ADRF Project on Food Security Thailand: Country Case Studies

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ADRF Project on Food SecurityThailand Country
Case Studies

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yongyout Kachondham, MD.Thai
  Health Promotion FoundationAsst. Prof. Col. Dr.
  Nantaporn Viravathana, Ph.D.Phramongkutklao
  College of Medicine and Office of HRH Princess
  Maha Chakri Sirindhorns Projects

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Country Profile

• Situated in the Southeast Asian mainland
• Covering an area of 513,115 sq. km.
• With a coastline of approximately 2,700 km.
• Population of 63.7 million
• A warm and humid tropical country
• An agricultural country

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Countrys Situation

• Economic structure shifted from agricultural
  sector to industrial sector during the past
  decade.
• rapid transition from a rural to an urbanized and
  industrialized society
• agriculture for commercial purposes instead of
  household consumption
• more food purchased than home produced

4

• Economic crisis in1997
• Layoffs leading to unemployment
• Some unemployed return to agricultural sector
• Food commodities, both basic and value-added
  process products are still the major source of
  export earnings.

5
Countrys Commitmentfor Food Security

• the country has prepared itself
• to maintain its status
• as a food self-sufficient country
• as well as a food exporter
• in Asia and in the world.

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• Joined the World Food Summit in 1996 at Rome
• National Economic and Social Development Plans
• Agricultural Development Policies
• National Food and Nutrition Plan
• His Majesty the King and Royal familys
  initiatives
• Agricultural development
• Quality of life improvement

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Food Security Situation and Trends (From 1991 to
2002)

• Hunger and undernourished still exist in some
  pocket areas of the country.
• Overnutrition problem

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• Food insecurity at household level
• income (purchasing power)
• food price
• access to the food market

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Constraining Facilitating Factors in Achieving
Food Security

• Agricultural resources
• people
• arable land
• rainfall and artificial rain
• irrigation system
• coastal area

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• Researches and technology for improving yields
  and reducing production costs
• biotechnology
• genetic engineering
• farming system research
• Farmers Organizations
• agricultural cooperatives
• farmer groups

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Policies and Program to Ensure Food Security

• Self-sufficient Economy combined with The New
  Theory of His Majesty the King as a guideline
  for earning the livings
• A small scale of agricultural education project
  for children initiated by HRH Princess Maha
  Chakri Sirindhorn

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• A grass root economic policy
• Occupational Rehabilitation
• People Bank
• Village/Urban Fund
• One Tambon One Product (OTOP)

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• Transportation networks
• construction of 3,440 roads within the villages
• Suwannapoom International Airport
• Economic Corridor project link among Myanmar,
  Thailand, Lao PDR and Vietnam

14

• Communications for developing the marketing
  system for distribution of agricultural produce
• establishing internet networks in 6,745 tambons
• promoting e-commerce
• establishing a cooperative store in 76 provinces

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• Ensure nutritional and health security
• Universal Health Coverage
• Growth monitoring and promotion (GMP)
• Supplementary feeding
• Food Based Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Thais
  and Nutrition Flag
• Food labeling
• Revision of Recommended dietary Allowances for
  Thais
• Public mobilization
• School Lunch Fund

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Conclusion

• To achieve household food security
• Agricultural development towards the balance
  between production for commercial purposes and
  production for self-sufficiency.
• Nutrition literacy issue.