Changes in Agriculture in Areas of Minor Irrigation Works Resulting from the Development of Delta Regions in Southeast Asia

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There had been no development concentrating on upland cultivation in the Taungdwingyi region of the Myanmar Central plain when the reclamation of the delta was begun, but small scale irrigation systems led to the development of rice fields at first, and only when these systems could be exploited no further was the cultivation of upland fields for highly profitable crops such as sesame and groundnut advanced. Small scale irrigation systems had been developed to their maximum capacity by the early 20th century. The efficient management of the irrigation systems and the distribution of water were under the command of such contractors as Sedain and/or Myaungzaw who were hired by the peasants. This contractor management system for the maintenance of weirs and canals was established due to the increased demand for manpower of an advanced and elaborated upland cultivation.On the other hand, in Northeast Thailand rice production was accelerated owing to the rise in the price of rice and other commodities following the construction of a railway from the Chaophraya region in 1900. Rice was cultivated in fields irrigated by Tham Nop (embankment for the dispersal of flood water) system constructed by local peasants under the leadership of district officers, village headmen or Buddhist monks. Upland commercial crops such as sugarcane and cassava have been cultivated since the 1950's in Northeast Thailand. The soils are suitable only for these crops. During the 1980's jasmine rice was introduced and cultivated in the salty and sandy soil there.Agriculture in these rice-consuming societies did not compensate for the ecological characteristics of each region by dividing crop production into separate areas, but endeavoured to construct self-sufficient systems of rice production in the respective regions.