. For example, the new constitution prepared in 1997 urges that participatory
development be facilitated.
The Pilot Project is considered as justifiable by meeting the above objectives with the following
reasons:
- The number of the beneficiaries was increasing. Through the involvement of the villagers in the
workshops and discussions, they were able to express their needs and reflect them into the project
plan. The project was tailor-made, to some extent, for as many farmers as possible. Moreover,
during the project implementation, the farmers felt easy to participate in the activities as the
beneficiaries as they had already been familiar with the project.
- The various government agencies participated in the project and discussed the activities among
themselves. This enabled to avoid overlapping of the same activities and overload to the farmers by
the different agencies at the village level, which is often seen due to the lack of communication.
Even though the amount of the time that many stakeholders spent for the project was huge, as it is the
nature of participatory development approach, there are more reasons to justify the project’s approach.
Those could be considered as trade-off for this sort of the approach as follows:
- The beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers participated quite intensively from the planning to
evaluation stages. This enabled that the project was planned and implemented with the farmers to
make the project the farmers’ needs oriented.
- The cost-sharing was introduced in the Pilot Project as a form of participation, and accordingly the
farmers bore part of the project costs as agreed. The WUG have then understood that they have the
responsibility of O&M of the irrigation system and other facilities provided by the project (the
ownership of the irrigation system belongs to the TAO as specified in the regulations).
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Transfer of the irrigation system from RID provincial offices to the TAOs in both sites was much
earlier than usual, and actually it was not intended when the Pilot Project was started. This indicates
the efforts of the key institutions such as RID, TAO and WUG, and the participatory approach is
considered to have contributed largely to the realization of early transfer of the system.
7.2 Compliance with the Policies/Strategies

Justification of the Pilot Project is also referred to the compliance with the government policies. The
first policy is the one related to the promotion of participatory development approach. As mentioned
above, the Pilot Project has supported its movement quite positively.
The second policy is “food safety” which the government is now keen to strengthen, and the Pilot
Project has promoted chemical-free agricultural productions by trying to replace chemicals with
compost and organic pesticide. Those value-added productions will attract markets more and more,
and eventually contribute to the increase of the farmers’ incomes.
The third is the integration of the project plans into the CEO plans in case of Ratchaburi province. The
provincial government is now the core to promote the development of the area, and needs to integrate
various development approaches in the CEO plan. Having been integrated in the CEO plan, the Pilot
Project was recognized as appropriate and compliance with the development strategies of the province.
7.3 Meeting with the Farmers’ Needs

As the project was participatory and involved the farmers from the planning stage through RRA, PCM
workshops, discussions and various meetings, the opportunities to exchange opinions with the farmers
were abundant, and therefore it became possible that their needs were listened and met. The farmers’
needs are changing along with their development, and therefore it is necessary to keep discussing with
the farmers and adjusting the strategies accordingly.
7.4 Effectiveness of the Project

The effectiveness means how effective the project is considered to be, in other words, how logical the
project was planned and implemented for meeting its purpose. In the Pilot Project, the logicality was
ensured through the construction of problem trees and the PDM at the planning stage, and then the
project was implemented in accordance with the PO. More concretely, the most important problem of
the farmers was identified as “agricultural incomes do not meet its costs”, and three expected outputs
and their related activities were planned and implemented as mentioned in the PDM.
As shown in the achievements, the Pilot Project was able to produce some of the expected results; and
there are also some issues need to be improved as mentioned. By keep improving those issues, the
effectiveness will further be enhanced.
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7.5 Project Efficiency (Costs and Benefits)

1) UHMR
a) Beneficiary area
The table below shows the current farming practices of main crops and vegetables in the beneficiary
area according to the Baseline Survey results. It is remarkable that main crops (sugarcane and
pineapple) have been planted in the area of 866.55 rai or 95.6% of the total area.
Table 7.5.1 Current Farming Practices in UHMR

Current farming Ratio of Area
Crops & Vegetables
Grower rai/HH Total (rai) (%)
A. Main Crops
1. Sugarcane 17 29.01 493.17 54.4
2. Pineapple 21 17.78 373.38 41.2
Sub-total 866.55 95.6
3. Maize 3 5.5 16.50 1.9
Total 883.05 97.5
B. Vegetables - -
1. Asparagus 2 1.50 3.00 0.3
2. Cucumber 1 4.00 4.00 0.4
3. Galingle 1 4.00 4.00 0.4
4. Lemon Grass 1 2.00 2.00 0.2
5. Pumpkin 1 4.50 4.50 0.5
Total 16.00 1.8
C. Fruits/Perennial
1. JackFruit 2 1.00 2.00 0.1
2. Mango 1 5.00 5.00 0.6
Total 7.00 0.7
Grand Total 906.05 100
Note: The project area is all under rain-fed farming
The irrigation area could not be identified because the farmers have not yet applied irrigation water to
their farms. The farmers are still waiting for the next planting season for sugarcane and pineapple in
March or April 2005. Due to the limitation of budgetary allocation in the project, the capacity of the
intake pipe and pipeline length was adjusted to the budget. Consequently, the irrigable area was
estimated at 400 rai by the project. Because of those reasons, the irrigable area for each crop was
estimated based on the current ratio of the planted areas as bellow.
Table 7.5.2 Estimated Beneficiary Area in UHMR

