ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses historical development of Thai agrarian movements and alternative development ideas between the 1970s and 1990s. It provides an overview of counter-hegemonic ideas, production–distribution practices, and governance structures of the sustainable agriculture movement (SAM) and the land reform movement (LRM). The chapter also discusses co-optation of oppositions, controversial agrarian policies, as well as polarised political situations and their divisive effects on agrarian social movements in the 2000s and early 2010s. SAM supporters in Thailand try to provide alternatives to the mainstream agri-food system and prioritise health, social ties, self-reliance and ecological sustainability over profit maximisation. The paddy pledging scheme is a subject of fierce debate in Thailand which also fuels polarised political conflicts. The chapter argues that the scheme intensifies and exacerbates structural problems of the agri-food system. It explains the paddy pledging scheme with a focus on its implementation under Phua Thai government between 2011 and 2014.
