What that created, above all, was a land-efficient farming sector and a ready supply of farmers with money to spend on farm vehicles and consumer goods, providing the launch pad for many of the Northeast Asian car and consumer brands that have become household names all over the world.
What’s even more interesting is that Studwell groups Thailand with Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines as countries that did not engage in effective land reform, and hence have not been able to live up to their initial economic promise.
He sees the failure of land reform in Thailand as the ultimate cause of the current economic crisis.
One other reason why small-scale farming is great, of course, is that it is much easier to farm organically on a small scale.
So, next time you’re at the farmers market, remember that the small farmer has a big role to play in Asian economic history. Let’s support our successful small-scale farmers and hope that some day there will be a lot more of them.
Bangkok Farmers Market
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Small is Beautiful