2.1 At the Macro or National Level
In the past, Thailand strictly followed the mainstream development path generically recommended by major development agencies, starting from export-oriented model based on agricultural products and followed by manufacturing products through industrialization. Farmers also switched from practicing traditional agriculture, which is a mixture of different variety of crops to commercial agriculture, which focuses on monoculture.
As a result, the share of the country’s GDP originating from the agricultural sector increased from 63,628 million Baht in 1961 to 326,773 million Baht in 20021 (NESDB, 1961; 2002). However, the growth of mono-cultured crops coupled with the construction of road networks to provide market access for these products