17 hours ago, rumak said:

I've been pushing this idea for years to anyone that would listen....well, there's actually only 2 of us living here  :-)    I don't like to bash thailand so let's just say that many things that seem so easy to do are never

implemented .  The locals here ( 70 km from CM,) definitely abide by the ban.  But then its pow away.  I do think that

if the mulcher was carted on a scheduled basis around the moo bahn that the farmers would use the service if told they could not burn.   But  taking all their tree trimmings to a designated area might be a little much for most.

I have started looking into mulching machines. Does anyone have experience as to what would be a fairly heavy duty brand/model and prices ??

Maejo University is an agriculture uni. and they have a fair every year where manufacturers and sellers display their wares, many such mulching machines to be seen there but I don't know the costs involved.

3 hours ago, cmsally said:

I have started looking into mulching machines. Does anyone have experience as to what would be a fairly heavy duty brand/model and prices ??

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3 hours ago, cmsally said:

I have started looking into mulching machines. Does anyone have experience as to what would be a fairly heavy duty brand/model and prices ??

i'll drive the tractor.......you run the mulcher.   oops,  no work permit .   wonder who's jobs we would be taking ?

The Problem with the idea of mulching is the reality of the terrain. I live up in the sticks and our family farms here. Nearly all the  land is mountainside. There is no equipment that can drive on it. The burning you see this time of year is burning to clear land to plant. Farmers can only use a piece of land for a couple of seasons before there is a noticeable drop off in production, especially with corn. Which is a major crop in northern Thailand. So the farmer has to shift his production to areas that have been left alone for a while, or are entirely new. The jungle reclaims land pretty fast, so if you left a piece of land for a couple of years you will have a massive amount of stubborn over growth, vines, and new trees. There is no reasonable way to get that material to a mulcher.  Try carrying just one armful of jungle overgrowth down a hillside to see how tedious this would be, and then imagine that, usually you can't even get a truck to your field and there is a jungle path you need to take to get to the truck. Now do it again 5000 more times in the heat of April. It just isn't going to happen. The alternative is to hack it down, let it dry and light it up. This is also hard work, but it is at least possible.

What farmers really need is education about permiculture and planting the right crops which do not use and diminish so much soil for such a low return, like corn does.

Around us, a lot of people moved to pineapples as an alternative. There no burning because it is a multi year crop. But unfortunately too many pineapples has seen the price bottom out as well.

As for us we planted tea. for the last few years. Which is a forever crop. But a long time before any returns.

 

An excellent write up above.

 

If the idea of mulching could be adopted or imposed on non-hilltribe farmers, preferably the large conglomerates such as CP, for example, that would be a positive start, others would follow if they saw the benefit. Another option might be to make mulching and sales of mulch more commercially viable, god knows the poor soil quality on the rice plains needs improvement if it's ever to grow anything other than rice.

18 hours ago, rumak said:

i'll drive the tractor.......you run the mulcher.   oops,  no work permit .   wonder who's jobs we would be taking ?

Don't worry , if anyone comes to check our paperwork I'll stick them in the mulcher!

I definitely see the problem of mulching in the hills but there are some good studies out there.

Indian Wildlife Club

Resilience

Of course to point out the obvious, years ago opium was grown and needed a much smaller patch of land to produce a cash return. On a similar monetary level I would imagine the same area to grow corn would be an enormous tract of hillside(s).

3 hours ago, cmsally said:

I definitely see the problem of mulching in the hills but there are some good studies out there.

Indian Wildlife Club

Resilience

Of course to point out the obvious, years ago opium was grown and needed a much smaller patch of land to produce a cash return. On a similar monetary level I would imagine the same area to grow corn would be an enormous tract of hillside(s).

i live in an area (towards Chomtong) where there is vast areas planted with mango and lomyai.  These trees need periodic trimming to produce well .  Then all the smaller branches and leaves are burnt ( usually within a day or two when still green) ...because the labor is paid to cut and dispose.  A well organized system where a mulcher is available from the local Moobahn could have some impact.  That is the catch:  WELL ORGANIZED SYSTEM ....    

i just read canuckamuck's (please shorten that...how bout ckmuck) post.......where i live it is relatively flat land .....and lots of it !  lumyai and mango mostly.   So it would be possible for mulchers to get around.

i agree that the hills/mountains are another matter.