Project Leader	Kusaka Yousuke (Kobe University, Graduate School of Intercultural Studies)
Research Project	Relationships Between Urban Migration and Coffee Business of Mountain People in Northern Thailand
Countries of Study	Thailand

Outline of Research

This study investigates the coffee business of mountain people in Northern Thailand and how they develop their own businesses through a survey of networks linking rural and urban areas, as well as Thailand and overseas. In Northern Thailand, coffee bean cultivation and cafe management by hill tribes, especially the Akha, have been observed, and this study considers such economic activities in general as ‘coffee business. ’ This study will involve two months of fieldwork in Northern Thailand. It will approach from multiple perspectives by surveying mountain plantations and urban cafes, coffee bean producers, and intermediaries.

Purpose of Research, Its Significance and Expected Results, etc

This study aims to clarify how mountain people, especially the Akha, who are a minority in contemporary Thai society, proactively develop their business activities by focusing on the coffee business.

The study covers all aspects of the coffee business, from coffee cultivation to cafe management, and thus provides a perspective on economic activities that go beyond agriculture and tourism, in which hill tribes have been engaged and on which studies have been accumulated. The study of coffee can also provide material for developing research on the introduction of cash crops among mountain people in Thailand in relation to the migration of mountain people to cities and their relationships with the global economy.

The coffee business of the hill tribes in Thailand can be characterized at this stage in two main ways. First, it was initiated under the influence of a development project by the royal family. Second, it has an ethnic business aspect in which ethnic costumes are reflected in the packaging. From these two characteristics, this study can draw a picture of how mountain people, a minority group that has been the target of development projects, now express their roots positively and conduct businesses. From this perspective, the results of this study can be connected to and discussed with research on ethnic businesses by minorities such as indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities in other regions.