Thailand

Traditional knowledge and organic farming in Saraburi, Thailand

Uthai Khean-Sakol

When I was young the environment was precious. You could literally drink water from the rice fields. In the old days, fish, crabs and birds were all easily available. You could walk out and decide what kind of animal you could have for dinner each evening. In the old days, you could simply dig a hole in the rice fields and a fish would come out.

Today we do not drink the water from the rice paddy as I think the water is polluted. The water we use on the paddy and on the fields is from the Pasak R iver . I think the river is polluted from chemical discharges from factories, but also from the chemical fertilizers that run off into the fields and into the river. Around two or three years ago I observed that the quality of the water was not good. The water used to be black from the composting matter upstream, not through industrial discharges. In the old time, people didn't use a lot of chemicals and there were no factories.

This is why I have chosen to grow my vegetables organically. I thought that as a vegetable farmer producing goods to be sold at the market, I would be responsible for exposing people to chemicals. That would mean that I would be responsible for exposing these people to the negative impacts of the chemicals once they buy and cook them at home. I am also concerned about the negative impacts that it may have on my family's health.

Nowadays, the meat and fish I buy from the market, but I just have to walk into my garden and pick the vegetables and herbs that we grow. Here. I have decided to change things from my home.