Buffaloes have always played an integral part in Thai culture and society. They have been used for centuries by peasants in order to plough their rice fields. <br /><br />However, Thailand's buffalo population has declined in recent years with farmers finding modern machinery more efficient and productive.<br /><br />But due to environmental concerns, authorities are now encouraging farmers to return to a more sustainable source of farm labour than tractors.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay reports from a rural village in Nakhon Ratchasima, where a buffalo school has been opened to train the animals to plough.
