Map Sabai Vol.37
In this month's edition of Map Sabai (Vol.37)
Cover Photo: Farmer completing a day of hard work
Northern Attractions
In Tribute to the North's Farmers
Cover Photo: Farmer completing a day of hard work
Northern Attractions
In Tribute to the North's Farmers
Art Space
Featured Artist:
Suppharat Ratcharin
Featured: In Tribute to the North's Farmers
Given the countless cultural and natural attractions Northern Thailand offers to visitors, it is easy to overlook a different aspect of this region, which may be less spectacular than all the golden temples, steep waterfalls, elephant rides and the like, but which is at least as important to the country, society, and increasingly to the whole world.
The talk is about farming and agriculture, source of a great part of Thailand’s richness. It is in fact the people who relentlessly work in the fields day-in day-out, often poor subsistence farmers, to which urban areas like Chiang Mai owe their daily supply of fruits, vegetables and - most importantly – rice. It used to be that these farmers not only had to work hard without receiving either sufficient monetary compensation, or appropriate social appreciation. Fortunately for them, though, their situation has changed to the better with the increase in global food prices, which is being felt not only in Thailand but worldwide. With prices for rice having more than doubled this year, and those of many other agricultural products following suit, leading to consumers’ panic and sometimes riots in far-away parts of the world, it is no wonder that more and more people have finally come to appreciate the real value that farmers contribute to society. It is the very purpose of this article to call this fact in mind and pay tribute to those people.
When traveling in Northern Thailand this time of the year, one has ample opportunity to get a first-hand impression of the importance of agriculture throughout the region. The seemingly endless paddy fields, deep-green fruit and vegetable plantations, and corn being grown up steep hills in between tea and coffee plantations, are best proof of this. The next time you pass by one of those stunning fields, you might want to keep in mind the hard-working people who are the driving force behind it all.
