Glossary

baht

Thai unit of currency. From 1984 to 1994, 25 Baht = $1 USD. As of February 2000, 36 Baht = $1 USD.

Ban Lek Ti

Administrative numbers given to households by the government. In the 1994 household survey, the Ban Lek Ti in combination with the village number uniquely identifies a household within the village.

B.E. year

Buddhist Era (B.E.) calendar year, where B.E. year = western calendar year + 543 (i.e., western year 2000 = 2543 B.E. year.)

buat pra

The process or action of becoming an ordained Buddhist monk. Most Thai males will "buat pra" when they are 20 years old.

CBIRD

Community Based Integrated Rural Development program

cassava

A perennial woody shrub grown as an annual, a major source of low-cost carbohydrates for populations in the humid tropics. Thailand is the main exporter of cassava, which is sold as high-calorie food for livestock in Europe.

district

Administrative unit under province. One province will have several districts (or amphurs in Thai).

frontier

Land that is under-used/un-managed by humans

household

A group of people and not a house. This group of people should be sharing the same eating and sleeping place.

iron buffalo

This is a direct translation of the Thai term "kwai lek," that refers to a large plowing machine/tiller (also called a walking tractor). The iron buffalo tills the soil with its two large blade-covered wheels and is guided from the rear by two handle bars much like a water buffalo being guided during plowing.

LULCC

Land Use/Land Cover Change

land cover

What can be seen remotely, from satellite data or aerial photographs.

land measurement units

The units of land measurement in Thailand are wah, ngan, and rai.  Conversion factors between Thai measurements and Metric measurements are:

1 wah = 2 meters
1 square wah = 4 square meters
1 ngan = 100 square Wah = 400 square meters
1 rai = 4 ngan = 400 square wah = 1,600 square meters
1 acre = 2.25 rai (approximately)

land use

How land is actually being utilized. For example, satellite data might indicate the presence of a forest, but this forest could be an orchard or a pristine stand of hardwoods. Often, but not always, to go from land cover to land use, it is necessary to have on-the-ground data.

migrant

See Migrant Definition document.

new 1994 household

Households that were formed after 1984 (and before the 1994 household survey). These households were identified after all of the 1984 households were identified in a village during the 1994 household data collection.

new 2000 household

Households that were formed after 1994 (and before the 2000 household survey). These households were identified after all of the 1984 and 1994 households were identified in a village during the 2000 household data collection.

social network

A social network is defined as a group of connections between two or more people based on any variety of relationships. The network connections we measure are based on kinship, labor exchanges, using the same rice mill, sharing agricultural equipment and temples. These networks mirror the way ideas or information flows between people, across households, and between villages. A typical social network is a kinship network, which are connections or ties based on relationships of blood or marriage. Other types of social networks are more loosely defined.

subdistrict

Administrative unit below district. Each district will have several subdistricts (tambon in Thai). The subdistrict headman is the "Gamnon."

village

A collection of houses, households and lands that are part of the administrative unit that a village headman and a village council currently administer.

wat

In Thai, "wat" refers to a Thai Buddhist place of worship which is often the center of village activity. It also includes the crematorium and community gathering places.