Abstract
This study aims to classify villages in terms of job formation and sources of cash income and describe the spatial distribution of the different types of village in rural areas of Yasothon Province, Northeast Thailand by discussing their natural, historical and economic backgrounds. Utilizing the village database compiled by the government of Thailand, satellite images and the information from field survey, the present study covers almost all villages in the province.
Four village types are defined: old villages, established about 100-300 years ago, in which the main sources of cash income are sale of rice and extra-village jobs; old villages in which main sources are jobs in the village itself, including both on-farm and off-farm other than sale of rice; new villages, established in around the past 50 years in which rice is sold; and new villages in which upland crops are sold for cash income.
The spatial distribution of these different types of villages can be explained mostly by the natural conditions of the agricultural land and settlements, and by accessibility or the transportation conditions. However, the process of village establishment, the social structure of the village, and the villagers' intentions are also considered to be factors which affect the occupational structure of villages.
