Contract Farming and the Study of Maize Cultivation Dynamics Ban Tha Ngam, Huai Aeng Subdistrict, Mueang District, Maha sarakham Province, 1967-2025

Abstract

This academic article aims to study the dynamics of contract farming for maize cultivation in Ban Tha Ngam, Huai Aeng Subdistrict, Mueang District, Maha Sarakham Province, between 1967 and 2025. The study employs a local historical research methodology, collecting data through document research and oral history interviews. The results are presented in a descriptive analysis format. The findings indicate that in the early period before the 1970s, glutinous maize was grown along the Huai Aeng canal and at the edges of rice fields. In the second period, from the 1970s to the 2000s, the construction of the Huai Aeng reservoir facilitated maize cultivation, leading to its expansion as a key economic crop for the community. In the third period, from the 2000s to 2025, maize cultivation in Ban Tha Ngam became a contract farming system. Villagers borrowed maize from the community to sell, relying on kinship ties to negotiate terms. Simultaneously, investors stipulated that farmers must purchase seeds, fertilizers, and chemicals from them, with investors guaranteeing a repurchase price for the maize – all under verbal agreements. The villagers of Tha Ngam adapted to the limitations of power relations by leveraging their social capital and creating a roadside market along the Maha Sarakham-Roi Et road. This market serves as a distribution point for their products while also allowing them to control production and set their own prices.