rice farming
Rural Thai Prosperity [journal article review]
Increasing prosperity in Northeast Thailand over the past 30 years has prompted researchers to wonder how changing economic conditions have affected the Rural Thai in that region. In 1982/83 and again in 2008/09, Jonathan Rigg and Albert Salamanca did a longitudinal (or “panel”) study of two villages in Mahasarakham Province in Isan, the term often […]
Changes in Rural Thailand
Over the past 60 years, Rural Thai villagers have changed from poor, isolated farmers to relatively prosperous suburbanites who seek jobs, conveniences, income and connections. A feature article last week in the prominent Japanese business journal Nikkei Asian Review explored the dramatic changes that anthropologist William Klausner has witnessed in his 60 years of life […]
Crisis for Thai Rice Farmers
The cultivation of jasmine rice, a crop that under-girds the economy of the Rural Thai people, is in a state of crisis and the consequences for Thailand may be significant. Alexander Macleod, writing for the political news analysis website Global Risk Insights last week, indicated that the market value of the rice has dropped by […]
Changes in Rural Northeast Thailand [journal article review]
The northeast section of Thailand has changed from a traditional, isolated peasant society into a region of sophisticated rural dwellers. A recent journal article by Somchai Phatharathananunth describes the social, economic, and political transformations over the past several decades in rural Northeast Thailand, which is usually referred to as “Isan” or “Isaan.” The author, an […]
Rural Thai Culture of Rice Farming
The role of rice in the diet, culture, economy, and politics of Thailand received renewed attention in recent weeks as the country prepared for its national elections. The current political dispute in Thailand, though mostly peaceful, has garnered international news for several months focusing on the rural/urban divide in the nation. The Khaleej Times, a […]
Changes in Rural Thailand [journal article review]
Scholars and policy makers have tended to view Rural Thai villages as stable communities where people normally retain permanent residences. That stability is believed to be an essential ingredient in fostering both a healthy society and a productive economy. Migrations of people, according to that view, are a problem that officials and policy makers need […]
Social Changes in Rural Thailand [journal article review]
Claims that the Rural Thai people are “peaceful” are based, in part, on a remarkable study conducted by Phillips (1965) between 1956 and 1958 in a village in Central Thailand. The nonviolence that Phillips recorded in Bang Chan was a result of the Buddhist values of the people and the fabric of their rural society. […]
High Fuel Costs Affect Thai Farmers
Rural Thai farmers are coping with increased costs of fuel by abandoning their machinery and relearning how to use water buffaloes to plough their rice fields. According to a news report last Saturday, diesel tractors have been used commonly all over the Thai countryside in recent decades, but with the high cost of fuel recently, […]
