AGRARIAN TRANSITION, INTENSIFICATION AND THE RENEGOTIATION OF MIGRANT LABOR RELATIONS: CAMBODIAN WORKERS IN SUGAR CANE PRODUCTION IN NONG SANO VILLAGE, SAKAEO PROVINCE, THAILAND

Agriculture becomes more commercialized which farmers shift to cash crops that generate greater income. In Sakaeo province, there is also a transition to sugar cane. Factors that made farmers shift to sugar cane growing is support from both government sector and sugar cane mill. Farmers apply more inputs, land use, and labor in sugar cane production. This intensification heavily affects to labor dimension as there is a high demand on labor for sugar cane growing. As a result, Cambodian migrant workers have more bargaining power to renegotiate relations with Thai farmers. This thesis aims to explain why farmers intensified their production to sugar cane, and how they intensified it. Moreover this thesis also determine how intensification shapes renegotiation between Thai farmers and Cambodian migrant workers. This thesis applies agrarian transition as a conceptual framework which focuses on intensification process. It also employs social relations as another framework. This thesis used qualitative methodology to collect data from farmers and Cambodian migrant workers in Nong Sano village, Sakaoe province. This thesis argues that, firstly, agrarian transition from other crops to sugar cane growing in Nong Sano village occurred according to support from government sector and the sugar cane mill. Secondly, intensification in sugar cane production reduces Cambodian migrant labor vulnerability because increase on labor demand creates new kind of relations between Thai farmers and migrant labors which migrant labors have more choice and bargaining power to renegotiate. Thirdly, this thesis argues that Chaidan Burapa Farmers Association plays an important role in giving legal status to Cambodian migrant workers which also empower them.农业商业化进程不断深化，农户纷纷转向种植经济作物以获取更高收益。在沙缴府（Sakaeo），当地农业也正转向甘蔗种植。促使农户转向甘蔗种植的核心因素，在于政府部门与甘蔗制糖厂（sugar cane mill）的双重扶持。农户在甘蔗种植中投入更多生产资料、土地与劳动力，此种生产集约化（intensification）对劳动力维度造成显著影响——甘蔗种植对劳动力存在极高需求。在此背景下，柬埔寨外来务工人员（Cambodian migrant workers）拥有了更多议价权（bargaining power），可与泰国农户重新协商雇佣关系。 本研究旨在阐释农户为何转向甘蔗集约化生产，以及其集约化生产的具体实现路径；此外，本研究还将探明生产集约化如何重塑泰国农户与柬埔寨外来务工人员之间的雇佣协商关系。 本研究以聚焦集约化进程的农业转型（agrarian transition）理论作为核心分析框架，同时辅以社会关系分析框架。研究以沙缴府农沙诺村（Nong Sano Village）的农户与柬埔寨外来务工人员为调研对象，采用质性研究方法（qualitative methodology）开展数据采集工作。 本研究提出三大核心论点：其一，农沙诺村实现从其他作物种植向甘蔗种植的农业转型，得益于政府部门与甘蔗制糖厂的扶持；其二，甘蔗种植的集约化生产降低了柬埔寨外来务工人员的弱势处境：劳动力需求的提升催生了泰国农户与务工人员间的新型雇佣关系，务工人员拥有更多选择空间与议价权，可重新协商雇佣条款；其三，猜丹武拉巴农民协会（Chaidan Burapa Farmers Association）在为柬埔寨外来务工人员争取合法身份方面发挥了关键作用，进而增强了务工人员的话语权与自主能力。