Contract Farming: States, Capitalists, and Farmers on the Mae Sot, Thailand-Myawaddy Myanmar Border
คำสำคัญ:
contract farming, sub-regional cooperation, agricultural, capitalists, ACMECSบทคัดย่อ
This article examines contract farming in the Mae Sot–Myawaddy border region by analyzing the interdependent roles of the state, capitalists, and farmers within regional economic frameworks such as ACMECS and the ASEAN Integration System of Preferences (AISP). Rather than viewing contract farming solely as a development strategy, the article presents it as a mechanism that reshapes agrarian relations, power structures, and social dynamics in border areas. The study is based on an extensive review of relevant literature and empirical research, drawing from both theoretical analyses and field-based studies. The author critiques overly optimistic portrayals of contract farming, arguing that despite its potential to offer market access and production support, it can also deepen inequality, environmental harm, and economic dependency particularly for smallholders. By classifying contract farming into formal and informal systems, the article emphasizes how its impacts vary according to farmers' socio-economic status. Using the Mae Sot–Myawaddy region as a case study, the article contextualizes broader patterns of transnational agrarian capitalism. It contributes to existing scholarship by calling for fairer governance mechanisms, stronger protections for farmers, and a reevaluation of contract farming as both an economic and political process shaping borderland development.
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