travel time remain small. A 10 % increase in travel time to the market increases
agricultural land by 1.6 %.
This finding that travel time has modest effects on agricultural decisions in
Forest Reserves of Chiang Mai is consistent with other studies of the region:
Cropper et al. (1999) find that a 10 % increase in road density leads to a 2 %
decrease in forest cover in North Thailand. Cropper et al. (2001) find that a 10 %
increase in travel time to the market leads to a 2.4 % decrease in forested area in the
forest areas of North Thailand. Similarly in North-east Thailand, Panayatou (1991)
finds that changes in road density have an insignificant impact.
One policy conclusion from this is that road building may not have a deleterious
effect on forest cover in this area. This is different from what has been found in
other parts of the world. To the extent that roads provide increased access to
services and markets, improving access within Forest Reserves might help to
alleviate poverty without affecting forests. However this result should also be
treated with caution.
34
8.6.3 Property Rights
In this study, I make a distinction between NPR villages and APR villages. It is
important to make this distinction: villages with no secure property rights are likely
to be more remote and poorer than villages that have ambiguous property rights.
An important effect in the study is that villages with no property rights are likely
to likely to cultivate their land less intensively (being in an NPR village reduces
intensity of cultivation by 71 percentage points). However magnitudes of impact of
the two main variables – travel time and population – on cropping decisions are not
very different for the two groups of villages. Particularly, travel time to market has
a negligible effect on upland rice cultivation and agricultural land in NPR villages.
The mixed evidence is explained by the fact that the distinction between the two
groups with respect to their property rights is not sharp. Villages with no property
rights (NPR villages) are located in the same region as those with ambiguous
property rights and are likely to behave similarly. Feder et al. (1988a, b) in their
study of Forest Reserves in Northeast Thailand show that villages without secure
property rights are less likely to invest in land. This may help to explain the
significantly lower intensity of cultivation in NPR villages. They also conclude
that secure property rights allow better access to credit. In this study the distinction
34 The random effects estimators in the study reflect primarily cross-sectional variation in the data.
Differences in effects of transportation costs could thus be picking up differences between location
of villages.
8 Using Mixed Methods to Assess Trade-Offs Between Agricultural Decisions. . .
149
agricultural land by 1.6 %.
This finding that travel time has modest effects on agricultural decisions in
Forest Reserves of Chiang Mai is consistent with other studies of the region:
Cropper et al. (1999) find that a 10 % increase in road density leads to a 2 %
decrease in forest cover in North Thailand. Cropper et al. (2001) find that a 10 %
increase in travel time to the market leads to a 2.4 % decrease in forested area in the
forest areas of North Thailand. Similarly in North-east Thailand, Panayatou (1991)
finds that changes in road density have an insignificant impact.
One policy conclusion from this is that road building may not have a deleterious
effect on forest cover in this area. This is different from what has been found in
other parts of the world. To the extent that roads provide increased access to
services and markets, improving access within Forest Reserves might help to
alleviate poverty without affecting forests. However this result should also be
treated with caution.
34
8.6.3 Property Rights
In this study, I make a distinction between NPR villages and APR villages. It is
important to make this distinction: villages with no secure property rights are likely
to be more remote and poorer than villages that have ambiguous property rights.
An important effect in the study is that villages with no property rights are likely
to likely to cultivate their land less intensively (being in an NPR village reduces
intensity of cultivation by 71 percentage points). However magnitudes of impact of
the two main variables – travel time and population – on cropping decisions are not
very different for the two groups of villages. Particularly, travel time to market has
a negligible effect on upland rice cultivation and agricultural land in NPR villages.
The mixed evidence is explained by the fact that the distinction between the two
groups with respect to their property rights is not sharp. Villages with no property
rights (NPR villages) are located in the same region as those with ambiguous
property rights and are likely to behave similarly. Feder et al. (1988a, b) in their
study of Forest Reserves in Northeast Thailand show that villages without secure
property rights are less likely to invest in land. This may help to explain the
significantly lower intensity of cultivation in NPR villages. They also conclude
that secure property rights allow better access to credit. In this study the distinction
34 The random effects estimators in the study reflect primarily cross-sectional variation in the data.
Differences in effects of transportation costs could thus be picking up differences between location
of villages.
8 Using Mixed Methods to Assess Trade-Offs Between Agricultural Decisions. . .
149