Consequences

Poverty has its consequences and the challenges faced in the villages are numerous:

 - Many villagers often carry debts from moneylenders, at high interest rates. Some farmers borrow money for fertilisers or other agricultural input at an interest rate of 120-240 per cent per year.

- Villagers lack marketing skills and business management skills.

- Natural disasters such as floods and droughts reduce agricultural production.

- Villagers lack the ability to survey market needs and trends and to adapt to suit the market.

- Environmental degradation impacts upon agricultural production and quality.

- Villagers migrate to big cities leaving their children behind.

- Basic public health services are not available in sufficient quantitites, especially in the case of children’s health.

- Children have only basic education as parents lack money to finance further study.

- Co-operative management is weak.

Education is failing to keep the pace with development throughout the country. Schools and colleges face the challenge of producing a generation with the skills needed to support economic growth in the 21st century. Most rural schools only provide education until grade 9 (3rd year of secondary school). Rural schools are much less equipped than the schools in large towns and cities and the standard of education is much lower.

An important part of the population in the province of Surin (Eastern province of Isaan, close to the borders of Cambodja) has its roots in Cambodja (a.o. fugitives from the war against the Kmer regime of Pol-Pot). As a result, national government does not consider them as real Thai citizens. This lack of interest adds to the poverty in the region and the low level of education.