Environmental sustainability of highland agricultural land use patterns for Mae Raem and Mae Sa watersheds, Chiang Mai province

The objectives of this study were: 1) to study the existing highland agricultural land use patterns; 2) to analyze the environmental sustainability of highland agricultural land use patterns; and 3) to determine the optimal highland agricultural land use patterns. Environmental indicators of concern were soil fertility, water quality, and chemicals used in crop cultivation. The results indicated that the 11 patterns in the Mae Raem watershed were: vegetables (45.5%), paddy field/field crops (22.7%), paddy field (12.8%), orchard/vegetables (5.0%), flowering plants (3.0%), orchard (3.0%), field crops (2.0%), paddy field/vegetables (2.0%), paddy field/field crops/orchard (2.0%), field crops/vegetables (1.0%), and paddy field/field crops/vegetables (1.0%). The single pattern in the Mae Sa watershed was vegetables (100.0%). After analyzing the sustainability of the environment at the watershed and village levels, it was found that within the Mae Raem watershed, Ban Pang I Ka and Ban Mae Khi-Pang Hai had very good opportunity to develop to a sustainable level (VGODS; 70.8% and 68.7%), and Ban Nong Hoi Mai had a moderate opportunity to develop to a sustainable level (MODS; 42.3%). In the Mae Sa watershed, Ban Nong Hoi had less opportunity to develop to a sustainable level (LODS; 26.4%). The complete sustainability level (CS; 82.5%) for the environmental sustainability of highland agricultural land use pattern was evident in the Mae Raem watershed, where Ban Pang I Ka had only one pattern, which was field crops that included planting upland rice, maize, peanuts, and kidney beans at the CS level of optimal highland agricultural land use pattern.