PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 6 Focussing formal surveys in Thailand: a use for rapid rural appraisal

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 6 Focussing formal surveys in Thailand: a use for rapid rural appraisal Karen Ehlers and Christine Martins A key stage in formal surveys lies in the and sustainable farming system. The identification of the topics to be explored. production system was characterized by rice Commonly these increase in number, so that cultivation for subsistence and opium the survey becomes too long and unwieldy. cultivation for sale. But increasing population This article describes the experience of a pressure and the ban on poppy cultivation has Centre for Advanced Training in Agricultural challenged the basis for this traditional Development (CATAD)1 team in focussing for production system. To try to solve the a formal survey. This process is defined as resulting problems, TG-HDP introduced a concentrating on those aspects directly related permanent agricultural system and different to a core problem by identifying a limited set cash crops for cultivation. of pertinent variables to be assessed, and by identifying and using appropriate low cost data Since it is not known whether these recently collection methods. developed extension contents are fully compatible to the situation of each farming The CATAD-team was requested by the Thai- household, the CATAD-team was ...