Estimated crops for Ratio of Area Estimated Irrigable
Irrigation (%) Area (rai)
Total 100.0 400.0
1. Sugarcane 54.4 217.6
2. Pineapple 41.2 164.8
3. Others 4.4 17.6
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b) Unit Benefit
At the beginning of the implementation of the Pilot Project, the beneficiary farmers planned to
cultivate sugarcane, pineapple and some kinds of vegetables such as long bean, eggplant, etc. with
irrigation water. Based on the evaluation survey results, the yield of sugarcane would increase up to 12
to 16 t/rai with irrigation. The current yield was confirmed through the baseline survey at 11.53 t/rai,
and therefore is expected to increase by 2.47 t/rai with the project. As for pineapple, the current yield
is 4.7 t/rai without the project, and it is expected to increase by about 6% to be 5.00 t/rai with project.
The expected increase of pineapple’s yield is small because of poor quality of the soil. It is noted that
the productivities of sugarcane and pineapple are still the estimated figures because no concrete ones
can be obtained until the farmers harvest in March to April 2005.
Table 7.5.3 Unit Benefit with Increase of Productivity of Main Crops in UHMR
Without With Increase Unit Price Unit Benefit
Crops/Vegetables
Project (A) Project (B) (C)=(A)-(B) (D) (E)= (C) *(D)
1. Sugarcane (t/rai) 11.53 14.00 2.47 580 1,432.6
2. Pineapple (t/rai) 4.7 5.0 0.3 3,000 900
3. Vegetables (kg/rai)* 200 300 100 5 500
*) eggplant is used for estimation of the unit benefit for vegetables.
c) Economic Value of the Benefit

Based on the beneficiary area and unit benefit, the total economic value of the benefit in the whole
beneficiary area was estimated at 468,853 Bt as shown in the table below.
Table 7.5.4 Estimated Benefit in UHMR

Unit Benefit Beneficiary Area Benefit
Crops and Vegetable
(A), Bt/rai (B), rai (C)=(A)*(B), Bt
1. Sugarcane 1,432.6 217.6 311,733
2. Pineapple 900 164.8 148,320
3. Vegetables 500 17.6 8,800
Total 400.0 468,853
d) Annual Cost of the Pilot Project

Annual cost was estimated at 181,223 Bt as shown in the table below. The total cost for the Pilot
Project was divided by the lifetime of the irrigation facilities. Judging from the character of the PVC
pipe installed as main pipeline, the lifetime of the facilities was estimated at 20 years. As for the O &
M cost, it was assumed that the cost occur mainly for repairing the main pipe and its ancillary facilities,
when they deteriorate through operation.
Table 7.5.5 Annual Cost of the Pilot Project in UHMP

Project Cost Lifetime of the facilities Annual Cost
(A) (B) (C)=(A)/(B)
3,451,912 Bt 20 years 172,596 Bt/year
O & M Cost (5%/year) 8,627 Bt/year
Annual Cost 181,223Bt/year
Note: The construction cost of UHMR constructed in 1989 was not included in the project cost.
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e) Cost-Benefit Ratio
The Cost-Benefit ratio was estimated at 2.59 as shown in the table below. The benefit was estimated
only from the possible increase of productivity on main crops and vegetables based on the results of
the evaluation survey. The estimated ratio of 2.59 is high enough to justify the feasibility of the Pilot
Project, but the total benefit should not be referred as such due to the above reason. To increase the
accuracy of the estimation, the further study should be made taking into consideration of the farmers’
inputs and expenditures after they harvest sugarcane and pineapple.
Table 7.5.6 Cost-Benefit Ratio in UHMR

Estimated Benefit Annual Cost Benefit/Cost
(A) (B) (A/B)
468,853 Bt/year 181,223 Bt/year 2.59
2) BTPW
The farming practices in Ban Tha Phayom Project site are quite different from that in Upper Huai
Mahad Reservoir Project site. Pineapples are not seen, and instead of this, vegetables such as
asparagus, beans, and corns, etc. are planted widely using groundwater taken by their own small scale
irrigation facilities. Compared to the monoculture of sugarcane and pineapple in UHMR, there seems
to be more opportunities of the benefits from newly establishment of irrigation systems, the series of
extension services and supporting companies. The farmers in the area will also benefit by using
surface water for irrigation instead of groundwater to increase the productions and productivities on
sugarcane and many kinds of vegetables.
The shift from groundwater to surface water goes along with the government policy. In addition, the
participants of the PCM workshops referred chemical fertilizers and pesticides as the causes of
polluting ground water. Together with the problem of the excessive use of groundwater in the area, the
participants proposed the shift from groundwater to surface water. The test on quality of groundwater
was therefore included in the Pilot Project. The economic value of the shift from groundwater to
surface water cannot be calculated at this stage, but the further study is recommended in future.
a) Beneficiary area
The table below shows the current farming practices of each crop and vegetable based on the baseline
survey results. Almost all of the crops and vegetables are under irrigation by groundwater. Due to
limited water volume of shallow water, the planted areas are less than 5 rai/farmer.
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Table 7.5.7 Current Farming Practices in BTPW

