This 12th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2017 2021) is a multi-sectoral policy document. It is the five-year country development plan that translates the long-term 20-year National Strategy (2017-2036) into action. Significant development targets developed in the Plan are as follows: (1) Thai people have the characteristics of good citizens; (2) Income and poverty inequality are reduced. All Thai people should be able to access quality social services equally. The 40 percent with the lowest income (the lowest 40 percent) should have at least 15 percent higher income; (3) The economic system is strong and competitive; (4) Natural capital and environmental quality can support green growth as well as food, power, and water security; (5) National security, independence and sovereignty, social security, social cohesion, positive image, and country confidence are increased; (6) The public management system is efficient, up-to-date, transparent, and accountable, and also decentralized and involving popular participation.
The Plan consists of 10 strategies directions: 1. Strengthening and Realizing the Potential of Human Capital; 2. Creating a Just Society and Reducing Inequality; 3. Strengthening the Economy, and Underpinning Sustainable Competitiveness; 4. Environmentally-Friendly Growth for Sustainable Development; 5. Reinforcing National Security for the Country s Progress towards Prosperity and Sustainability; 6. Public Administration, Corruption Prevention, and Good Governance in Thai Society; 7. Advancing Infrastructure and Logistics; 8. Development of Science, Technology, Research, and Innovation; 9. Regional, Urban, and Economic Zone Development; 10. International Cooperation for Development.
As for agricultural development, the Plan calls for strengthening agricultural production towards sustainable agriculture by: (1) developing and maintaining water storage systems for agriculture, and planning the crop planting systems to match the availability of water; (2) protecting potential agricultural land and expanding opportunities for farmers to access land for their livelihood. 2) Building and transferring technical knowledge, science, technology, innovation, and co-creation of agricultural local wisdom to support the use of bio-based resources;e; (3) encouraging farmers to be knowledgeable in the collection, selection and improvement of plants, animals, aquatic animals, and local microorganisms.
As for the strategy for creating a just society and reducing inequality, the Plan focuses on upgrading the quality of social services and closing the social protection gaps, with an emphasis on rasing labor skills and pursuing labor policy that enhance labor productivity and income. Assistance should also be linked to increasing the productivity of the 40 percent of population with the lowest income, the disadvantaged, women and elderly persons. The Plan also seeks to foster communities capacity and strengthen the grassroots economy toward self-reliance and inclusiveness and the set out the relevant indicators, including: the share of households with access to sources of finance increases; the community empowerment index increases in all regions; etc.
The Plan further seeks to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems by: Pushing forward recognition of the quality of Thai agricultural and food products at the international level; Building and transferring technical knowledge, science, technology, innovation, and co-creation of agricultural local wisdom to support the use of bio-based resources; Strengthening the production capacity of the agroindustry value chain; etc.
In addition, the Plan seeks to increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters by lessening the impacts from climate change, and improve the response to natural disasters; promoting and developing the bio-economy as a new significant source of income, which requires the development of a risk management system and resilience in the face of climate change; etc.