In times of economic turbulent where a large number of
population subgroups are subject to unavoidable negative
economic shocks, there is an urgent need to have in place a
comprehensive policy framework and implementation capability to
help mitigate the impacts. Since 2007, the world economy has
been going through a series of economic abnormalities, starting
from rapidly rising food and fuel prices, the subprime and credit
crunch originating in the United States and then the subsequent
global recession that is perhaps the most severe one since the
Great Depression. Thailand is unfortunately among the economies
that are considerably affected, as its dependence on imported fuels
as major source of energy and on exports as major source of
national income are both increasing. And although Thailand is a
world leader in rice and other foods, significant fraction of its poor
population live on farming, for example, about 40 percent of Thai
poor lives on rice-farming. Their livelihood, and hence the country’s
poverty situation, is therefore affected by fluctuating movement in
rice price. The fluctuation in fuel price in 2008 was even greater.