Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture No. 4/06
Assessing water tenure security and livelihoods of highland people in northern Thailand
Chapika Sangkapitux
Chiang Mai University, Thailand, and
Andreas Neef
University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Abstract
In this article, water tenure security in a highland watershed of
northern Thailand is assessed by means of a Water Security Index (WSI)
developed along three dimensions, namely (1) diversity of available
water sources, (2) access to those sources expressed as a percentage of
land irrigated and (3) risks of conflicts and water scarcity. Results
suggest that water security of upstream communities was significantly
lower than that of the downstream communities, with negative
implications for the sustainability of their livelihoods. Our results
provide evidence against the general perception among lowland people
and policy-makers that upstream communities enjoy an abundance of water
resources and are primarily responsible for water scarcity and other
negative externalities felt by downstream populations. Our study
suggests that this perception needs to be revised and that
environmental policy planning should incorporate water security
aspects.
Keywords: water tenure security, livelihood assessment, highland watersheds, Thailand
JEL: Q15, Q25
Vol. 45 (2006), No. 4: 377-396