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Organic Farming in Thailand


Bruce551
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Organic Farming Will Save The Day

Posted by Sanitsuda Ekachai , Reader : 158 , 13:15:32

Bangkok Blog, 21 May 09

The strong stench from the black concoction never fails to put people off. But for Somboon Daeng-aroon, the foul-smelling black liquid is but a magic potion.

And he is very proud of it.

It has been five years now since Somboon, a farmer at Tambon Praeg Namdaeng in Samut Songkhram's Amphawa district, stopped using all farm chemicals in his ricefields. Instead, he has been using his recipe of fermented organic fertiliser and pesticide - a brew of molasses, micro-organism liquid, indigenous plants, together with some fish and golden apple snails - to nourish his paddies and to shoo away harmful insects.

Mr Somboon has also turned his back on chemical herbicides. "If we let the water in our paddy fields in time and keep the water level stable, the weeds cannot grow," he explained.

The shift to organic farming has not caused him bankruptcy as many feared. The yield has dropped only slightly but the investment costs have fallen drastically when he no longer has to depend on expensive chemical pesticides and fertiliser.

Thanks to organic rice farming, the "hard and dead" soil has returned to life. "So have the fish and frogs that used to be abundant in the ricefields during the times of our fathers and mothers. Our problems mainly come from the new ways that destroy nature."

From only a plot of 30 rai, the area of organic rice farming has now expanded to 2-300 rai in his neighbourhood.

Chin Jaroennet, Mr Somboon's cousin, pointed to spider webs and dragonflies of different colours in her fields. "They are good insects which keep the harmful ones away. But chemical pesticides kill all, useful or not. It is also killing nature, and us farmers over time."

With spiralling investment costs, health dangers, degrading environment, rising demands for clean food, and successive governments' promises of support, more and more rice farmers like Mr Somboon have turned to organic farming. Yet, the majority still retain a wait-and-see policy.

Why is that?

The officials are good at telling farmers what they should do. "But what we really need is marketing help," said Somboon.

The modern harvesting technology of mass production and the farmers' lack of storage sites make it necessary for them to send the grains to the rice mills to prevent rotting. The markets for organic rice then remain small due to lack of product differentiation.

A community mill may answer some of the production problems. "But we still need to work harder to connect with the buyers," he said.

Despite the national plan to support organic farming, the push for farm chemicals is business as usual on the ground.

This is understandable. The past four decades of Green Revolution - which promotes high-yield rice varieties and the intensive use of farm chemicals - has forged unbreakable ties between agro-chemical giants and state agencies.

Who cares if the country has to fork out more than 45 billion baht to import more than four million tonnes of farm chemicals a year?

And with that kind of money involved, who cares that 70% of these chemicals are not allowed in the West, that reservoir water is contaminated with toxic residues, that our fruits and vegetables are soaked with dangerous substances, and that the rise of cancer and other diseases caused by toxic chemicals has skyrocketed?

Despite the odds, Mr Somboon said he would not go back to the state-promoted, toxic ways.

The road leading to his farmland passes a vacant factory that once recklessly released toxic waste water into nearby canals. Along the way are also wastelands that once were lush mangrove forests, destroyed by greedy investors of chemical-fed prawn farms.

"We were brainwashed into believing that factories and chemical agriculture was our answer. We now know that it's not true. Both businesses collapsed before our eyes, leaving behind much destruction.

"Ours is a food-producing country. We can easily sustain it if we keep our natural environment healthy. But if we keep on using toxic farm chemicals, we're destroying ourselves."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/blogs/index.php/2009/05/21/organic-farming-will-save-the-day?blog=64

Up here in Chiang Mai more and more farmers are changing over to organic farming and maintaining there own seed banks. Also, organic farming is good for the tourist business, many "Green" minded visitors are interested in visiting organic farms.

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Guest QTpiE

Thanks for sharing, that was really good to read.

It is not too easy to find the ecological foods in Thailand.

I remember when I was in Kho Yao Noi,

I ordered something with rice.

And the woman said that..

"Sorry if the rice is not so white, we plant ourselve behind the house."

Im so happy to hear that..

That was a really nice meal :)

PS. In Kho Yao Noi, they have eco.tourism

and biogas project for local ppl also..

That was a really good trip.. way better than Phuket..

Both the environment and people :)

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Bruce

Thanks for this gem:

There are web sites about organic farm products in Thailand,

but when you mail them , they never answer!

The % of Thai companies replying to emails is minimal.

Not only companies, individuals, even Thai TF people often dont reply to emails :P

And if everything comes cheaper for the farmer, why does Villa Market charge 4 times more for organic farmed veggies??