Current Farming Ratio of Area
Crops & Vegetables
growers rai/HH total area (rai) (%)
A. Main Crops
1. Sugarcane(a) 8 23.13 185.04 52.9
2. Sweet Corn (a)* 1 5.00 5.00 1.4
Sweet Corn (b)** 7 5.00 35.00 10.0
3. Baby Corn (a) 2 5.75 11.50 3.3
Baby Corn (b) 7 5.75 39.90 11.4
4. Sticky Corn(a) 1 2.50 2.50 0.7
5. Paddy (a) 1 3.00 3.00 0.9
subtotal 281.94 80.7
B. Vegetables - - -
1. Asparagus 1 2.00 2.00 0.6
2. galingale 1 4.00 4.00 1.2
3. Eggplant 4 1.90 7.60 2.1
4.Lemon Grass 1 2.00 2.00 0.6
5. Lettus 2 22.00 44.00 12.6
6. Chili 4 1.31 5.24 1.5
7. Long bean 1 2.00 2.00 0.6
subtotal 66.84 18.1
C. Ornamental 1 0.75 0.75 0.2
Total 349.53 100
Note: (a) * shows rain fed farms, (b)** shows irrigated area
Vegetables are all under irrigation by groundwater.
The irrigable area under the project was estimated at 300 rai, taking due consideration of the river
discharge as well as the limited budgetary allocation. The concrete figures could not be obtained
because some farmers have not yet installed pipes, waiting for the next planting season for sugarcane
as the case in UHMR. To estimate the project benefit, the irrigable area for each crop was estimated
based on the current ratio of the planted areas. As a result, 158.7 rai of sugarcane, 4.2 rai of sweet corn,
9.9 rai of baby corn could be benefited from pump irrigation.
Table 7.5.8 Estimated Beneficiary Area in BTPW

Estimated crops for Ratio of Area Estimated Beneficiary
Irrigation (%) Area (rai)
Irrigable area 300.0
1. Sugarcane 52.9 158.7
2. Sweet corn 1.40 4.2
3. Baby corn 3.30 9.9
4. Sticky corn 0.7 2.1
5. Paddy 0.9 2.7
Total 59.2 177.6
b) Unit Benefit
According to the baseline survey and evaluation survey results, the yields of sugarcane without and
with project would be changed from 9 or 10 t/rai to 12 t/rai. The other crops were also calculated as
below.
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Table 7.5.9 Unit Benefit from Increase of Productivity of Main Crops in BPTW
W/out Pjt. With Pjt. Increase Unit Price Unit Benefit
Crops
Yield (A) Yield (B) (C)=(A)-(B) (D) (E)=(C)*(D)
1. Sugarcane (t/rai) 9.50 12.00 2.50 580 1,450
2. Sweetcorn (t/rai/year) 3.60 4.71 1.11 3,500 3,885
3. Baby corn (t/rai/year) 4.50 4.83 0.83 2,300 1,909
4.Sticky corn (t/rai/year) 1.20 1.3 0.10 1,000 100
5.Paddy (t/rai/year9 0.5 0.9 0.40 6,000 2,400
c) Economic Value of the Benefit

Based on the beneficiary area and unit benefit, the total economic value of the benefit in the whole
beneficiary area was estimated at 272,021 Bt as shown in the table below.
Table 7.5.10 Estimated Benefit in BTPW

Unit Benefit Beneficiary Area Benefit
Crops and Vegetable
(A), Bt/rai (B), rai (C)=(A)*(B), Bt
1. Sugarcane 1,450 158.7 230,115
2.Sweetcorn (t/rai/year) 3,885 4.2 16,317
3.Babycorn (t/rai/year) 1,909 9.9 18,899
4.Stickycorn (kg/rai/year) 100 2.1 210
5.Paddy (t/rai/year) 2,400 2.7 6,480
Total 177.6 272,021
d) Annual Cost of the Pilot Project

While gravity irrigation system is applied for UHMR, electrical pumps were introduced for BTPW. By
assuming the O&M cost for pipeline and pumping facilities at 5% of the project cost, the annual cost
of the project was estimated at 208,024 Bt, which is about 15% higher than UHMR.
Table 7.5.11 Annual Cost of the Pilot Project in BTPW

Project Cost Lifetime of the facilities Annual Cost
(A) (B) (C)=(A)/(B)
3,450,660 Bt 20 years 172,533 Bt/year
O & M Cost (5%/year) 8,626 Bt/year
Pump Maintenance Cost 26,865 Bt/year
Annual Cost 208,024Bt/year
e) Cost-Benefit Ratio
Although the benefit was estimated only from the increase of the productivity on the main crops in the
area, the B/C ratio was turned out at 1.31. Due to high maintenance cost of the pumping system, the
B/C ratio is only 50% of UHMR. However, this figure is still at the satisfactory level to justify the
project.
Table 7.5.12 Cost-Benefit Ratio in BTPW

