Signs of change: The next two decades of the agricultural women's groups in Thailand

Abstract

Thailand is an agricultural country where many women participate in agricultural practice. They work in the fields and also generate other sources of income to support their families. This research deals with the Agricultural Women Groups (AWGs) that have reflected the influence of local, global, world system changes within a policy over the 30 year period and the National Agricultural Women Groups (NAWGs) are quite popular among the AWGs. The dissertation examines the factors associated with the successes of the Agricultural Women's Groups (AWGs) over the past 30 years and considers how those factors have assisted the AWGs in accommodating to the changes that have occurred in rural Thailand during that time. This study investigates the NAWGs in Thailand which had a total of 24 NAWGs throughout the country from 1982 to 2006. The study applies observation, Participatory Action Research (PAR), archival records, face to face in-depth interview and telephone-long interview. In addition, the respondents are the leader, committee, members, people working for the NAWGs, the DOAE's officers working with each group, a total of 176 respondents. The paper attempts to use the organizational theory and the open systems perspectives, to explain the future of the AWGs and find the leadership perspective of the NAWGs. Clearly, the AWG is a tool for agricultural women. It helps women develop their occupations, increases family income and enhances the quality of life of families and communities. This study shows that almost all NAWGs achieve remarkable successes but not all of them could maintain their successes. The study finds that the internal and external participants of the NAWGs are one of the important elements that could affect the organization especially the leaders of the groups.