I know the royal projects support organic farming, but the department of agriculture supports Monsanto .

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Northern jumbos at risk

By: SOMSAK SUKSAI

Published: 22/06/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

The widespread use of weedkillers by farms is contaminating food and drinking water in northern provinces and endangering the lives of elephants.

Veterinarian Preecha Phuangkham, a medical adviser to the Friends of the Asian Elephant foundation, said the food the elephants were taking each day was contaminated with toxic substances and many had died or were suffering from illnesses caused by excessive accumulation of toxins in their bodies.

He said surveys had found the hazardous substances included herbicides used by rice, corn and cabbage farmers in the North.

Natural supplies of grass, corn, cabbage and water were being contaminated and were endangering the lives of elephants. Elephants in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Phrae and Tak provinces are at risk.

An elephant in Chiang Mai died recently and another was afflicted by a mental disorder possibly caused by poisonous farm substances.

The foundation took the 40-year-old deranged beast to the Elephant Hospital in Hang Chat district, Lampang, where a check-up found a heavy concentration of hazardous chemicals in its body had badly affected its nervous system.

Mr Preecha believes many more elephants are suffering from chemical contamination.

Elephant owners have been warned to be extra careful as farms were using chemical fertilisers excessively.

The problem was becoming more severe by the day, Mr Preecha said.

This is so sad, elephants deserve better, not to be poisoned humans.

:evil:

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Northern jumbos at risk

By: SOMSAK SUKSAI

Published: 22/06/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

The widespread use of weedkillers by farms is contaminating food and drinking water in northern provinces and endangering the lives of elephants.

Veterinarian Preecha Phuangkham, a medical adviser to the Friends of the Asian Elephant foundation, said the food the elephants were taking each day was contaminated with toxic substances and many had died or were suffering from illnesses caused by excessive accumulation of toxins in their bodies.

He said surveys had found the hazardous substances included herbicides used by rice, corn and cabbage farmers in the North.

Natural supplies of grass, corn, cabbage and water were being contaminated and were endangering the lives of elephants. Elephants in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Phrae and Tak provinces are at risk.

An elephant in Chiang Mai died recently and another was afflicted by a mental disorder possibly caused by poisonous farm substances.

The foundation took the 40-year-old deranged beast to the Elephant Hospital in Hang Chat district, Lampang, where a check-up found a heavy concentration of hazardous chemicals in its body had badly affected its nervous system.

Mr Preecha believes many more elephants are suffering from chemical contamination.

Elephant owners have been warned to be extra careful as farms were using chemical fertilisers excessively.

The problem was becoming more severe by the day, Mr Preecha said.

This is so sad, elephants deserve better, not to be poisoned humans.

:evil:

I totally agree. Its a shame to see the whole planet being poisoned by oil and its pesticides and herbicides. People are dying from it also.

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:thumbleft: Organic and self-sufficient farming is a good answer. :thumbleft:

YEP YEP YEP just ask the fungi i mean

mushrooms growing happily in my closet

theysssss soooooooooooo puuuuurrrrtttttyyyy

gives me the giggles

like

the pic above is fukin halarious

:lol:

you have mushrooms growing in your closet that give you the giggles???

:shock: :shock:

(send me some :wink: )

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:thumbleft: Organic and self-sufficient farming is a good answer. :thumbleft:

YEP YEP YEP just ask the fungi i mean

mushrooms growing happily in my closet

theysssss soooooooooooo puuuuurrrrtttttyyyy

gives me the giggles

like

the pic above is fukin halarious

:lol:

you have mushrooms growing in your closet that give you the giggles???

:shock: :shock:

(send me some :wink: )

the laws in Thailand make me a bit to edgy for that

tho i hear in the a lot of areas in the South you can legally have mushroom shakes

aroi mak maaaaaaaaaaaaaak

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:thumbleft: Organic and self-sufficient farming is a good answer. :thumbleft:

YEP YEP YEP just ask the fungi i mean

mushrooms growing happily in my closet

theysssss soooooooooooo puuuuurrrrtttttyyyy

gives me the giggles

like

the pic above is fukin halarious

:lol:

you have mushrooms growing in your closet that give you the giggles???

:shock: :shock:

(send me some :wink: )

the laws in Thailand make me a bit to edgy for that

tho i hear in the a lot of areas in the South you can legally have mushroom shakes

aroi mak maaaaaaaaaaaaaak

Don't think it's so much legal as blind eye turned to.

Best spot I found was the Mountain Bar on Haad Rin beach; served the most amazing shakes!! Adds several new colours to the sunrise!!

:lol:

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