Abstract:
The study aimed at determining the contribution of seasonally flooded forest to the
subsistence of local households and exploring factors affecting household subsistence
livelihood. Structured questionnaire and in-depth interview were used as key tools for data
collection. Sampled population consisted of 269 household heads in 12 villages located on
both sides of the lower Songkhram River in Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand. Data
collected during October 2005 – January 2006 were analyzed through the Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), using percentage, mean, standard deviation, and
logistic regression.
Two indices were used to indicate the household subsistence livelihood. The first
index was the proportion of the total amounts of products that households actually
harvested from seasonally flooded forest per year over the actual amount of products
consumed by household per year. The second index was the proportion of the actual
amounts of products consumed by household over the standard amounts of products which
Thais should consume. Products in consideration were staple foods, namely rice,
vegetables and fish.
The results revealed that most of the sampled households had subsistence
livelihood: 61.3 %, 69.5 % and 69.1 % of the households had sufficient rice, vegetable and
fish consumption, respectively. Amounts of rice, vegetable and fish products that
households could harvest from seasonally flooded forest areas per year exceeded the
actual amounts consumed by households per year. 82.5 % of the households consumed
rice more than the standard (Department of Health: 1997). However, 85.1% and 97 % of
the households consumed less vegetable and fish, respectively, than the standard
(Department of Health: 1997), despite sufficient harvesting amounts, rather they sold the
surplus products for income. Factors affecting the contribution of seasonally flooded
forest to the household subsistence livelihood included gender of the household head,
number of years in school, number of household members, size of harvesting area,
distance from house to the flooded forest, number of household occupations, type of
supplementary occupation, and difference of villages.
It could be concluded that seasonally flooded forest had significant contribution to
household subsistence and livelihood. Any change or damage of natural characteristics of
seasonally flooded forest of the lower Songkhram River Basin should be avoided and
carefully thought of.