Assessing the Farming Methods of Local Communities in Nan Province
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Assessing the Farming Methods of Local Communities in Nan Province Sponsored by the Raks Thai Foundation March 4th, 2016 Connor Barrett Saruta Deeprasert Zahra Khazal Pantira Khonlumb Gregory Molica Rittikeat Piyacharoenwatana Robyn Quartararo Thanakan Reaungprasertchai i Assessing the Farming Methods of Local Communities in Nan Province An Interactive Qualifying Project Report Submitted to the Faculty of WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE and CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science In cooperation with The Raks Thai Foundation Submitted on March 4th, 2016 Submitted by: Submitted To: Connor Barrett Khun Ravee, Saruta Deeprasert Raks Thai Foundation Zahra Khazal Pantira Khonlumb Advised By: Gregory Molica Svetlana Nikitina, WPI Rittikeat Piyacharoenwatana Seth Tuler, WPI Robyn Quartararo Rojrit Rojanathanes, Thanakan Reaungprasertchai Chulalongkorn This report represents the work of four WPI and four Chulalongkorn University undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review. For more information about the projects program at WPI, please see http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Projects Abstract Our team performed a comparison of crop rotation and integrated terrace farming in highland areas of Nan Province for the Raks Thai Foundation. Farmers have begun to transition from detrimental rotation methods to more sustainable integrated terrace farming, but face barriers such as lack of knowledge about new methods and debt. The comparison is intended to support efforts to persuade farmers to switch farming methods. Our recommendations focused on ways farmers can overcome barriers to adopting integrated terrace farming. iii Acknowledgements We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the following individuals, departments, institutions, and organizations for supporting us throughout the completion of this project. Raks Thai Foundation for sponsoring our project and providing our team with contacts within Ban Pang Yang. Khun Ravee, from our sponsor organization, the Raks Thai Foundation, for organizing our visits to Ban Pang Yang and providing valuable information. Khun Samruay, from Joko Community Learning Centre, for his hospitality and willingness to provide us with valuable information about integrated farming. The staff at Joko Community Learning Centre for their willingness to provide us with additional information regarding Joko’s purpose and integrated farming. Monk Sumkit at Wat Pong Khum for giving us a tour of his terrace farms and explaining his story about spreading sustainable farming practices in Nan. Community members in Ban Pang Yang and Huay Muang, for welcoming us into their communities, for their hospitality, and for their willingness to share information and stories with us. Pua Offroad, especially Gitti and Tui, for driving us to Ban Pang Yang and Huay Muang every day, and providing us with valuable travel company and conversation. Suchat Deeprasert, Saruta’s dad, for accompanying us to Nan and providing invaluable assistance and company on our trip. Our advisors, Ajarn Rojrit Rojanathanes, Professor Seth Tuler, and Professor Svetlana Nikitina for their guidance and assistance throughout the entire project. Chulalongkorn University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute for providing the opportunity for both Thai and American students to work together on the project in Thailand. The Office of the Department of Science and Bachelor of Science in Applied Chemistry (BSAC) Department for providing the appreciated workspace at Chulalongkorn University. The office of Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division (IGSD) at WPI for preparing the American students’ Visas, passports, and providing us with valuable travel information. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................................ v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................ viii Authorship .................................................................................................................................................. ix Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... xi 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1 2 Literature Review .................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Crop Rotation.......................................................................... 2 2.2 Transition from Crop Rotation to Monoculture ............................................................................ 3 2.3 Integrated Terrace Farming ............................................................................................................ 3 2.4 Support to Overcome Transition Challenges ................................................................................. 5 2.5 Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 5 3 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................. 6 3.1 We documented the current agricultural practices in Ban Pang Yang village ........................... 6 3.2 We determined what was necessary for the farmers to prosper in Ban Pang Yang ................... 7 3.3 We assessed the agriculture strategies used by integrated terrace farmers ................................ 7 3.4 We analyzed and compared farming methods to create recommendations for improvement or change ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 3.5 We presented the comparison to the Raks Thai Foundation and made recommendations for assisting farmers to overcome the barriers related to the transition ................................................. 7 4 Variables of the Comparison .................................................................................................................. 8 4.1 Economic Variables .......................................................................................................................... 8 4.2 Environmental Variables ................................................................................................................. 9 4.3 Social Variables ............................................................................................................................... 10 5 Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 5.1 Economic Variables of the Transition ........................................................................................... 11 5.2 Environmental Variables of the Transition .................................................................................. 13 5.3 Social Variables of the Transition ................................................................................................. 16 6.1 Recommendations to Address Economic Barriers ....................................................................... 19 6.2 Recommendations to Address Environmental Barriers .............................................................. 20 6.3 Recommendations to Address Social Barriers ............................................................................. 22 6.4 Summary of Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 23 7 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 23 v References .................................................................................................................................................. 25 Appendix A: Raks Thai Foundation Phone Interview Questions ........................................................ 27 Appendix B: Outline of Desired Observations in Ban Pang Yang ....................................................... 28 Appendix C: Variables for Comparison ................................................................................................. 28 Appendix D: Questions for Industrial Farmers ..................................................................................... 28 Appendix E: Questions for Joko and Terrace Farmers ........................................................................ 29 Appendix F: Ban Pang Yang Interviews, Jan 26 and Jan 28 ................................................................ 30 Appendix G: Ban Pang Yang Interviews,