Estimated Benefit Annual Cost Benefit/Cost
(A) (B) (A/B)
272,021 Bt/year 208,024 Bt/ywar 1.31
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As mentioned above, the economic feasibilities of the Pilot Project both in Ratchaburi and
Kanchanaburi have been proved, with the assumption of irrigable areas for each crop. However, it
should be noted again that the calculation was made only to justify the project, and that further
verification is recommended for more precise judgment after harvesting crops and vegetables
produced under irrigation.
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Chapter 8 Conclusions and Recommendations
CHAPTER 8 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The purposes of the Pilot Project have been 1) to verify whether the development plans recommended
in the Draft Master Plan (hereinafter referred to as DMP）could meet the farmers’ needs, 2) to transfer
the technologies on participatory development as well as to recommend a suitable organizational
structure to the project stakeholders, and 3) to reflect the lessons learned from the planning and
implementation of the Pilot Project on DMP. The conclusions and recommendations for the future are
presented below:
8.1 Whether the Development Plans Recommended in DMP can Meet the Farmers’
Needs
The most important issue (the core problem) for the farmers is indicated in DMP as “agricultural
incomes can not meet its costs”. First of all, it is necessary to verify, based on the lessons learned from
the Pilot Project, whether the solutions shown in DMP are appropriate to address the core problem. In
DMP, the four direct causes of the core problem are pointed out, such as; 1) selling prices of crops are
low, 2) agricultural expenditures are high, 3) crop productions are low, and 4) damages of crops are
severe, and an improvement in the above four situations is recommended for solving the core problem.
As “damages of crops are severe” is the problem of the limited areas and not identified in the target
villages of the Pilot Project, the other three causes have been taken into account in the Pilot Project.
In the Pilot Project, the following three approaches; the provision of agricultural extension services,
the strengthening of the farmers groups, and the construction and provision of irrigation facilities
(including WUG) have been taken so as to tackle the direct causes:
Cause 1. Selling prices of the crops are low.

(1) Improvement of crop qualities Provision of agricultural

(2) Introduction of new cash crops extension services
(3) Improvement of price negotiation power of the farmers
groups
Cause 2. Agricultural expenditures are high.
(1) Improvement of usage of fertilizers and pesticides Provision of agricultural

(2) Introduction of organic fertilizers extension services
(3) Promotion of group purchase of necessary inputs
groups
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Cause 3. Crop productions are low.

Project Approaches
Solutions by the Pilot Project
Provision of irrigation
(1) Construction of pipeline irrigation system facilities (incl. WUG)
(2) Improvement of farmers’ knowledge on cropping and soil Provision of agricultural

improvement extension services
Each approach included the following project activities:
Project Approaches Project Activities
Provision of agricultural - Establishment of demonstration plots

