SUFFiciENcy EcONOMy ANd GRASSROOtS DEvElOPMENt
SUFFiciENcy EcONOMy ANd GRASSROOtS DEvElOPMENt
SUFFiciENcy EcONOMy ANd GRASSROOtS DEvElOPMENt
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The Meaning of Sufficiency Economy <br />
International Conference<br />
223<br />
Village women came to understand that if they had too many children all will<br />
suffer. This fundamental Buddhist value became linked to the birth control practice<br />
adopted by nearly every family. By restricting family size they hoped to ensure that<br />
the children they had would have better lives because family resources could be<br />
better deployed so that their children would have sufficient support for their<br />
education and travel costs to Bangkok or elsewhere.<br />
Villagers also devoted increasing time and effort to expanding cash cropping.<br />
Throughout the 1970s and well into the 1980s they planted more land to such crops<br />
as kenaf, cassava, tobacco, and non-glutinous rice. As a consequence there was a<br />
significant reduction in Ban Nông Tün as throughout the Northeast in forested land.<br />
Some villagers also expanded pig and cattle production. By the mid-1990s, however,<br />
most villagers had concluded that cash-cropping and husbandry of animals for the<br />
market were not a good use of their time and energy because the profits were so<br />
small. As a result, they began to restrict their agricultural work to producing rice for<br />
home consumption.