Napa Tai, a study village, has a wide flood plain and people are engaged in lowland-based agriculture.

Samkang, a study village, is located along a narrow valley and people are engaged in both upland and lowland agriculture.

Oudom, a study village, has a wide valley with gentle slope and highly permeable soil and people are engaged in upland-based agriculture.

(2) Understanding the dynamics of land use changes in the past; identifying present land use practices and alternative crops for additional cash incomes for local people; formulating sustainable land use plans to improve local people’s livelihood.
          To accommodate the agricultural development envisaged by the socio-economic development programs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has formulated six programs to be translated into specific plans, projects and activities. One is an agriculture and forestry research program. There are three objectives within this program. The first is to conduct a survey of agricultural land, forestland and water source areas in order to formulate master plans for land use and agricultural development, especially in the northern provinces. The emphasis at present is on the northern provinces, because the central and southern parts were already investigated in detail during the last decade. The second is to rehabilitate existing research stations and centers and expand research activities to new areas; and the third is to cooperate with research institutes abroad, especially in the field of improved varieties, seed multiplication, meteorology, hydrology and geo-sciences.