Rubber Agroforestry Systems in Mature Plantations in Phatthalung Province, Southern Thailand

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Published: Apr 26, 2020
Keywords:
Associate Plants Timber Trees Fruit Trees Vegetables

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Uraiwan Tongkaemkaew
Faculty of Technology and Community Development, Thaksin University, Phatthalung, 93210, Thailand
Eric Penot
Innovation and Development in Agriculture and the Food Sector Joint Research Unit (UMR Innovation), University Montpellier; The French Agricultural Research for International Development (CIRAD), Montpellier, France
Benedicte Chambon
The French Agricultural Research for International Development (CIRAD), Hevea Research Platform in Partnership (HRPP), Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand; Performance of Tree Crop Based Systems Internal Research Unit, University Montpellier; The French Agricultural Research for International Development (CIRAD), Montpellier, France

Abstract

Rubber-based agroforestry systems (RAS) can be characterized by the type of trees/shrubs and crops associated with the rubber trees. The present study objective was to identify and describe the RAS in mature plantations existing in Phatthalung province. This province is representative of South Thailand and gathers many farmers with agroforestry practices. The methodology for data collection combined focus group discussions with 5 groups and individual interviews with 56 farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire and farmer’s field survey for 44 RAS plots. The results showed an important diversity of the RAS. Seven types of agroforestry systems were identified with 20 species of fruit trees, 14 species of timber trees and 6 species of pluri annual local crops. The analysis of the timeline to plant rubber and intercrops showed some flexibility for the establishment of the RAS. The associated crops and the sometimes-long existence of these RAS indicate that they could be an interesting alternative to monoculture for the farmers to improve resilience and not rely only on one crop. However, before recommending these RAS, additional research is needed to better characterize the impact of these systems in particular on crop yield and soil biodiversity quality.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 23 No. 1 (2020): January - April
Section
Research Articles
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