Wild Plant Food in Agricultural Environments: A Study of Occurrence, Management, and Gathering Rights in Northeast Thailand

This article examines the gathering of wild plant foods in agricultural environments and utilizes research conducted among rice cultivators in Northeast Thailand as the case study. The management of wild food plants and gathering rights on agricultural land are closely linked to women's roles as farmers and land owners, as well as gatherers and marketers of these resources. Farm women clearly distinguish between domesticates and non-domesticates and are increasingly bringing valued wild plants under a system of privatization in the face of expanding market exploitation of these resources. Cultural preferences and market value when combined with perceived rarity stimulates protection, propagation, and gathering restrictions. While gathering for market sale has restrictions, there is some evidence of the slower erosion of community gathering rights for rare species with high market value on private agricultural land.