Abstract
Rice farming remains socially and economically important for the Karen people of Northern Thailand, despite the increase of young people's migration to cities since the 1980s. This paper discusses how Karen residing in one mountain village have managed rice farming and defined its meanings in relation to out-migration and the decrease of labor. I focus on 3 points: 1) the persistence of important norms regarding rice farming; 2) the labor shortage caused by urban migration of youth, in the face of which the Karen have used new farming inputs (e.g., herbicides, fertilizers); and 3) the transition in labor allocation, which has resulted in an increasing role for married women in rice farming activities and the redefinition of their positions in the household.
Previous studies suggest that the Karen have been slow to enter the market economy due to their preference for farming rice primarily for their own consumption. However, the aforementioned dynamics demonstrate that the Karen maintain rice farming even as they engage in the market economy. Rather than discussing Karen rice farming and involvement with the market as alternatives, we must consider the two activities as dynamically interactive, wherein farmers adopt new inputs in response to urban migration and involvement with the market.
