http://www.fao.org/3/ac145e/AC145E00.htm#for
One of the dramatic achievements in the Asian region has been the remarkable progress in reducing the extent of famine, hunger and starvation. The recent economic crisis in the region, including Thailand has further emphasized the critical role of agriculture on the road to economic recovery. There is an increased pressure on domestic food production and supply to meet the needs of growing population. Our current and achievable challenge, therefore, is to build upon and accelerate the progress registered in Thailand to ensure safe, secure and nutritious food in the next millennium.
One of the priority aims of most countries in the region is the production of adequate food, in terms of quality and quantity, for the well-being of their rapidly increasing population. Although the bulky staples like cereals, legumes and tubers have received considerable attention in the past, the production of fruits and more particularly vegetables was taken for granted until recently, in spite of their nutritional importance.
In Thailand, the interest in vegetable production has increased rapidly as a result of greater appreciation of the food value of vegetables in human diet. Today, people in every walk of life are consuming more fresh vegetables than ever before, thus making the growing of more vegetables vitally important.