Thailand, a major agricultural country, has earned the reputation of being the "Granary of Southeast Asia", accounting for 12% of the country's total output in Asia and is one of the world's largest food exporters.
Successive governments have focused on agricultural income generation, rural development and farmer income, and have made great efforts to solve the “three rural problems”. In general, governments dominated by different parties and forces tend to maintain continuity in supporting the implementation of the organic agricultural development strategy, investment in rural funds, and the development of "One Village, One Product" and other major agricultural policies. Their aim is to promote the export of important agricultural products to gain foreign exchange, increase farmers' income and stimulate farmers' enthusiasm for production.
Thailand has a wide range of agricultural products, such as rice, corn, sugarcane, rubber, cassava, etc. In recent years, Thai agriculture has faced problems such as declining yields and rising costs due to factors such as more severe droughts and floods, and an aging agricultural population. And lack of advanced technical support, further measures are urgently needed to promote sustainable development.
In recent years, Thailand has developed a strategy for transitioning to organic farming, developing a variety of organic farming models, actively promoting the cultivation of organic rice and other crops. Farmers in Chanab Province, a major rice-producing area in Thailand, have converted to organic farming, creating the largest organic rice production area in Thailand. Some family farms in the province directly promote their organic products online, ensuring that no artificial fertilizers, pesticides or growth regulators are used in the production of organic products. Animal feed additives are transparently presented online. Customers from other provinces order from his online homepage in Thailand, and the company's main products have applied for international brand certification.
However, compared to the high demand for organic crops in the international market, the Thai government believes that the quantity and quality of organic crops need to be greatly improved. Organic crops are of good quality and high price, so the Thai government has set it as the direction of agricultural development and transformation policy of the country and has vigorously promoted it to farmers and farms.
Supporting the "One Village, One Product" project to enhance the competitiveness of agricultural products, the Thai Ministry of Rural Welfare and the Ministry of Industry have adapted and implemented Japan's advanced experience in rural industrialization. Under the centralized planning of the government, more than 5,000 cities across the country have developed specialty products that fully reflect their own advantages.
At present, there are at least 1.2 million farmers in the country who are engaged in various handicraft and industrial activities. "One Village, One Product" products cover almost all local specialty products in Thai villages, and "products" Each item has its own unique local flavor and style.
Most of the rural products in the eastern part of Thailand are fruits, bamboo, rattan baskets, sedge mats, etc. The northern rural areas mainly produce ethnic handicrafts of the hill tribes, such as wood carvings, silverware, special paper products, etc. The main sewing materials in the northeast of China are silk and cotton. There are also more unique tie-dyeing patterns.
The quality control of products and packaging of “One Village, One Product” is under the supervision of the “One Village, One Product” committee, which makes the products more competitive in the international market. The Thai government provides production assistance to villagers who want to start a “One Village, One Product” business and develops a corresponding development strategy according to local conditions. The Ministry of Industry of Thailand facilitates product development, technical training and quality control. The design team at the Thailand Product Development Center works with villagers to determine the packaging of marketable products. The Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, the working group of the Department of Export Promotion, regularly organizes Thai trade fairs both domestically and internationally, displays and sells “One Village, One Product” products. One Product”
Supporting the “One Village, One Product” policy and the important financial support is the “Rural Fund” plan of the Thai government. The Thai government established a special committee in early 2007 to start implementing the rural fund plan, promote agricultural and industrial production in rural areas, reduce the burden on farmers, and increase rural productivity. During the implementation of the plan, more than 70,000 villages nationwide, each village received an average development support of more than 600,000 baht. These villages have set up fund management committees to identify investment projects and promote rural products to the market. Most of the funds released are farmers’ investments in agricultural production, as well as rural industrial projects, commerce, and services, such as “One Village, One Product.”
The government has also proposed related rural fund plans, hoping that The income structure of farmer families will be continuously improved through the operation of this fund. In early 2016, the “Poverty Alleviation Development Plan 2016-2020” was launched to solve the rural problems. This project has helped more than 20,000 villages and more than 20 million people to escape poverty. This poverty alleviation project is characterized by actively seeking cooperation with higher education institutions and private industries. Disseminating knowledge through these will help achieve sustainable rural development and improve the literacy level of rural people. At the same time, social organizations and individuals are encouraged to participate in rural poverty alleviation, promoting poverty alleviation and rural development.
In addition to the Thai government, the Thai royal family has always attached great importance to benefiting farmers through various royal projects. In early 2008, to celebrate the 81st birthday anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the late King, established a charitable organization called “Phuttha Lang Thong”. The main content of the royal initiative projects that this organization has implemented is to help rural areas solve problems of water, soil, forestry, energy, environment and other problems, and to promote the dissemination of agricultural knowledge.
During the implementation of the Royal Project “Golden Buddha”, many provinces in Thailand have benefited and successfully escaped poverty. Among them, Nan Province stands out. In Nan Province, farmers grow corn as animal feed and sell it at a high price, which once severely damaged soil and forests. Agricultural development was once a bottleneck, but this province is important to the overall ecosystem of Thailand. Because Nan River accounts for 45% of the total water flowing into the Chao Phraya River, the Royal Project has chosen this province as an important pilot project to restore the ecosystem by planting economic forests and improving natural reservoirs and water storage equipment to provide farmers with sufficient water for agriculture. All of the Royal Project funds in Nan Province have been effectively transferred to farmers and put to good use. It has successfully created a model that uses a small amount of money but achieves effective poverty alleviation.
Promote the transformation of agriculture to precision and intelligence The Thai government has also set out to participate in the production of organic fertilizers, the construction of smart greenhouses, and the recycling of water resources for agriculture. Agricultural professionals in related fields, such as agricultural by-products and waste recycling, can receive tax exemptions from 3 to 8 years. The Digital Economy Promotion Agency of Thailand recently announced a plan to provide large-scale drones and maintenance training to local communities, promote the development of smart agriculture, and create economic benefits of more than 800 million baht for 500 communities. This initiative is supported by the Digital Economy Fund.
The Thai government's strategy sets three main requirements: farmer stability, agricultural surplus, and sustainable agricultural development. Promote the application of advanced scientific research results to agricultural production, cultivate smart agriculture, and accelerate agricultural transformation. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand will allocate a budget of 20 billion baht between 2022 and 2023 to promote the development of smart agriculture and actively promote the "bio-circular - green" economic model to promote organic crop production. Mr. Pana Thapikorn, President of the Thai Agricultural Industry Association, the Green World Agricultural Economics Development Association, said that the "bio-circular - green" economic model ""Green Bio-Circle"" encourages farmers to grow crops in a more environmentally friendly way. Currently, the association has launched a pilot project on rice in 20 villages nationwide with four other industry associations.
Some agricultural organizations are actively developing mobile applications and mini-programs, introducing new technologies such as data analytics and artificial intelligence, and using technology to enhance farm management capabilities. Mahidol University in Thailand and the Nakhon Ratchasima Vineyard have jointly developed a watercourse detection system that can determine whether certain actions need to be taken by detecting key data such as temperature, humidity, light intensity, wind speed, and air pressure. When low humidity is detected, the irrigation system is automatically activated to create a good growing environment for crops and increase yields.
Thailand has also been actively involved in agricultural cooperation with China, Singapore, and other countries, offering advanced technologies and agricultural machinery, and jointly conducting R&D projects to help develop local agriculture. The Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives stated that smart agriculture is an important way to ensure food security, improve people's livelihoods, and cope with climate change. We look forward to learning from the experiences and advanced practices of related countries. and promote sustainable development of Thai agriculture
