It is often said that nobody who's willing to work will ever starve in Thailand. A 13th century king's praise for his homeland, inscribed in stone and memorized by schoolchildren, proclaims that “there is rice in the fields, and fish in the waters.” Even in hard times like today, the country's natural wealth continues to provide hopes and a livelihood for its sons and daughters.

Thailand's geographic location spans a length of more than 1,600 kilometers—roughly the distance from New York to Miami—which means its climate and plant and animal life are the most diverse in Southeast Asia. The country is therefore able to grow tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate lowland and lowland crops for domestic consumption and export. Rice has always been the most important crop, and many varieties have been developed over the year to suit the climate and soil types of different region. Cash crops such as rubber, cassava, maize, soybean, tobacco, sugar cane and pineapple were introduced in the 1950s and 1960s. Since then Thailand has become one of the world's major food producers, and looks set to keep its place into the next millenium.

It is impossible to talk about agriculture in Thailand and not mention the Royal Projects. The first of these were started in the early 1970s with the goal of improving the living standards of hill tribe people in the North and wean them off opium cultivation. Temperate-climate fruits and vegetables were introduced as replacement crops. These as well as later projects have proved very successful both in eliminating opium growing and promoting new farming methods in the northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiangrai, Lumphun and Mae Hong Son, all of which offer abundant opportunity for agrotourists. The Royal Project Foundation has four research stations and 34 development centers which work to support farmers in selecting crops, improving farm management, and helping to preserve the environment. The Foundation also helps farmers with marketing, packaging and processing. Products are marketed under the brand name Doi Kham and are available at supermarkets and at the Farmers Market near Chatuchak Park.

Traditional farm life varies from region to region. The Central Plains are known as the country's rice bowl, but the crop is grown everywhere. Though mechanization is taking over in some parts, manual labor is still in wide use, from planting to harvesting. Rice is grown year round in the Central Plains, but elsewhere the planting cycle is fixed. Most of the country starts planting in May or June and harvests the crop between October and December. The South, which has a different rainfall pattern, starts planting between July and September and harvests its crop between February and March. There are fascinating rituals surrounding each step of farming, and harvest time is the best time to stop by and see the farmers at work, especially in villages where farming is not yet commercialized. It is possible to visit the rice fields during harvest time, and at some facilities, such as Maejo University in Chiang Mai, you can try your hands at planting or harvesting the rice in their demonstration fields.

Fruit and salt farming flourish in the provinces on both coasts of the Gulf of Thailand. The Eastern provinces receive the southwest monsoon that makes them greener and wetter than the rest of the country. They produce quality rambutan, mangosteen and some of the best durians for local and overseas markets. Provinces southwest of Bangkok are also fruit growers, though the list varies from one to the next, and cottage industries long ago sprung up to absorb oversupplies. A visit to these quaint little factories offers an opportunity to sample their products and take home some of the best.

Thailand's agrotourism to a large extent shares a boundary with eco and cultural tourism, since farm life is inseparable from local culture and heritage. Agrotourism centers run by the Department of Agricultural Extension offer tours of local farms with nature exploration and home stay in the villages. Some agro destinations can be enjoyable stops on a long trip, offering sightseeing, education and shopping opportunities in one packages.


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