extension services - Conduct of study tours
- Provision of trainings on crop planning, quality and quantity
improvement, introduction of new crops, use of fertilizers and
pesticides, making of organic fertilizers, livestock rearing
Provision of irrigation - Establishment and provision of trainings to WUG (water users’ group)
facilities (incl. WUG on O&M of irrigation system and water management
establishment) - Discussion on pipeline alignment
- Survey, design and cost estimate on construction
- Construction of irrigation facilities
- Discussion and provision of trainings to WUG on group management
Strengthening of farmers - Establishment and management of the WUG fund as a revolving fund,
groups saving strengthening
- Facilitation of group activities
- Strengthening collaboration between WUG and other farmers groups
Strengthening of the - Meeting with TSG and TTC members on project planning, monitoring
TSGs and TTCs and evaluation
- Provision of TOT trainings on project management and institutional
strengthening
Based on the chapters 6 and 7, the outcomes of those project activities are summarized below:
1) As an overview, it can be said that the farmers’ needs, “increase in agricultural incomes and
decrease in expenditures”, will be met through the following three approaches; the provision of
agricultural extension services; the strengthening of farmers groups; and the construction and
provision of irrigation facilities (including WUG). The indicators in PDM, however, need to be
adjusted according to the circumstances because many project activities are still underway.
2) Agricultural extension services showed their effectiveness in various trainings including the
demonstration plots and the study tours. In particular, through the trainings, compost making and
use have been spread to the community, and artificial insemination of livestock have been more
accepted by the farmers, which shows those trainings have responded to the farmers’ needs.
Expecting such positive outcomes, DOAE and RID expanded the demonstration plots by their
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own budgets to support the project. However, one of the direct causes, “selling process of the
crops are low”, have been improved only partly, and therefore further efforts are needed through
the trainings such as the improvement of crop qualities and the strengthening of farmers groups.
3) As for the construction and provision of irrigation facilities (including WUG), the facilities were
planned and constructed with the participation of the farmers as intended. Accordingly, irrigation
farming has begun, and an increase in production is expected. The production of value-added
crops such as vegetables has also started. On the other hand, in spite of applying a participatory
approach, some issues are necessary to be improved. For example, water fees have not been
determined yet and only a half of the farmers installed tertiary pipelines. If time had permitted, the
construction should have commenced after setting up the rules of irrigation including water fees.
Since water fees generally increase farmers’ expenditures, irrigation farming could not meet the
farmers’ needs unless its incomes surpass the expenditures. In order to address this issue, the
introduction of new cash crops, crop planning, market development, etc. have been recommended.
The stakeholders need to collaborate more closely in supporting the farmers for accomplishing
those recommendations.
4) As for the strengthening of the farmers groups, WUG were founded and started to function in both
villages. WUG played a central role in facilitating the participation of the farmers to the project
and the communication between the farmers and government agencies or the Study Team. It has
been effective to have WUG be the base of development activities and function as the coordinator
among the other many existing farmers groups so as to push the project forward and enhance its
sustainability. Furthermore, founding the revolving funds has a remarkable effect on reducing
interest, cutting expenditures for agricultural inputs, and promoting group activities. However, the
capability of WUG is not yet sufficient to fulfill their responsibilities, and thus they need to be
reinforced furthermore through a series of trainings. In particular, they left several tasks for the
future such as i) an increase in selling prices of the crops as a result of strengthening the capacity
of negotiation power with the market including middlemen, ii) the formulation of crop production
plans for the whole villages, etc.
5) TSG fulfilled a role of the coordinator among the stakeholders at the provincial level. Although
only some of them participated to the planning process of the Master Plan including the
workshops at the sites, many of them participated at the implementation stage of the Pilot Project.
Especially, smooth communication among the stakeholders and good progress of the project were
observed in Ratchaburi province at which the project plan was incorporated into the provincial
CEO plan. However, technical supports to the farmers were provided by only the limited agencies
such as RID and the livestock department. Therefore, it is appropriate to consider that government
agencies at district and Tambon levels, which are closer agencies to the farmers than the
provincial government, support the farmers directly at the sites. Nevertheless, regardless of
whether the name of TSG will continue to exist, the commitment of government at the provincial
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level remains strongly needed, expecting them to play a “realistic” role taking into account the
lessons learned from the Pilot Project. For further strengthening TSG, it is necessary to coordinate
its agencies under the provincial governor in pursuing the common target, attainment of the CEO
plan. The opportunities to facilitate active communication among them, such as TOT or meetings,
should therefore be made repeatedly.
6) The introduction and strengthening of TTC are included in the government policy, but it is still on
the stage of formulating a substantial strategy to meet its concept. TTC has also been considered
as one of the central bodies to support the farmers in the Pilot Project, and several activities for
strengthening TTC were included in the project. As a result, the chairman of TTC, the secretary of
TTC which is the additional post of a district agricultural officer, and some members participated
into the project activities enthusiastically, but contributions from TTC as an organization have
been limited. It would be difficult for TTC to be functional as “one stop service center” as the
government expects if the current form of TTC continues, and thus further review of its suitable
form and try & error shall be needed.
8.2 Technology transfer of participatory development approach

