Thread: Farmers urged not to burn rice straws in dry season

Originally Posted by birding

There you go peanuts, garlic and spring onions grown as rotation crops on terraced rice paddy, north of Chaing Mai.

Brilliant.

Grown at that height the crops avoid being contaminated by chemicals washing down on them.

Clean water's the key to organic farming.

Originally Posted by ENT

Clean water's the key to organic farming.

That ain't gonna happen around here. As I said the locals are lazy. They dig holes in the fields down to the water course and then pour pesticides etc direct into the ponds(?) and then drip irrigate the crops. Please see my old thread https://teakdoor.com/farming-and-gard...heir-land.html

That was a good thread until it got trolled to a stop.

Originally Posted by ENT

^^ Some Somchais do, especially if university educated members of their families are involved.

There's a growing number of young (and older) educated Thais who have taken on board some of the more progressive thinking of western culture and education, and because of their status have an influence on the local farmers.

It wasn't so long ago that Charley Windsor stopped burning the stubble on his vast acreages, heading down the biomass fuel road instead to heat his pig-sheds.

Farmers in NZ used to plough down to 7 inches and deeper, relying on inorganic fertilizers to top up their increasingly infertile soils, but not so now.

When I moved in the garden soil was hard, I cut all the unwanted plants to small pieces, gathered leaves, straw, fruits and vegetables leftovers and buried them while plowing.

The neighbours seemed quite aware of this technique, they even provided 2 big bags of cow manure to top it up.

Easily doable for a garden, but for a fields the amount of work it requires may be daunting ... as said above the success of "organic" farming may be detrimental to the chemical farming and induce a shift in farming practices, eventually, hopefully

The late King and the Royal Family were responsible for a lot of the farming innovation in this country. Everywhere I go in the remotest places I see Royal projects in agriculture and horticulture these projects demonstrate to the farmers what crops can be grown to replace or work alongside traditional crops increasing the farmers income.

The respect that His Majesty and family were and still are held in was and is the key to changing farmers habits. While governments of the day were hacking down poppy fields and arresting those who grew them his Majesty was there talking to the farmers and introducing crops to replace the poppies.

All these projects are ongoing and as one farmer changes crops and his income increases others around take notice and change also spreading the changes out from the central point.

Land suitability is also a factor to be taken into consideration some places are really only suited to particular crops while in others I see mixed cropping with several crops grown alongside each other or in rotation.

It does have to be stressed that there can be too much of a particular crop grown which floods the market and lowers the price to everyone. Developing export markets is then the key and this is beyond the farmers control. There also needs to be processing facilities and infrastructure to get crops to markets. The farmers is only a link in the chain from field to plate.

Originally Posted by birding

The late King and the Royal Family were responsible for a lot of the farming innovation in this country. Everywhere I go in the remotest places I see Royal projects in agriculture and horticulture these projects demonstrate to the farmers what crops can be grown to replace or work alongside traditional crops increasing the farmers income.

The respect that His Majesty and family were and still are held in was and is the key to changing farmers habits. While governments of the day were hacking down poppy fields and arresting those who grew them his Majesty was there talking to the farmers and introducing crops to replace the poppies.

All these projects are ongoing and as one farmer changes crops and his income increases others around take notice and change also spreading the changes out from the central point.

Land suitability is also a factor to be taken into consideration some places are really only suited to particular crops while in others I see mixed cropping with several crops grown alongside each other or in rotation.

It does have to be stressed that there can be too much of a particular crop grown which floods the market and lowers the price to everyone. Developing export markets is then the key and this is beyond the farmers control. There also needs to be processing facilities and infrastructure to get crops to markets. The farmers is only a link in the chain from field to plate.

Alternatively, your statement above of seemingly promoted altruistic practice is easily full of image inducing contradictions and could be challenged and questioned without too much effort - the means to and end appears to mix reality with fantasy.

Going organic is always a good choice.

I don't eat rice planted in rice paddies coz they are sprayed with all sorts if chemicals. I opt for the upland rice. They are organic - farmed without chemicals or fertilizers.

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Alternatively, your statement above of seemingly promoted altruistic practice is easily full of image inducing contradictions and could be challenged and questioned without too much effort - the means to and end appears to mix reality with fantasy.

Sad as it may be Jeff but I have to agree with you.

Originally Posted by misskit

Farmers were advised to refrain from burning rice straws to prevent forest fires and mitigate haze, air pollution and global warming in dry season.

Berkeley Earth - Air Quality Real-time Map

I ran the cursor over the Chiang Mai area – Unhealthy

Another good site.

Air Pollution in Thailand: Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map

Interesting real-time maps/charts...

Thanks to you both.

Another of the clan, an aunty, has gone on a "farming course" in CM (I think). Nearly fell off me perch laughing,...but, fair play, they learn organic farming, techniques and management.

She was a successful pig farmer and butcher for years, now gone organic vege farmer.

Several of the clan have taken up dry rice growing and black rice, cheaper to produce.

The upland stuff is virtually chemical free.

Originally Posted by ENT

Another of the clan, an aunty, has gone on a "farming course" in CM (I think). Nearly fell off me perch laughing,...but, fair play, they learn organic farming, techniques and management.

She was a successful pig farmer and butcher for years, now gone organic vege farmer.

A turn in the right direction.
There are more of this nature than not.

You can check out this site too for national and global readings.

Chiang Mai Air Pollution: Real-time PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI)

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Originally Posted by ENT

Another of the clan, an aunty, has gone on a "farming course" in CM (I think). Nearly fell off me perch laughing,...but, fair play, they learn organic farming, techniques and management.

She was a successful pig farmer and butcher for years, now gone organic vege farmer.

A turn in the right direction.
There are more of this nature than not.

Oh, for sure, the whole extended family are turning that way.