I tend to pick up on interesting tid bits in my daily routine in the villages. One of the growing concerns I'm hearing from everyday farmers is the lack of rain during this rainy season. I didn't think too much of it at first, but the more I thought about it the more I think the farmers have a legitament worry.
The rainy season has been unusually light in my area compared to last year, and I called around to some of my Peace Corps friends and they noticed less rainfall as well. This made me wonder if we are either undergoing a transition in weather patterns due to global waarming or if this is just a brief bump in an otherwise stable and predictable weather pattern.
I pray it is the latter becaus if it is the former that could mean some real trouble ahead. Many of the farmers are worried about harvesting either lower quality or completely ruined rice this year. If this is the case, that would mean a poor earnings year for farmers at a time of ever rising input costs. If the problem is widespread enough, this could result in the rising of rice prices throughout Thailand, which wouldn't be good for anyone.
The rainy season has been unusually light in my area compared to last year, and I called around to some of my Peace Corps friends and they noticed less rainfall as well. This made me wonder if we are either undergoing a transition in weather patterns due to global waarming or if this is just a brief bump in an otherwise stable and predictable weather pattern.
I pray it is the latter becaus if it is the former that could mean some real trouble ahead. Many of the farmers are worried about harvesting either lower quality or completely ruined rice this year. If this is the case, that would mean a poor earnings year for farmers at a time of ever rising input costs. If the problem is widespread enough, this could result in the rising of rice prices throughout Thailand, which wouldn't be good for anyone.
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