Socio-Economic Aspects of Poverty in Thailand. A Summary Report of the Workshop on Raising Agricultural Income and Productivity of Poor Farmers

摘要

In order to identify impediments to rural development in Thailand and thereby spur proposals for development interventions, A.I.D. funded a series of three in-country workshops. This report, encompassing four papers on poverty in rural Thailand, presents the proceedings of the first workshop. The first paper examines the effects of irrigation and water control/management on productivity and income in rural Thailand and concludes that irrigation is the primary income level determinant. The second paper analyzes land use and management in the context of the interrelatedness of the following production factors: the natural and physical environment; social, economic, and political conditions; resources; technology; and the farmers themselves. Noting a widening gap between rich and poor in rural Thailand, the third paper details the importance, to the poorer farmers, of off-farm employment and income (although, on-farm earnings per hour are still higher). The fourth and final paper, on the socioeconomic characteristics of farmers groups found that villages identified as poor by other villagers tended to be landless farmers and/or farm laborers. Appended are a description of the workshop's background, the workshop schedule, and a list of the participants.