[Tlc] T- moving away from agriculture?

[Peter Vail]

 From the Bangkok Post (March 13 2008)

Sharp drop in farmers stirs concern over future crops


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A sharp decline in the number of farmers and the amount of  
agricultural land is causing increasing concern about the country's  
future crop production. The Education and Agriculture ministries  
moved to halt the trend yesterday, signing an agreement intended to  
boost the number of people working the land. Agriculture and  
Cooperatives Minister Somsak Prissananantakul said the joint scheme  
was part of an effort to keep the country's farming sector alive.  
Statistics from the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE) show the  
number of people involved in the agricultural industry has fallen  
significantly to about 25.2 million nationwide, or about 40% of the  
population. Ten years ago it was 55-60%.

Mr Somsak said a lack of job security has prompted farmers to seek  
employment in the industrial and service sectors. ''If the trend  
continues, it is estimated that the number of people in the  
agriculture sector will further drop to 37% by the year 2013, which  
will threaten the country's food-producing capacity.

''This is worrisome and requires action to prevent any effects on the  
country's farming sector and the agriculture-based economy,'' he said.



The OAE statistics also indicate that the area of farmland in the  
country has continued to shrink. An OAE source said the fall in  
agricultural land use was due mainly to urban expansion. Although  
there has been no obvious impact on productivity due to the reduced  
area of land in use, a consequence of improved technology and better  
farm management, the situation is of concern.



Mr Somsak said the five-year joint scheme will be implemented at  
three vocational colleges _ the Agriculture and Technology College,  
the Fisheries College and the Vocational Training College _ all under  
the Office of the Vocational Education Commission. The two ministries  
will work jointly to create education opportunities and provide  
incentives to attract potential students to further their studies at  
those colleges, he said.



They will develop the campus grounds to accommodate farm students and  
support research and development programmes. The students will be  
provided with agricultural know-how and training in farming and  
developing business plans, including marketing, to ensure they could  
manage their farms professionally.

''This cooperation will mark the beginnings of a new generation of  
farmers who will use their know-how to develop promising careers,''  
Mr Somsak said.