Village farmers in northeast Thailand

Although buffalos are not used as much for farming these days, many people still raise and tend them, some for use in the fields, some for meat and milk, and some simply because they love the animals.

Northeast Thailand, known as Isan (pronounced EE-sahn), is the most populated area of the country and also its poorest. The annual per capita income in Isan’s 20 provinces ranges from 51,000-108,000 THB (US$ 1,591-3,346). Many of the people in this region are farmers who own small plots of land on which they grow a variety of crops to support themselves. The main crops are rice, sugar cane, taro or cassava, and rubber trees. In addition, nearly all raise livestock or fowl as well as fruit trees, and many tend small vegetable gardens. 

I regularly spend short periods of time in Isan where my wife and I have a home in her family's village near the Cambodian border. Over the years, I have taken hundreds of photographs of the people in the village, and in others in the region. This post combines recent photographs with others taken previously, in the hope of giving a glimpse of how people in Isan's villages live. I say "a glimpse" because although I know the people here well, I still have much to learn.

I hope this photo documentary will give you an idea of the way that a great many rural Thais live.

All photos are copyrighted © by the author. It is illegal for images to be used for any purpose unless granted permission. 

Elephants are an important part of Thai life, symbolically, historically and practically. The giant animals are no longer used in the lumber industry, so they are often used as transport for tourists and for dignitaries during special celebrations, such as this day when two village temples had their annual fundraisers. Many elephants have been retired and live a peaceful and fulfilling life in ever-expanding sanctuaries where people are not allowed to ride them. Thailand still has a large number of elephants that live in the wild. Here a procession of 15 elephants travels from one village temple to another a few kilometers away.

A musician entertains locals at the weekly large market (a smaller market is open daily in the village) while his daughter checks out the photographer. 

Unlike in many countries, cattle are not fenced in fields, but live in small pens next to the owner's house and taken to graze at various places nearby, often along roads or in harvested rice fields. They return every evening to the pens.

 The following photos are of people taken in two villages in Surin Province, showing why Thailand is often known as "the land of smiles."

Many trucks have colorful hand-painted scenes or decorations.

Chong Chom, a large market on the Thailand-Cambodia border that attracts people from many provinces.

A vendor waits for customers after carefully stacking mangoes in the form of a flower.

A young couple on their wedding day in a small village.

A convenient and popular (not to mention dangerous) mode of transportation is in the bed of a neighbor's pickup truck.

Local police in training in the district's main town.

Kite flying is very popular in Isan, especially during the windy months of December and January. This man holds his homemade kite. Many leave their kites tethered to fly all night, during which the strings vibrate with an eery moan that can be heard throughout the village.

A vendor at a local market, wearing one of the region's common straw hats

Many enterprising gardeners and farmers make rounds on motorcycles or in pickup trucks to sell produce in small villages.

A broom salesman rides or walks his bicycle through a market, announcing his presence with a bulb horn.

A farmer carries a sack of soil through a rice field to repair an earthen dam.

A woman removes outer leaves from vegetables at a market.

Cattle are herded to their day's grazing area by their owner who uses a motorcycle rather than walking.

Monks are a respected part of village life, and the local temple is the community center of every village in Isan. Here monks shop in Chong Chom market.

Buffalos are still used in the fields, but not as frequently as in the past, as small tractors are now being more widely used. Here a man drives a small herd home after a day of grazing.

A villager returns with his shrimp traps.

Socializing is very important in village society. Groups often sit for hours chatting.

A woman poses with a freshly killed chicken. The bowl holds blood from the bird. It will be congealed and used in soups.

Women use mortars and pestles to pound herbs and chilis that will be used in making the evening meal.

Some homeowners set up Buddha altars in spaces that are protected from the elements.

Boots dry near a shelter where rubber farmers stay during the sap collecting season. Note the ceramic aung at left that collects rainwater, which will be used for washing clothes and showering during the sixth month long dry season.

A village woman carries vegetables from her garden to sell at the small village market.

Rubber trees. The liquid is collected, then processed into rubber sheets and sold.

The life of Thai villagers is simple but often difficult. Some leave the village temporarily to find work in other places and send money back to the family. Despite the hardships and uncertainties of climate, Thai villagers remain quite positive and find pleasure in basic things, such as visiting with friends and family, and participating in events at the village temple.