Investigating the Agricultural Techniques Used by the Hmong in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

Over the past decades the Hmong have migrated from northern China down south to Vietnam and Laos. In 1975 after the United States pulled out of the Vietnam War thousands of Hmong feared for their lives and fled to Thailand. During their migration from China to Thailand, the Hmong have adapted to several agricultural techniques. The Hmong are one of many hill tribes in northern Thailand that mastered the traditional slash and burn technique, which the Thai government believed it pollutes the environment. In response to this problem, His Majesty King Bhumibol of Thailand established the Royal Project to helped hill tribes improve on agricultural developments and become self sustainable. I investigated the different techniques used by the Hmong and took note of the differences and similarities between the traditional slash and burn, and the advance techniques developed by the Royal Project. This research was influenced by my interest in cultural preservation and agricultural practices by hill tribes.