Communal Land Titling and New Geographies of Development in Northern Thailand

Ian G. Baird () and Chusak Wittayapak
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Ian G. Baird: Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 550 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53706, USA
Chusak Wittayapak: Department of Social Science and Development, Faculty of Social Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50000, Thailand

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: In 1964, the National Forest Reserve Act (B.E. 2507) of Thailand classified all unoccupied forested areas as forest reserve, or pa sanguan . It became illegal to obtain individual land titles in forest reserves, thus reducing the land rights of farmers. In addition, roads could not be built, electricity access could not be provided, and agricultural support programs could not operate on land without land titles. However, in recent years, Thailand’s National Committee on Land Policy ( Khana Kammakarn Natyobai Thidin Haeng Chat ) has been promoting the Kor Tor Chor (KTC) program for communal land titling, designed to create land tenure clarity but not to provide full ownership rights. The objective of this article is to assess the vertical geographies associated with the KTC program in Nan Province, northern Thailand, and their implications with regard to land rights and accessing government funding, one of the key objectives of KTC. The article reveals that vertical land classification aspects associated with watershed classification present particular challenges to KTC. In particular, we argue that while farmers are generally happy with the benefits that have come to them due to KTC, vertical geographical circumstances have significantly influenced the abilities of village communities to benefit from the KTC program.

Keywords: land; communal land titling; northern Thailand; geography; reserve forestry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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