Abstract
Sustainable agriculture is one of the major policy reforms that have transformed agricultural development in Thailand since the turn of the millennium. From the Seventh to the Tenth National Social and Economic Development Plans of Thailand (1992 to 2011), sustainable agriculture has been increasingly adopted and has gradually become the nation's most important reform agenda. In addition, Thailand's highly respected King has proclaimed the concept of “sufficiency economy”, which integrates the new farming systems with the Buddhist concept of self-restraint. These impulses are behind the widespread acceptance of sustainable agriculture by Thai society. Thai agricultural education has been revised to better conform with the national reform plans. Higher education on sustainable agriculture and development has been initiated at many Thai higher educational institutions. For example, Kasetsart University offers an international master's degree program on sustainable agriculture. The Asian Institute of Technology has partnered with the Norwegian Government to offer a program called “Education for Sustainable Development” for students pursuing master's or doctoral degrees. Thammasat University has also developed a master's degree in sustainable agriculture. In northern Thailand, Chiang Mai University offers a joint master's degree program entitled “Sustainable Agriculture and Integrated Watershed Management” in partnership with Germany's Universitat Hohenheim. This program provides students with in-depth knowledge of the complexity of watershed agro-ecosystems, sustainable agricultural practices, and new pathways of integrated watershed management. The Faculty of Social Sciences at Chiang Mai University also offers a program on sustainable development. Despite this progress, the roles of Thai universities in developing these programs must be strengthened and further developed. Direct or indirect partnerships with other local educational institutions, their surrounding communities, and other stakeholders are the keys to successfully implementing sustainable agriculture and development programs both in Thailand and in the country's higher educational system.
