Going green in Thailand: Upgrading in global organic value chains

• Main Authors: DONALDSON, John A., MOORE, Joel D.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2017
• Subjects: Political Science
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3042; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4299/viewcontent/GoingGreeninThailandMooreDonaldson.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Under what conditions are small-scale farmers able to overcome significant barriers to shift into producing organic rice? In a global context, the answers are vital. Rice – as with other staple goods – in many areas of the developing world has become dependent on chemical fertilizers, causing rapid deterioration in the natural environment. Rice grown with chemical fertilizers is less safe to consume. While the global environmental imperative justifies conversion (or in most cases, reconversion) to the production of organic (or at least safer) rice, the local impact of the overuse of chemical fertilizers is just as crucial. Chemical fertilizers create lasting effects on the health of local farmers, both in terms of the direct effects from the fertilizer’s application, and in terms of the indirect effects the fertilizer has on local drinking water. While chemical fertilizers when first introduced can rapidly increase rice yields, farmers often find those gains diminishing over time (e.g., Tilman et al, 2002). Thus, many farmers experience a vicious cycle – reduced yields cause increased chemical fertilizer use. This cycle also causes many farmers to fall into debt, as the cost of chemical fertilizers can be high, while both the yields and the price of rice tend to fall. Meanwhile, organic rice has a strong international certification system and enjoys a price premium. Demand for organic rice is stronger and growing. Therefore, the imperatives for shifting into the production of organic rice are mounting.