Thailand, located between the 10° and 20° north, comprises an area of 513,000 kmē and has a population of 56 million of which 85% belong to the Thai peoples. Its neighbouring countries are Burma in the northwest, Laos in the northeast, Cambodia in the east and Malaysia in the south.
The project area (5 provinces, about 12,000 kmē, 4 million inhabitants) lies in the northeast with the centre of Chiang Mai which after Bangkok is the largest city in the country (150,000 inhabitants). The climate is tropical with temperatures of between 14° and 36°C. It is marked by a summer monsoon, the months of December to March are dry with only insignificant precipitation.
The areas important for the biogas dissemination programme are flat and lie at an altitude of about 200 m above sea level. Mostly rice, maize and manioc are cultivated on the fields. The settlements are mostly scattered villages.
Thailand belongs to the countries with an average income in the lowest category. The GNP amounted to 1,420 US$ in 1990 and has grown by 7.6% annually in the last decade. The services sector made a contribution to the GDP of 48%, industry 39%, processing industry 26% and agriculture only 12%. 35% of all imports are capital goods, the largest proportion of exports comes from agriculture and forestry (rice, maize, tapioca, vegetables, spices, caoutchouc, jute and teak). Thailand is the largest rice exporter throughout the world. All chemical fertilisers and oil products have to be imported. Electricity is exported to Laos.
In addition to production for exports, agriculture is expected to secure nourishment for the domestic population. The supply of wheat and chiefly rice is already sufficient for the home market. The production of pork and poultry is to be increased further. Pig-breeding farms are the central target of the biogas dissemination programme.
The 5-year plant begun in 1992 is devoted to the promotion of organic fertiliser. It is to be intensified mainly by improved training of the agricultural extension officers.
Environmental protection is a subject which is gaining in interest among the public. A new law on keeping the air and water clean is to be passed in 1992. This law applies centrally to the agroindustry and to large and medium-scale animal husbandry farms. At present however there is no extension service linked to the Ministry for the Environment.