Author : Alisa Sahahirun

Summary : This study aimed to investigate the innovation in the introduction of Highland
Terrace Paddy Cultivation Technology (HTPCT) as well as the practices that were adopted,
and the consequent benefits derived from the adoption ofHTPCT. The survey research and
the case study research methods were employed to gather data. Five villages under the Doi-
Ompai highland agricultural development station project located in district boundary
between Mae Chaem, Chiang Mai province and Ma La Noi, Mae Hong Son province were
chosen as the study site and a total of 33 adopters and 57 non-adopters of HTPCT served
as respondents of the study.

Results ofthe study show that the dominant polices that sought to promote HTPCT
revolved around the need to achieve food security, conserve the forest and promote
Community-Based Tourism (CBT). HTPCT has been promoted by the Rice Department
in Doi Ompai since 2003 under the Royal Development Project. Forty-eight farmers
adopting the technology from the initial 12 farmers and the villagers in Doi Ompai have
returned about 3,685 rai or around 590 hectares of deforested areas to the DOHAD station
for reforestation.

Results further show that compared with the non-adopters, the adopters are old,
have bigger household sizes, have more family members engaging in farming and earn
more income from rice. The adopters gathered information about farming practices from
all sources more often than the non-adopters. The interpersonal source is a potential and
an effective information source to promote HTPCT. Both adopters and non-adopters had
full knowledge about HTPCT and both adopters and non-adopters had moderate awareness
about policies affecting the highlands related to land tenure, water and soil conservation,
and forest conservation.

Compared with upland rice cultivation, HTPCT required more labor during
the conversion of sloping land to terraces and soil preparation; it also required more
technical knowledge in water and pest management. However, HTPCT required fewer
inputs in terms of rice seeds, chemical fertilizers and herbicides than upland rice
cultivation. The adoption of recommended HTPCT practices of the adopters were
described as high level of adoption. When each part of the HTPCT was considered, there
was a high level of adoption of land preparation, seeding and transplanting, pest
management, water management, and pre-production practices but there was moderate
level of adoption of soil fertilizer management and sequential cropping system and
livestock. The benefits ofHTPCT can be seen obviously at the individual level in terms of
yield and income performance and at the community level in terms of tourism output. At
the end, a model to improve the promotion of HTPCT is proposed for specific catchment
areas not only for irrigation purposes for rice but also to encourage crop diversification.
Recommendations to improve innovation in the highlands include implementing
participatory processes in the conduct of research such as Participatory Technology
Development (PTD), Participatory Variety Selection (PVS) among others.