On Rural Development in a Northeastern Thai Village

Abstract

Analysis of the diffusion of innovations in the process of rural development in a northeastern area of Thailand reveals the following :
(1) Richer farmers seek information about agricultural innovations, and adopt such “divisible” changes as chemical fertilizer, new strains of rice and pesticides more positively than poorer farmers.
(2) Social networks among close relatives work effectively, not only as channels of information and influence, but also channels of financing and lending/giving of agricultural innovations. By using the networks, poorer farmers can avail them-selves of agricultural innovations, though they are late in adoption.
(3) Because the income of farmers is low and the market for farm products is unstable, richer farmers do not invest in additional land or in such “indivisible” large-scale innovations as farm machinery and irrigation. Rather, they spend money on the education of their children so that they can get other jobs. Therefore, the social differences do not widen.
(4) If these promotors of change pay greater attention to the opinion leader of social networks among close relatives-who are not always richer farmers, -they can diffuse divisible agricultural innovations more effectively (in the case of optional decisions). If they make the social networks among relatives the vehicle of adoption, they can also introduce more easily the indivisible large-scale agricultural innovations as well (in the case of group decision).
(5) If local officials and change agents mobilize the villagers by paying wages to establish the base for rural development, they will destory the traditional system of group work. Then, when farm innovations diffuse, the social networks among different relatives will not work effectively to prevent the social stratification from widening.