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during the establishment of nurseries for the rice. The harvest of mungbeans,
however, sometimes conflicted with land preparation for WS rice. Some farmers
left their mungbeans unharvested to prepare their land for the next rice crop.
Migration of young people
The improvement in farm income did not slow down the migration of young
people to the cities. Among the adopters, 44% of the households had one or
more members who migrated to the cities compared with only 33% among the
nonadopters. However, nonadopters outside the project area had the largest
numbers of migrants (53%). The study team found that farming was increasingly
becoming an activity for middle aged and older people in the community. In Dok
Kham Tai, young men and women did little farm work. Scarcity of labor for farm
work was especially noticeable and resulted in higher wages and the presence of
labor from other districts.
Livestock
More adopters kept livestock than nonadopters.
Education
The level of education was evaluated on the basis of attendance of farm children
in high schools and tertiary schools. Nonadopters had a greater percentage of
children in tertiary schools.
Health
Of the adopters, 83% reported that household members were in good health,
comj~ared with 70% among nonadopters outside the project area. Nonadopters
within the project area were healthier (87%). These rough health indicators
suggested that the population of Dok Kham Tai (whether adopters or
nonadopters) were better-off than farmers in Jun district.
Savings and loans
Of the adopters, 30% had bank savings; whereas, only 28% of nonadopters in
the project area and 20% outside the project area had bank savings. Equal
numbers of adopters and nolladopters outside the project area borrowed money.
In contrast, 47% of nonadopters in the project area borrowed morley. It seems