Secondary, it is verified whether the project transferred the technologies on participatory development
approach and suggested the suitable organizational structure to the people concerned with the project:
1) Participatory development approach has been put into practice through the Pilot Project. The
participation of the farmers and government officers in charge was facilitated at all stages from
the project planning, implementation to evaluation. The transfer of the technologies to them was
conducted through various methods such as RRA, PCM and discussions in those processes. The
Study Team has also recommended the organizational structure which consists of TSG, TTC and
WUG at the core, and tried to establish it through implementing the Pilot Project. Since one of the
purposes of the study is “the application of a participatory approach”, many stakeholders were
requested to participate in the project. Hence, they ought to have been engaged for the project
relatively longer hours comparing to other projects. Although there are several merits in the
participatory approach as mentioned in chapter 7, it is still important that the recipient side
understands those merits and accept the approach if the technology transfer should go successfully.
In other words, the matter is whether the long time engagement, which is the key characteristic of
the approach, can be justified by the parties concerned.
2) The farmers in the target villages of the study and the staff of RID central actively participated to
the project during the formulation of the development plans. The Study Team intensively
discussed with the RID staff and local consultants, and substantially transferred the concept and
use of a participatory approach to them. However, RID might not be engaged in development
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planning but concentrate on construction of the facilities in near future as a sequel to a public
administration reform, and therefore RID will no longer be an appropriate body as a recipient of
technology transfer of participatory development. It is quite unfortunate that technology transfer
was designed, at the commencement of the study, to target RID staff assuming they were in charge
of development planning.
3) Although the government staff at the provincial, district, and Tambon levels were also designated
as the counterparts of the technology transfer, their participation in the project was not so active at
the stage of development planning. Lack of their motivation was not clearly observed as a reason,
meanwhile the following two reasons must have affected this issue; 1) they actually did not have
sufficient time and budget to participate in a particular project, and 2) they did not recognize well
how important the participation in development planning is. In short, they did not find enough
value to participate in the project at that stage. However, after the commencement of the
implementation, the officers at the provincial and lower levels increased their participation sharply.
It indicates that they started to understand the significance of participatory development and see
the value of participating in the project since then.
4) It is worth to mention, as one of the success cases by the application of participatory development
approach, that the government agencies concerned finally have come to pay attention to the
farmers’ needs and to provide a comprehensive cross-boundary support to the farmers beyond the
government’s vertical administrative barrier. Though the reorganization of TTC remains to be
reviewed, the new organizational structure with its concept, recommended by the Study Team,
seems to have been accepted by the project stakeholders. In the evaluation workshops, the
government officers and farmers concerned expressed their impressions that “a participatory
approach is time consuming, but we have finally realized its value at this stage”. Thus, it can be
expected that participatory development approach and necessary institutional strengthening will
take root gradually by themselves.
5) Regardless of whether a participatory approach or others, an incentive is important for making the
recipients be motivated to accept the technology to be transferred. The possible incentives for the
participatory approach might be; the beneficiaries can easily reflect their needs on the project, the
supporting side can have more concrete information on the conditions of the farmers, and
accordingly render more appropriate services. In the Pilot Project, those incentives seem to have
worked particularly on the farmers and the government staff directly supporting the farmers.
Assuming there was no project implementation - only the planning was conducted in the study -,
the technology transfer of participatory development approach should have been difficult because
of lack of the incentives. Therefore, despite of its small scale, implementation of the Pilot Project
was significant for pursuing the purpose, namely, the technology transfer of participatory
development approach.
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6) The above statement indicates an important lesson that the officers at the provincial and lower
levels can be motivated to participate in the planning stage when they recognize “the plans they
prepare are implemented.” In the project area, the participatory approach is not exactly applied in
the planning process although it basically flows upward from villages to Tambons, district and
provinces. In general, at first the representatives such as the village chief submit a list of project
proposals to the Tambon where those proposals are prioritized, and then the results are sent to the
upper levels for the same actions. The bottom, the people and villages, are rarely involved in
deciding which proposals are materialized. It is therefore recommended that the development
planning and implementation process be institutionalized, which stipulates that the project plans
be made with the participation of people, and those be given the highest priority for
implementation. This would make the officers aware how important the project planning is, and
eventually be motivated in participating in the planning with the people.
7) The below summarizes the lessons learnt from the application of the participatory development
approach regarding its advantages, its applicability to development, and the suggestions and
recommendations for its effective use.
- RRA method: The staff of RID central actively participated in the planning of the Master
Plan, and discussed with the Study Team on the effectiveness and applicability of the RRA
method after they used it in the villages (refer to the RRA survey report for the details). TSG
members also participated in the planning of the Pilot Project though it was limited. It can be
said, based on their opinions as well as general understandings, the RRA method is quick and
effective method to understand deeply the situations, problems and needs of the farmers. In
the Pilot Project, the RRA survey was conducted for five days in each village, and the
duration is considered appropriate. Regardless of the duration, however, it would not be
much useful for the surveyors to participate in the RRA survey if they are not willing to
listen and understand the farmers. This suggests how important the selection of the surveyors
is. Besides, a RRA survey team is consisted of only several members, and therefore the
representatives of TSG can participate in it even if TSG involves a number of the agencies.
Thus, it is recommended that the RRA survey team be organized with the staff with the
background of social development, and motivation and interest in village surveys, or ideally
a special unit be established in TSG or at the provincial level for being engaged in the village
survey and planning.
- PCM method: Based on the feedback from the participants and general remarks, the PCM
method is considered as effective for facilitating the process of discussion on problems as
well as project plans by gathering a number of the stakeholders at one place. The method
seems to be accepted by the farmers and officers, after seeing some positive outcomes of the
Pilot Project, as they had rarely made project plans together before they participated in the
project. In addition, the PO prepared through the workshop became the common tool among
TSG, TTC and the farmers, and considered useful particularly for monitoring the project
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progress. Regarding the duration of the PCM workshop, it was originally planned to conduct
each for five days, but it was reduced to a couple of days according to the request from the
officers and the farmers as “they are busy”. Nevertheless it was observed that the PCM
method was still effective since the stakeholders were eventually able to discuss on the
problems and needs in certain depth. It should also be noticed that a lot of the opportunities
of communication among the stakeholders was made during the implementation, which must
have contributed to raise the effectiveness of the method. Regarding the PCM workshops
conducted in 16 tambons for the preparation of the Master Plan, it is considered enough to
conduct it only in two villages where the Pilot Project was implemented, if a number of the
farmers participated in and spent their time only for the planning workshops is taken into
consideration. It is suggested to reconfirm that the PCM method be used within the project
cycle which involves not only planning but also implementation and evaluation.
- Discussions: It is considered that a series of the discussions in the Pilot Project was able to
facilitate communication among the stakeholders, which must have contributed to solve
many problems and issues. It was however observed in several times that no action was
actually taken even though they had seemed to agree and accept the requests in the
discussions. This might come from one characteristic of Thai society; “basically not harm but
accept others (even if it is just on the surface).” It should therefore be noticed that an
agreement in the discussions is not necessarily led to substantial action. For overcoming this,
it is suggested that the responsible persons be made clear for every action to be taken, and
their progresses be monitored regularly. Another issue of the discussions is that there were
the participants to considerably a large extent never expressed themselves. This is more
obvious when the scale of the discussions is big. To improve this, an opportunity should be
made for those non-speakers to be able to speak out by dividing the participants in smaller
groups as far as time permits, or their opinions should be collected in advance. In general, a
lot of problems happens due to lack of communication, and the discussions are highly useful
to solve or avoid those problems if they are conducted effectively by paying attention to the
above issues.
8.3 Lessons learned to the Master Plan

