Over the summer I spent my time working on two main projects in Thailand. Most of the work with the Yasothon farming collective revolved around aiding in the creation of a project proposal for alternative cropping for farmers, and permaculture design within a local school. Bansokthaladpattana School is the main beneficiary of the permaculture design project. The permaculture design project underscores sustainability and the importance of farming within the community’s youth, as students will get the chance to grow their own lunches. The curriculum will also include material surrounding economic sufficiency and financial planning, as Siam Organic believes that financial sufficiency should be viewed as a vital element of sustainability.
My second project revolved around alternative cropping and regenerative for Yasothon farms. In the rice off-season some farmers have already chosen to grow certain crops in order to improve the soil prior to growing rice in the next season, while others leave the land empty. One of Siam Organic’s main overall objectives is to partner with farmers to create a sustainable, scalable and permanent solutions to farmer poverty through the creation of additional opportunities for farmer income generation, and crop and soil health improvement. Farmers that join this initiative will continue their rice harvesting cycle while incorporating alternative crops and regenerative practices within their farms. Regenerative farming practices will be of utmost value to farmers as it will ultimately allow them to increase yields, improve soil health, catch and/or divert water flow and enable the community as a whole to adjust to changing climate conditions.
It has been an absolute honor to be invited into a few of these farmers’ homes, and I’m humbled to have been given the opportunity to be a part of the Siam Organic | Jasberry team. Farmer poverty can be permanently eradicated through sustainable market solutions.
