Evolution of agricultural mechanization in Thailand

Evidence from Asia indicates that mechanization can play a vital role in poverty-reducing small-scale agricultural and rural development. The case of Thailand is especially pertinent because it illustrates both the development of accessible small-scale machinery and the provision of large-scale mach...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cramb, Rob, Thepent, Viboon
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142802
_version_ 1855542327001481216
author Cramb, Rob
Thepent, Viboon
author_browse Cramb, Rob
Thepent, Viboon
author_facet Cramb, Rob
Thepent, Viboon
author_sort Cramb, Rob
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Evidence from Asia indicates that mechanization can play a vital role in poverty-reducing small-scale agricultural and rural development. The case of Thailand is especially pertinent because it illustrates both the development of accessible small-scale machinery and the provision of large-scale machinery to smallholders through contract hiring services. This chapter reviews the specific demand and supply factors that have given rise to the pattern of mechanization in Thailand over the past half century. It is argued that rapid mechanization resulted from the conjuncture of several key elements from the 1960s to the 1990s—the dominance of smallholders in the landscape, cultivating rice and field crops for both domestic and export markets; dramatic demographic changes, contributing to a growing scarcity of agricultural labor; a boom in manufacturing, drawing labor out of farming; the development of infrastructure, facilitating agricultural commercialization and labor mobility; a technological and business environment encouraging competition among small and medium firms to develop suitable and affordable machines for farmers; and a policy environment broadly supportive of smallholder agriculture, agribusiness, industrial development, and trade. The Thailand case provides important evidence for policy debates about small-scale mechanization in other Southeast Asian countries and Africa south of the Sahara.
format Book Chapter
id CGSpace142802
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2020
publishDateRange 2020
publishDateSort 2020
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1428022025-11-06T04:18:47Z Evolution of agricultural mechanization in Thailand Cramb, Rob Thepent, Viboon imports supply balance policies equipment technology sugar cane maize demand labour agriculture harvesters smallholders agricultural mechanization farms cassava mechanization governance Evidence from Asia indicates that mechanization can play a vital role in poverty-reducing small-scale agricultural and rural development. The case of Thailand is especially pertinent because it illustrates both the development of accessible small-scale machinery and the provision of large-scale machinery to smallholders through contract hiring services. This chapter reviews the specific demand and supply factors that have given rise to the pattern of mechanization in Thailand over the past half century. It is argued that rapid mechanization resulted from the conjuncture of several key elements from the 1960s to the 1990s—the dominance of smallholders in the landscape, cultivating rice and field crops for both domestic and export markets; dramatic demographic changes, contributing to a growing scarcity of agricultural labor; a boom in manufacturing, drawing labor out of farming; the development of infrastructure, facilitating agricultural commercialization and labor mobility; a technological and business environment encouraging competition among small and medium firms to develop suitable and affordable machines for farmers; and a policy environment broadly supportive of smallholder agriculture, agribusiness, industrial development, and trade. The Thailand case provides important evidence for policy debates about small-scale mechanization in other Southeast Asian countries and Africa south of the Sahara. 2020-11-01 2024-05-22T12:11:05Z 2024-05-22T12:11:05Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142802 en https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896293809 https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896293823 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Cramb, Rob; and Thepent, Viboon. 2020. Evolution of agricultural mechanization in Thailand. In An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia?, eds. Xinshen Diao, Hiroyuki Takeshima, and Xiaobo Zhang. Part Two: Early-Adopter Asian Countries, Chapter 5, Pp. 165-201. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896293809_05.
spellingShingle imports
supply balance
policies
equipment
technology
sugar cane
maize
demand
labour
agriculture
harvesters
smallholders
agricultural mechanization
farms
cassava
mechanization
governance
Cramb, Rob
Thepent, Viboon
Evolution of agricultural mechanization in Thailand
title Evolution of agricultural mechanization in Thailand
title_full Evolution of agricultural mechanization in Thailand
title_fullStr Evolution of agricultural mechanization in Thailand
title_full_unstemmed Evolution of agricultural mechanization in Thailand
title_short Evolution of agricultural mechanization in Thailand
title_sort evolution of agricultural mechanization in thailand
topic imports
supply balance
policies
equipment
technology
sugar cane
maize
demand
labour
agriculture
harvesters
smallholders
agricultural mechanization
farms
cassava
mechanization
governance
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142802
work_keys_str_mv AT crambrob evolutionofagriculturalmechanizationinthailand
AT thepentviboon evolutionofagriculturalmechanizationinthailand