Graduation Year

2021

Date of Submission

5-2021

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Award

Best Senior Thesis in Environment, Economics, and Politics

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environment, Economics, and Politics (EEP)

Reader 1

William Ascher

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Rights Information

2021 Megan R Perron

Abstract

Thailand’s increasing migration rates out of the country’s poorest region over the past few decades have resulted in a range of issues for both migrants and relatives of the migrants who choose to remain at home. A combination of rapid urban growth in Bangkok and a declining agricultural sector in the Northeast, driven by climate change and unsustainable farming practices, is driving rural-to-urban migration that subjects them to harsh working conditions and social marginalization. To attract migration back to Isaan, the implementation of Climate-Smart Agriculture in the near term and eventually, Regenerative Agriculture, will likely build climate resilience in the face of climate change and raise farm income and productivity. These changes include a recommendation to transition to supplementary agriculture to avoid unsustainable groundwater extraction rates and provide farm resilience in the face of increasing rainfall variability. In addition, the development of infrastructure in growing Northeastern secondary cities should be considered. Increasing accessibility to urban centers in the Northeast may help residents acquire the benefits associated with agglomeration. Finally, Thailand ought to take a passive approach to internal movement. History of conflict, urban exclusion, and government-sponsored resettlement has contributed to conflict in the South and has caused the nation to lose out on economic growth associated with agglomeration.

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