Farmers in the Northeast have declared they are prepared to participate in the transition to sustainable agriculture with the help of related industries by refusing to use crop burning as a degradation method instead.
The USDA-funded Thailand Regional Agriculture Innovation Network ( Rain ) project has launched a campaign to encourage decomposition as a method of managing agricultural residue effectively rather than burning it in the country, which is in the grip of a PM2.5 crisis.
Rice farmers in the northeast region are encouraged to use microbial options to speed up the decomposition of post-harvest wheat stubble by the” Chi River Not Burn” campaign.
Rice farmers have long used burning as a method to create terrain for the upcoming planting season in Thailand.
The Pollution Control Department’s (PCD ) data indicates that Thailand’s majority of PM2.5 comes from fire hotspots scattered throughout the nation.
Since the beginning of this year, 10, 543 for hot spots have been reported, 3, 287 of which were detected in corn areas.
The” Chi River No Lose” campaign targets over 100, 000 ray of rice crops in the Chi River valley, the second-largest rice-growing place in Thailand, known for producing off-season corn.
About 6, 000 grain farmers in the area, which covers Khon Kaen, Kalasin, Roi Et and Maha Sarakham regions, are now participating in the plan.
On their property, participating farmers are given bacterial solutions, a mix of bacteria that can activate fast decomposition and cut the degradation time of grain residue in half.
Any program participants who encourage other farmers to enroll may receive incentives, including funds vouchers to purchase agricultural equipment and supplies.
Regional give-and-take
The Bangkok Post met with some of the participating producers in Khon Kaen’s Muang region, who claimed that they once burned crops because it was quick and inexpensive.
They claimed that burning makes for a simpler plough, either mechanically or with tractors, because it is expensive and difficult to work with machines to remove clean stubble.
Some farmers had now stopped burning before starting the campaign, including being injured by out-of-control lights and suffering from respiratory problems brought on by dust and pollutants.
They next turned to adopting practices of squeezing and breakdown.
However, according to the farmers, the decomposition process, which generally takes 30 days, does not hold the little timeframe of off-season cropping, which needs to start within 14 days of the major harvesting period ending.
After adopting the exercise introduced by Rain and adopting the use of bio-activators, they say farming has become faster, and they face fewer fees.
Chanwit: Produce provides increased
” The destroyed grass becomes a dietary for the ground and helps to raise grain provides”, said Chanwit Srimungkun, a farmer from Nong Tum sub-district.
However, as the microbes decompose the grass and generate more natural matter, he does not require much compost.
The particles caused by burning even affect the land value, which makes producers rely greatly upon fertilisers, which are also expensive and non-organic.
Farmer Punnarat Sitadyod of Nong Tum claims that the earth just needs to be ploughed once, compared to three or four in the past, which helps him reduce labor costs by half.
According to Ratchapak Srimueanghao, a native wheat producer, crops from participating rice fields in the Don Chang sub-district were also found to have grown more quickly and drier because of the wholesome land.
He claimed that rice grown in his field ranged from 20 to 25 cm tall while those grown outside the campaign ranged from 15-20 cm tall.
Options leading action
Sirinan Srimungkun, the village head of Ban Khok Ta in Nong Tum sub-district, said 60 % of local farmers in Khon Kaen have to shift away from burning, and the use of bio-activators is one of the innovations they will adopt.
She suggested that the authorities should provide a comprehensive support package to encourage more farmers to take part in the transition to sustainable farming. Incentives for their participation may be essential, she said.
Sirinan: More support needed
Ms. Sirinan claimed that some rice farmers hardly ever make money from their harvests because the central rice price is relatively low.
” Farmers were told]by the authorities ] to stop burning, which is cheap, but no resources or support were provided]to help them do so ]”, she said.
What farmers really need, according to Ms. Sirinan, are options and having access to knowledge, technology, and financial assistance.
Sparks: Farmers need help
” When]the authorities ] say’ stop burning’, their sentence should be completed with’ and do this instead,'” said William Sparks, Rain’s project director.
He claimed that most farmers realized that burning was a bad thing for their lives, their property, and the environment, but they continued to do it because they had no other choice.
” So, I think instead of painting farmers as lazy and irresponsible culprits, we need to make sure they know that they have options that are accessible”, he added.
Comprehensive measures are necessary to assist farmers from upstream to downstream in order to ensure sustainable farming, which can be done through a network of various stakeholders.
He said that the process of sourcing, supporting, scaling, selling, and sharing is necessary.
Researchers and academics work together to help bring out innovation, which is where the process begins.
Then, a profitable business model should be in place to support farmers while protecting the environment.
After that, a network of the private and public sectors must expand the practices to ensure farmers can sell their goods.
Successful strategies and outcomes should also be shared throughout the area.
” At the end of the day, it is not the farmers ‘ job to hammer themselves to protect the environment on behalf of all of us, right?”
” We drive cars. We run factories. We all use plastic. So, it should not be purely on the shoulders of the farmers]to protect the environment],” Mr Sparks said.