The term 'sustainable development' comes from the initiative of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It is a development model that focuses on allowing people to be self-reliant and lead to true sustainability. In the agricultural sector, development leads to 'Sustainable agriculture' which is an important issue that all sectors should cooperate and drive forward.
Thailand has a great area of cultivation since ancestral times. Sadly, it is deteriorated by external factors such as the problems of encroachment on forest areas or infrastructure development and industrialization that causes agricultural areas to be reduced. It also comes from the farmers and those who involved but also from the farmers themselves and those people involved especially the problem of speeding up the production in order to meet the needs of consumers by using chemicals. That causes loss of balance in the ecosystem. In addition to bad soil and water, it also has a negative effect on consumers and farmers too. Therefore, accelerating the production became an indirect and long-term loss for farmers, resulting in debt and deteriorating quality of life and causing consumers to have diseases that gradually accumulate without foreseeing.
Despite the bad soil and water, we are still fortunate enough that there’s an occurrence of the trend of going back to the natural way that our ancestors have been doing for a long time began which is the organic farming. It is one of the sustainable agriculture methods in order to extend the breath and life of the food source to support the human longer.
Beginning organic farming takes time because the area that was previously contaminated with chemicals must have time to allow the soil to rest and dilute the chemicals before planting again. Many people may become discouraged at the beginning. But if you have already started, the consequences are worth trying for. At first it may be difficult to adjust due to the fatigue with less productivity than before. However, getting the products that everyone in your house can be sure to eat safely is something worth it. In addition, nowadays, the method of trading to reach customers is easier. The intervention of middleman is being replace by the advent of the internet which allows farmers to sell products to consumers directly. Some farmers are able to become a regular supplier to consumers, resulting in a stable income every month. Some of them turned the farm into a tourist destination, making money without having to rush to sell products, while fruits and vegetables that are left over can be eaten and processed into diverse form of products as well.
If you want to turn to sustainable agriculture, whether Natural agriculture, integrated agriculture, organic agriculture, agroforestry or new theory agriculture but still got nowhere to start, then you may reach to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. There is the sustainable agriculture department that is ready to provide direct consultation under the name 'Division of Technology Policy for Agriculture and Sustainable Agriculture', Office of the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives. For more information, please visit
Last but not least, we hope that in the next five or ten years, we hope to see more and more sustainable agricultural areas. We hope to see more farmers become happier, both from stable income and safe lives. We hope to see consumers being healthier and having better food throughout the year. And finally, we hope to see the world comes back to life .. we really hope so!
Author
Paranee Lerdwattanasombat
Independent Writer