Livelihood capital of urban farmer households in Kranuan District, Khon Kaen Province
Keywords:
farmer households, Livelihood capitals, livelihood strategies, urban farmersAbstract
This study aimed to investigate livelihood capital of urban farmer households using qualitative research design. In-depth interview was conducted with 29 farmers from 14 households conducting farming activities in Kranuan Municipality in Khon Kaen Province. Data was collected from December 2017 to March 2018, and content analysis was performed to analyze data. The results showed that urban farmer households in the municipal area with good economy, public utilities and all sorts of services still had traditional agriculture as their main occupation. Urbanization of Kranuan municipality was expanding at a high rate and with a high cost of living, and farmer households had to adjust their production modes for survival. They brainstormed to identify their livelihood capitals and found that urban farmers were able to access natural capital, physical capital, and financial capital in to access opportunities to do agricultural activities for more income. However, farmers had less access to human capital and social capital which became limitations to their occupational development. Therefore, to improve their livelihood, farmers teamed up and adjusted production activity from cash crop farming to integrated farming, and allocated land for short-season crops to create additional incomes. These attempts have become a guideline for sustainable livelihood strategies constructed from opportunities and limitations of capital.
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