Somewhat rhetorical I guess:

Typically a farang in Thailand that has access to a few rai by default or design immediately thinks "what can I plant to get a bob or two".

Yet many Thais, atleast down here in the south, have 5+++ rai yet do not utilise it except for parking the Toyota.
Okay there are few small shop owners that plant in pots and available scraps of land chilies and whatnot.

Different thought process,laziness,apathy,?

Couple of months ago our rubber cutters came and dug up a few banana culms and took various fruit tree seeds...think they have about 25 rai of rubber with a couple of rai unoccupied..just wonder why this never occurred to them before? ( not drinkers or... with a youngster in uni).
Was thinking that surely the rice farmers have some available land to plant cassava or other stuff?