Being in a field is sure hot and sweaty, and working in the field is sure rough and tough. Let’s hear from the young Thais why they choose the agriculture field over an air-conditioned building for their work space.
Manorom Khosuk, 21, student, Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University’s Department of Agriculture
[ezcol_1half]“Farmer is the most important career. People eat rice. Lawyer and doctor also eat rice. It’s the career of my ancestors and I want to continue. [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]Friends from different studies may see that studying agriculture is not cool and being a farmer is poor, but everything depends on us. In my case, I can use my knowledge and turn my family’s unused land to money.”[/ezcol_1half_end]
Panuwat Boonpichittarachon, 22, student, Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University’s Department of Agriculture
[ezcol_1half]“I love nature and freedom. So I chose to study agriculture. Doing farming also requires a lot of planning. It’s very challenging. And I love it. For example, you need to plan what kind of vegetable to grow to fit the climate and surrounding.[/ezcol_1half][ezcol_1half_end]You need to think about how you could possibly maximize the use of land. You have to plan from the beginning to the end to how to link to the market and sell your agriculture products.”[/ezcol_1half_end]
Rattana Kachayut, 26, Plan and Policy Analyst, Department of Agriculture’s Kanchanaburi Agriculture research and Development Centre
[ezcol_1half]“I make my parents proud studying agriculture. My family does farming and every time when our neighbors want to know anything about agriculture, my parents will say ‘Let’s ask my daughter’.[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] Studying agriculture makes me well rounded. I have knowledge in soil, crops, and pests from studying agriculture and this agriculture knowledge is actually the base of our nation. Thailand is the agriculture country.”[/ezcol_1half_end]
Thitikorn Buayai, 22, student, Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University’s Department of Agriculture
“I want to change how farmers practice their farming from a ‘high investment but low profits’ to a ‘lower investment but higher profits’. I grew up in the agricultural community and want to use what I study to improve lives of the farmers.”
Takdanai Khankham, 21, student, Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University’s Department of Agriculture
[ezcol_1half]“My family although they are farmers, they want me to become a teacher or an accountant. But those careers I think there are many people pursuing and competing with one another already. I don’t want to be one in many. Not many choose a study and career in agriculture. [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]And usually they will choose agriculture last. But I want to do it because, first, not a lot of people want to do it. Second, I want to carry on my family’s farming. Many people say farming is tough. But I think all careers are tough in their own ways.”[/ezcol_1half_end]
Story and photos by Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) project