The economic development of Thai agriculture

Abstract

This book is concerned with the development of agriculture in a 'contact economy'- an economy lying on the boundary between subsistence farming and farming dependent on the market. Thailand was opened to trade with the West over a century ago, and Thai farmers became accustomed to selling their surplus produce regularly. But it is only very recently, with the development of a road network, that many farmers have come to find the surplus that they sell of equal importance to what they produce for their own use. Even now most of them feel that they must produce their own rice. The transition to a market economy is often indirect. Professor Silcock argues that in a 'contact economy' those who secure access to the market often have both the inducement and the power to hold on to their advantage by preventing further development. He examines, in the Thai economy, the different crops and the different regions, considering where and why the pressures promoting development have been strong enough to overcome this tendency. The book should be of interest not only to all whose special field is Thailand, whether or not the economy is their main concern, but also to agricultural economists, especially those concerned with the agriculture of the less developed countries. Among general economists involved in development it will appeal particularly to those who see development primarily in terms of diffusion. For those whose main interest is the growth process itself, within a single economy, the significant feature of the book will probably be its treatment of regional accounts.