The Production of Seeds for Export in the Borderlands of Thai-Lao PDR: Looking Through Perspectives of Land Ownerships and Land Use.
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This paper is based on the research entitled “The change of land uses and land ownerships in the borderland of Thai-Laos conducted by Natedao Taotawin and Nopporn Choungching (2014). This research aims to answer three main questions: (1) what are the conditions which contribute to the expansion of cash crops in the borderland of Thai-Laos; (2) what are the mechanisms being used to support the expansion of cash crops in the borderland; and (3) what are the relationship between cash crops boom and its impact on changing patterns of land use and land ownerships in the borderland of Thai-Laos. The research major findings are: (1) the conditions that support the cash crops booms in the borderland of Thai-Laos are the governmental development of infrastructure, the availability of immigrant workers from Lao PDR, the suitable ecosystem, and the availability of lands which can be turned into agricultural lands; (2) the booms of cash crop in the borderland are more and more associated with agro-industrial. In case of hybrid seeds industry, the mechanism being used by transnational corporations (TNCs) is contract farming. Contract farming here is a mechanism to facilitate the growth of seed production in the borderland of Northeastern Thailand. Contract farming helps TNCs to access to lands and labors of farmers who have capabilities to produce hybrid seeds. In the perspective of TNCs, contract farming helps to ensure quality and quantity of hybrid seeds required. In the perspective of farmers, contract farming allows them to access to capital, knowledge and techniques, and new markets which are beneficial to them and helps them gaining better incomes and living standard; (3) impacts of cash crops booms on land uses and land ownerships in the borderland of Thai-Laos are enormous but different. In case of seeds production, the boom of seeds industry in the borderland does not lead to the rise of land markets and land speculations. As the growth of seeds production here results from intensification of land use for agriculture. Therefore, the farmers can maintain land ownerships and use lands for growing various kinds of crops.
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