By Apiradee Treerutkuarkul/ Agriculture and Food Cluster
Up to 50 smallholder farmers who are members of the Sustainable Aromatic Rice Initiative (SARI) project recently went on a road trip to get first-hand experience of climate-resilient farming management.
A recent week-long trip started from the SARI farmers’ home province of Roi Et in the Northeast. The province occupies one-third of the 800,000-acre Thung Kula Rong Hai, an expansive, dry and harsh area in the middle of the northeastern region. Local communities not only in Roi Et but also in other provinces including Surin, Buriram, Yasothon, and Mahasarakham, are also earning an income from growing the world-renowned rainfed Khao Hom Mali Thung Kula Rong Hai, or Thai Jasmine Rice, to support their families only once a year.
The first stop was in Chai Nat province where they visited farmer members of Thai Rice NAMA project to learn about farming practices of Laser Land Levelling, Alternate Wet and Dry, Integrated Pest Management and tailor-made fertiliser for soil improvement, increasing rice yields and household income while reducing cost and climate impact on farming.
This field visit also enabled the SARI farmers to learn about the geographic benefits of the Central Plains regarded as the rice bowl of the country. Thanks to water abundance from the Chao Phraya River, farmers who are Thai Rice NAMA project member can effectively put in practice knowledge learned. Their eagerness to build up capacity and upscale their rice farming and water management methods resulted in a success like Bunyarit Homchan, the owner of the rice paddies in Chai Nat’s Sanpaburi district, to effectively manage his farmland for not only growing rice but also other crops. Other farmers groups led by Charan Anusansanan in the district can optimise smart farming practices by using mobile application to manage water and soil data for growing vegetables and selling, resulting in additional household income all year round.
The road trip continued going up to northern Thailand. In Chiang Rai’s Wiang Pa Pao district, Charan and Somsri Plooksake and Yutthana Wannarat, members of the Building a Climate Resilient Potato Supply Chain Through a Whole-Farm Approach (RePSC) project, supported by BMZ through DeveloPPP, PepsiCo Services Asia Limited and Pepsi Cola (Thai) Trading, and the Inclusive Sustainable Rice Landscape (ISRL) project could successfully implement rotational crop and integrated farming methods including sweet corns and Japanese green peas during the off rice-growing season. These farmers invested in the solar cell technology for use at their farmland. The renewable energy is basically used for farmland irrigation. Farmers can effectively manage water use, reduce electric bills, increase energy independence, long-term savings and low maintenance.
Water and energy independence is crucial for agricultural sector to become climate resilience.
In addition, drone and virtual reality (VR) technology introduced at the implementation site by project partner CropLife International also enables them to effectively implement integrated pest management to improve plant health surveillance and manage plant pest and diseases in large area with less use of pesticides, fertlisers and human labour.
Growing up in a farmer family, Lhan Khamwong could effectively upscale her farming methods from the upstream by using earthworms to organically improve soil health and nutrients. The results are impactful as she sets up cooperative groups for selling earthworm compost, seasonal crops and fruits. The female farmer also led an idea of opening up Suan Yai Lhan (meaning Grandma Lhan’s garden), a learning centre at her seven-rai plots of land for local residents and communities throughout Thailand and other countries to visit and learn how to suitably adopt these climate-smart agricultural knowledge and skills into practice following the late His Majesty King Bhumibol’s Self-Sufficiency Economy Philosophy.
A discussion with a group of Wiang Pa Pao female farmers on the topic “The changing role of female farmers in the context of crop rotation amid climate crisis” also aims at inspiring SARI farmers, especially female ones, to team up and outwit the harsh climate challenges in northeastern Thailand for improving their farming methods and resilience in the long run.
Dr Atthawit Watcharapongchai, SARI Project Director, said such knowledge sharing and capacity building activity emphasised the project’s objective. Funded by Mars Food, the SARI project building the inclusive sustainable rice platform and value chain to support 1,200 rice growers – from each of the 19 community rice centres in Roi Et and over 3,500 metric tonnes of Hom Mali Rice are produced each year by the project members.
Months after the study trip, Taeng-on Pitpeng, a 54-year-old female farmer from Suvarnabhumi District, said she was planning to grow sun hemp when harvesting Hom Mali rice at her 65-rai rice paddies in coming months. The experimented growing sun hemp at 10 rai-rice paddies last year and found that soil health in the area was better compared to the non-sun hemp-grown area. The benefit was evident since she could reduce using fertiliser by nearly 50%.
“Soil health is fundamental for rice farming. When the soil health is good, we don’t have to use much fertilisers. Farmers need to take action on soil improvement first, then find ways to manage farmland, water and others, then we can expect higher high-quality Hom Mali Rice yields later on,” Mrs Taeng-on said.
Yoon Trakarnphol, also a rice farmer from Suvarnabhumi District, said integrated farming practice at Suan Yai Lhan had inspired him to improve his deserted land. The municipal tap water system has been recently developed and passed through his land plot, he is not hesitated to put into practice integrated farming method learned during the road trip. Currently several types of tropical fruits including mango, guava and jackfruit are grown and he is looking forward to seeing the first crop. Depending on water conditions, the 68-year-old farmer said he would also seek a good corn crop for growing at his land after the rice harvesting season too.
“I am at retiring age now. All I am doing, whatever it is integrated farming and crop rotation methods is for passing on good agricultural practices to my kids and the younger generations. After all agriculture and farming are our roots,” he said. ■
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