Integrating Food and Nutrition Security in a Middle-Income, Globalized,
Food-Exporting Nation: Thailand’s Food Policy Challenge
ranted. This is particularly important
in the context of increasing importance
of modern food retail supply chains.
In Thailand, supermarket-led supply
chains are still being developed but
once established small-scale farmers, as
well as traditional supply chain traders,
will need new capacities to enter and
benefit from supplying to this emerging
high value sector (Schipmann & Qaim,
2011a). As well, given the positive and
negative outcomes associated with con-
tract farming described above, the gov-
ernment could consider taking a more
prominent role in ensuring livelihoods
are protected and contracts are fairer
for small and large scale farmers (Singh,
2006).
Current policy approaches re-
veal clear contradictions at play in Thai
agricultural sector policies which aim
to continue agricultural contributions
to economic growth while supporting
farmer livelihoods. The expansion of
large-scale export-oriented agriculture,
promoted through the Kitchen to the
World program, is in direct opposition
to the encouragement of moderation
and local food security first which are
encapsulated in the Sufficiency Econo-
my philosophy. But, at the same time,
the Sufficiency Economy ideals are seen
as unrealistic even by the farmers who
could potentially benefit. The improve-
ment of livelihoods for Thai farmers
and their economic, food and nutrition
security require a new approach to be
found.
The factor, which both the Kitch-
en to the World and the Sufficiency
Economy approaches have in common,
is their recognition of the value of or-
ganic or low pesticide farming and food
safety, because of the growing domes-
tic and international demand for these
products, and also for their potential to
improve economic and environmental
outcomes for farmers. Investment in
sustainable agriculture is already a fea-
ture of recent Thai National Economic
and Social Development Plans. Fur-
ther emphasis on this sector may ad-
vance the goals of both the Sufficiency
Economy (safe, mixed farming) and the
Kitchen to the World (improved market
access).
The Thai government could con-
sider investing in empowering farmers
to better compete through training,
agricultural credit, and infrastructure
investment (Boselie et al., 2003). Gov-
ernment investment in agricultural
research, which in the past has been a
strong driver of agricultural produc-
tivity improvement, has been falling in
recent years (Suphannachart & Warr,
2011). A program of empowering
Thai farmers through improving their
human and material resources and
through improved access to technolo-
gy, training, and credit for agricultural
inputs would allow them to participate
in and benefit more fully from trade lib-
eralization and improve food and eco-
nomic security for Thailand’s poorest
group (Zamroni, 2006). An adaptation
of the old idea of agricultural extension
for new food systems conditions is war-
Thailand’s current approach to
nutrition policy also needs reassess-
ment. Previous interventionist ap-
proaches, which have been highly suc-
cessful in combating rural poverty and
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