“Grow what you eat, eat what you grow”, the
self-reliant farming motto
Thai
rural development programs are implemented based on King Bhumibol Adulyadej
ideas on economic development summarized in the so-called ‘Sufficiency Economy
Philosophy’. Those principles are the base of the New Theory Agriculture, focused
on generating self-reliance in three levels: the household, the community and
the nation. Household
self-reliance means a self-sustaining farm warrantying self-consumption based
on a water pond, a field for crops to sell, and a house.
Hence,
the farmer has access to markets while safely faces contingencies. “Grow what
you eat, eat what you grow. Make what you use, use what you make.” But, beyond
a very respected royal philosophy, Thai public policies for rural development
support a national network of Local Scholars, or “Pratch Chao Bann”, who manage
and develop Community Learning Centers (CLCs) in order to down-streaming the
Sufficiency Economy Philosophy. Among many other public and private services at
village, sub district and district levels that looking for citizen empowerment through
self-management of the financial, natural and cultural resources of the Nation.
Participants
of the Learning Route “Developing Rural Territories through Business and
Knowledge: The Thai experience with the OTOP and CLC,” had a first hand
experience of the protagonist role of several wise women and men devoted to
share their knowledge and improve the livelihoods of poor farmers all over
Thailand.
Sometimes
their motivation is farmer debt relief, like Mr. Ahmnaj Maiyodklang—leader of
the Wang Nam Keaw District CLC—did in order to change their fellow farmers’
mind-set enabling them to address their poverty core causes through Buddhist
principles.
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| Mr. Somboon Wedsuwan, Local Scholar at the MOA Life Science and Art Institute |
In
other cases, the effort to improve farmers’ lifestyle based on mind, body and
spirit integration linking natural, organic agriculture with beauty and health—following
Japanese Mokichi Okada’s philosophical and spiritual teachings—becomes a Life
Science and Art Institute like the one Mr. Somboon Wedsuwan manages in the Thai
province of Lopburi.
Regarding
the CLCs, “one of the main lessons from this Learning Route—highlighted Ms.
Alessandra Richter, High Commission of the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture and
Irrigation High Commission, to the participants—is that the Thai State trusts
the farmer’s practical knowledge, their know-how, to the point of multiplying
it as a public policy.”
Up
to US$40 million dollars are annually invested so those self-taught and
self-reliant outstanding farmers can provide technical assistance for land and
rural organization management to other small-scale farmers.
 |
| Mr. Ahmnaj Maiyodklang, leader of the Wang Nam Keaw Community Learning Center in Thailand |
The Prach
Chao Baan Outstanding farmers “may not have academic certificates but they are
multiplying their knowledge and opening ways for other people to develop”, Richter
concluded.
If
you want further information on this Learning Route visit www.asia.procasur.org contact Mr. Ariel
Halpern at ahalpern@procasur.org. And
follow us during the Route trip at: www.facebook.com/procasur.asia
I was one of the participant of this learning route. This was really a eye opener for me especially on how the small farmers were linked to business.