Popular Post jandtaa Posted March 23, 2009 Popular Post Share Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) Welcome everyone (and I mean everyone !! ) For many years the Thai Visa farming forum has been the number one source for practical information on farming in Thailand !! Just do a google search on the topic and nine times out of ten you end up here !! Recently there has been growing interest in organic methods of farming by some members of the general farming forum community (you know who you are guys !! ) and due to their belief and support this sub-forum has become a reality !! I, for my sins, have been made moderator and in that capacity would like to offer the following advice ( both to existing members and "neophytes" (sounds so much better than "newbies" !!) regarding using the sub-forum. I feel the forum should be inclusive of all, from the broad-scale farmer down to the guy with a couple of tomato plants on his balcony !! After all in organics it's fairly easy to scale up or down. It should also be inclusive of both existing organic growers, conventional growers and those looking to make the conversion from conventional to organic growing methods as well as people raising livestock as opposed to plants !! As one member so succinctly put it "there is enough space on the library shelf for more than one book on the same subject to live side by side !!". Indeed I frequently peruse the conventional farming "books" ( there is simply to much science behind the methods to ignore !! I say this because with the right info and some basic tools (which hopefully this forum can provide) it is a fairly easy step to convert the methods into an organic approach !! ) What I don't want this forum to become is an area for political debate on the pros and cons of organic versus conventional methods (we could all spend our energy to better ends !!).My personal philosophy is based on scientific fact ( there is now over 30 years of organic research available ) and logic as to the way to move sustainable agriculture forward but I understand a couple of key facts pertinent to the arguements : You cannot realistically expect organic methods to give a quick fix solution and neither can you expect the same initial yields as achived with chemical methods, it's a long term sustainable approach to agriculture. So for the modern farmer in the West going organic is sometimes not an economic reality ( Indeed in the UK many organic farmers are abandoning the principle just to stay afloat, sad after all the hard work they've put in but in these times of financial hardship what choice do they have ?) Luckily I believe any of us priviledged enough to be farming in Thailand to be in the position to be able to farm organically in an economically viable way. Not only is there a growing organic farming movement amongst the Thai farming community ( In actual fact they have only had access to chemicals in fairly recent times so have a wealth of organic knowledge amongst the older generation and many of their debt/health problems are directly related to the cost of chemicals and their effects , so there really is an incentive to change.) but a big part of the organic philosophy is to reduce off farm inputs (growing everything you need to be sustainable on site ) and reduce labour costs where possible ( every little helps to off balance the slightly lower crop yields) and alongside relatively cheap prices for land (generally the major cost in any farming activity) and the Kings advancement of the "sufficiency economy" The future looks rosey !! However the main obstacle remains "education" and if via this forum and the sharing of information between "farang farmers" and any Thais who visit the site or the percolation from "farang" to Thai through their spouse or neighbors it can only be a good thing !! From my experience Thais if they have an understanding and access to the internet simply don't have access to the information unless they can read English (although now "line- breaking" has finally been sussed and google now offers Thai translation this may start to change !!) Here endeth the sermon, so just a few points to clarify : 1. I suggest if you're new to growing organically in the tropics read this first organic farming in the tropics a good starting point this document covers all the basics 2. Please feel free to post relevant articles concerning organics versus conventional methods but try to keep your opinions neutral and if anyone posts knocking "green methods" ( I realise it can be an emotive subject ) If you find their post unconstructive please simply ignore it !! Healthy debate is just that and while I'm happy to roll with the flow I'm not gonna tolerate obvious trolling or flaming ( wow mod speak allready but don't worry the "power" won't go to my head !!) 3.Language. We're all adults and can hopefully moderate our language accordingly but I realise I'm as guilty as anyone for letting the odd colloquialism slip ( As a working chef I could make Gordon Ramsay's cultivated TV personna blush !! ) so lets try and keep it clean !!But as farmers we deal everyday with bodily functions so as long as you're not overly explicit or offensive I'll just let it ride !! 4.Whilst other green topics will no doubt crop up (we have posts on bamboo as a construction material and posts on compost toilets, I feel both of these are pertinent to organic farming re; lowering farm expenditure for the bamboo and providing a source of fertiliser from humanure) this forum is not about sustainable building. So please post in the DIY forum and lobby for a sustainable building sub- forum if you feel the need. 5.No question is to "silly" to ask (OK there's bound to be exceptions !! ) It's the only way we all learn so please don't be shy, there's bound to be someone willing to help !! Once again Thanks to everyone who has nursed this sub-forum into being from Lickey,responsible for it's conception, to Bina (the midwife who finally delivered the stubborn child !! ) and the various nursemaids ( you know who you are !!) who nutured the pinned thread through its infancy, and not ommitting the Thai Visa admin (the omnipotent parent) who made this all possible !! Regards Jandtaa Edited March 24, 2009 by jandtaa slight modification 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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