Except for the above, the lessons learned to be reflected to the development plans in DMP are
summarized below:
(1) Agricultural production improvement plan

・ Farmers’ demand on compost was unexpectedly high for it’s effectiveness not only for improving
soil fertility as expected in the plan but also for decreasing the expenditures by replacing
expensive chemical fertilizer. Compost is gaining importance in the current policies. For example,
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compost has been selected as an OTOP for the Tambon, and its use has been promoted as one of
the development strategies of Kanchanaburi province. Therefore, more active promotion of the
production and use of compost should be included in the plan.
・ Soil and water quality tests were carried out, and the results showed suitable compositions of
compost, the varieties of fertilizer, and pH of irrigation water, all of which are necessary for soil
improvement. Therefore, such tests should be included in the project activities.
・ Although there was no specific plan for livestock development in DMP, an artificial insemination
service by the livestock department was found to be effective and inexpensive. As an artificial
insemination center established by the department will be able to provide the service to the
farmers in several Tambons, this should be a part of the plan.
・ It is already pointed out that the study tours were effective for the farmers to learn new
technologies, and therefore it should be emphasized as one of the project activities.
(2) Micro-credit plan

・ The project provided a start-up-fund to the revolving funds, and then the farmers began the group
purchase of fertilizer and compost making with the funds. Such activities can reduce the
expenditures for interest and agricultural inputs, and thus the farmers pay strong attention to the
activities and the number of the participants has been increasing. As the profits generated from
such activities should return to the funds, the amount and effect of the fund are expected to grow.
Therefore, the micro credit plan should involve support to initiate micro enterprises as a group
activity and to make them sustainable.
(3) Other items to be mentioned

・ TOT was conducted to the members of TSG, TTC, and farmers groups, and it was effective. In
particular, there were such opinions from the participants that TOT was highly informative for
them to be able to learn how to consider agricultural development for their areas, how to act by
themselves, and how to lead the other members through exchanging ideas with the other
participants. Therefore, TOT should be a part of the project activities.
・ In the Pilot Project, the Study Team conducted the monitoring of the project for the confirmation
of the progress, the discussion of the problems, and the revision of the plan. It built awareness
among the stakeholders that periodical monitoring is indispensable for carrying forward the
project smoothly. Such monitoring is expected to be conducted by the government agencies for
the future. In such monitoring, it is necessary to prepare “a guideline” which stipulates
organizations and persons to be in charge of the monitoring, how to report the results, and how to
respond it. It should be underlined that such guideline be formulated at a provincial level and
strictly enforced.
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8.4 Rural and agricultural development in the Lam Pa Chi River Basin in future
The development plans were formulated and implemented in only two villages through the Pilot
Project, out of 145 villages in the entire Lam Pa Chi basin. After the Pilot Project, in order to develop
the whole basin, it is necessary to expand the same activities to the other villages. Suggestions during
such expansion in future are outlined below:
(1) Implementation Structure

1) It is desirable that development is taken charge at the provincial level. This is in line with the
current decentralization policy of Thai government and can also be justified based on the
experiences from the Pilot Project. Even if a development plan is prepared for a village, it will be
most effective when the plan is incorporated in a Tambon development plan and a provincial CEO
plan to keep consistency with the provincial policies. Concerning an organizational structure for
implementation, all organizations concerned at the provincial level should be under the
supervision of a provincial governor. At the district and Tambon levels, the staff of district offices
of the related organizations and Tambon offices should directly support the farmers under the
supervision of a district governor. According to the current policies, Tambon office will take a
responsibility at the field level for the implementation of development under the supervision of a
district governor. It is desirable that the supports such as extension services be through TTC after
being reorganized. (see Chapter 6 about reorganization)
2) Though central government agencies’ involvement is obviously necessary, RID and DOAE ought
to be the core of support for the farmers when the support is based on the use of water resources
as this project did. Other agencies will also be involved depending on policy’s priorities and
development plan of each province. Coordination among central government agencies should be
based on the intension of a province, but not the will of the central.
3) It is desirable that a farmers’ organization most closely related to agricultural development for a
village, such as WUG, is designated and takes the initiative in communicating with governmental
support agencies, organizing the farmers into a group, and facilitating project activities at the
village level. In Thailand, it is often observed that several farmers’ organizations, formulated by
different government agencies and companies, operate similar activities in the same village. Such
overlapping is not only inefficient but also a heavy burden upon the farmers. Therefore, one
organization, most trusted by the villagers, should play a role of an organizer and coordinator
administrating the other groups in the village’s development.
4) Cooperation among the farmers in and outside of a village should be promoted. The farmers
recognized through the Pilot Project that lots of useful technologies exist close to them.
Accordingly, it is practical and cost effective that the advanced farmers in the same areas play a
leading role in supporting the other farmers. The supporting organizations, such as the
government agencies, are expected to facilitate interregional exchanges of technologies among the
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farmers rather than to introduce and disseminate technologies from the outside of the area.
(2) Project activities

