This article by Jonathan Rigg highlights “The Role of the Environment in Limiting the Adoption of New Rice Technology in Northeastern Thailand.” This research shares how even decades ago, farmers face decisions of whether or not to use pesticides that can impact the soil and crop quality for years to come. This follows two communities farming wet-rice in the providence of Khorat Plateau in order to understand success of technology from the government endorsed “Green Revolution,” which has been known to increase crop yields.

Strategies of these communities are understood, as they face periods of floods and droughts that impact the methods and outputs of wet-rice farming.

“Environmental risks associated with each type of riceland varied, and that this played a large role in determining which rice varieties were cultivated. Fertilizer use is influenced in a similar way” (Rigg 1985).

Overall, farmers in Noon Tae and Tha Song Kor could not acurately predict the amounts of water in their pattys, which had significant impacts on the production of wet rice. Fertilizers were more sought after by small scale farmers who wanted to maximize production, but many farmers had variable and limited cash flow that decreased use of pesticides.

“The rate of chemical fertilizer use also appeared to be largely influenced by the physical conditions of the area,” whereas farmers often used small amounts of fertilizer given the unknown rainfall patterns. This highlights the understanding of impacts pesticides can have on unintended targets of use, like wet-rice.

Rigg, J. D. (1985). The Role of the Environment in Limiting the Adoption of New Rice Technology in Northeastern Thailand. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 10(4), 481–494. https://doi.org/10.2307/621893