| Author | Rarinthip Thaveethong |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.HS-88-31 |
| Subject(s) | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1988
|
| Note | A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for t he Award of the Degree of Master of Science, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. HS-88-31 |
| Abstract | State-directed land settlement schemes have been adopted as one
strategy to solve the problems of poverty and landlessness by the
Department of Public Welfare (DPW), 1·1inistry of the Interior (NOI),
through its programme of 'self-help land settlements'. The ultimate goa l
of the DPW is to develop the settlement areas to a level which enables
them to be integrated · into the standard administrative system as
sub -districts and districts under the administration of the Local
Administration Department. However, such goal is not considered to have
been achieved yet because only a small number of settlements have been
phased out .
This is despite the fact that in recent years DPW .has received
considerable assistance from foreign aid donors, involving substantial
extra investment. The problem with such donor funded projects, however,
is the need to sustain . the impetus of the development effort after the
termination of the projects.
This study, therefore, aims to find out whether the settlers can
continue a self-sustaining development process after the termination of
a project given administrative constraints. The target groups are the
selected pilot farmers participating in the 'Land Settlements Project'
in Northeast Thailand funded by USAID which was implemented in the
old- established villages.
The findings show that the concept of 'bottom up' planning was not
really incorporated and used to the fullest extent possible in most
activities according to the overall project management strategy. The
shortened period of the project time frame was referred as the constraint
in employing such concept. Therefore, there seemed to be an over-emphasis
on quantity as a measure of project success , with insufficient attention
paid to quality in terms of sustainability.
When the project was terminated with f ewer resources to support the
implementation, it was found out that what had initiated during the
project's life could not take on a momentum of its own because it lacks
the continued support of the government . Such a decrease in government
resources might have been acceptable if the project had provided the
conditions for t he development efforts to be sustained locally by the
settlers themselves; however, it seemed that there was inadequate
capacity building to carry on the continued activities as the existing
local institutions such as farmers' groups were not strengthened during
the life of the project. |
| Year | 1988 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. HS-88-31 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Human Settlement (HS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Demaine, Harvey; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Weber, Karl E. ;Suvit Yodmani ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Canadian International Development
Agency ; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1988 |