1) It is desirable that the projects for the other villages in the basin be implemented maintaining a
good combination of soft and hard components as did in the Pilot Project. It is observed that other
completed reservoirs and ponds are left unused in the basin as seen in the Pilot Project area. An
effort is needed to minimize such “inefficiency in development” as so called an adverse effect of
vertically divided public administration. Even in the two villages where the Pilot Project was
implemented, there are still many issues to be followed up such as; an improvement in effective
use of irrigation water, the strengthening of the farmers groups, and marketing promotion by
enhancing the value of products.
2) The activities of the project can be applicable to the outside areas of the basin and to the other
nations than Thailand. Firstly, it should be referred that application of participatory development
approach and establishment of implementing structures for it. There are many applicable practices
to the other areas, such as how to grasp farmers’ needs by a bottom up approach, how to formulate
a development plan harmonizing the needs with government policies, how to facilitate the
participation of government agencies and to have them support farmers efficiently. In addition,
since Thai government is now promoting “food safety” with a vigorous effort, compost making
and chemical-free farming conducted in the project are to assist the policy. Moreover, promoting
high-value crops and organizing farmers’ groups with the use of the revolving funds, are advanced
approaches and worth referring.
3) Thus, it is appropriate that the Lam Pa Chi river basin is further developed as presented above,
and is utilized as a training place for the farmers from outside the basin as well as neighboring
countries. This idea is in line with the current intension of Thai government to locate the country
as a base of South-South cooperation. As the Master Plan of the basin has already been completed,
it is highly desirable to make good use of it for contributing to the development of both inside and
outside of the basin.
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Chapter 7 Conclusion and Recommendation

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Chapter 7 Conclusion and Recommendation

CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Development Goal Agricultural incomes meet its cost.

4 Challenges 1. Cost of agricultural inputs should be lowered,

8 Approaches 1. Water Resources 5. Farm Inputs

Since communication is regarded as essential for institutional strengthening, frequent workshops,

(2) TSG’s aggressively use and strengthening its function further

Central Level MOAC MONRE MOI

・Screening of the projects

Amphoe, TAO TTC

Figure 7.2.1 Implementation structure in Future（Role of TSG）

(3) Budgetary allocation to realize the decentralization

(4) Institutional Strengthening

TTC: (Technology Transfer Center)

WUG: (Water Users Group)

DOAE: (Department of Agriculture and Extension)

(5) Necessity of the sustainable monitoring for the pilot project

(6) Expansion from spot to area <Expansion of the pilot project>

(8) Water Resources Development

(9) Flood Mitigations

1.1 Background and Objectives of the Pilot Project

1.2 Selection of the Project Sites

(2) Basis of Selections for the Proposed Pilot Project Sites

(3) Proposed Pilot Project Sites

Table 1.2.1 Proposed Pilot Project Sites

1.2.2 Selection of the Pilot Project Sites

Table 1.2.3 Selection Criteria for the Pilot Project

(2) Priorities of the Candidate Sites

Table 1.2.4 Priority of Pilot Project Candidate Sites in Ratchaburi

Table 1.2.5 Priority of Pilot Project Candidate Sites in Kanchanaburi

2) Study Team’s Recommendation

(3) Details of the Selection Process

2) Ban Tha Phayom Weir Project Site

CHAPTER 2 IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

Planning TAO/TSG/RID C/P/

Decision on the PP site Steering Committee

Topographic Survey Regional 13 RID Office

Cost Estimation and Provincial RID/TSG/

Hard Components Soft Components

Figure 2.1.1 Implementation Process and Responsible Agencies

2.1.2 Overall Implementation Schedule

2.1.3 Construction Method

Figure 2.1.2 Cash Flow in the Pilot Project

2.2 Implementation Plan of Soft Component

(b) RRA (2) <January 2004~>

Objectives are to:

(2) Activities in Soft Component

(b) Study Tour (2) <Peer monitoring>: ~Learn mutually~

(c) Training: ~Conduct technical training on various fields~

(3) Monitoring and Evaluation

(a) Participatory M&E

(b) Baseline Survey

CHAPTER 3 SITUATIONS OF UHMR SITE

3.1 Project Site

(2) Population and Areas

(3) Village History

Village History of Village Nong Chok

(4) Cropping Pattern, Rainfall Data and Labor Requirement

4. Labor In the peak period,