Farmers taught to cope with soil salinity

[Lite Beer]

Farmers taught to cope with soil salinity
Phumpetch Roumjit
THE NATION

A mind map is drawn by Siam Cement Group employees to summarise the idea behind the Pluk Kid Pun Suk learning centre in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA:-- A big hurdle for northeastern farmers has been lowered thanks to the success of a Nakhon Ratchasima learning centre that provides knowledge about soil salinity management.

The Innovative Technological Project for the Restoration of Saline Land was started in 2008 through a collaboration among Siam Cement Group, the National Science and Technology Development Agency and the Land Development Department, with the aim to help farmers cope with salty soil by encouraging them to think out of the box.

The Pluk Kid Pun Suk learning centre, which is in Baan Toey in the province's Phimai district, was the result of local farmers succeeding despite the dire soil conditions and their willingness to share their techniques with other communities that faced the same problem.

The farmers have pinpointed techniques for producing crops that tolerate salty soil, and that information is passed on to others struggling with the problem.

Associate Professor Chalermpol Kirdmanee, the head of the project, said soil salinity was a serious problem for the agriculture industry in the Northeast and affected about 17 million rai (2.72 million hectares).

He said many farmers had the determination to learn new things but needed someone to guide them to the right path. The project encouraged them to think outside the box and use science-based strategies to solve problems.

"For some reason, they kept using the same method that their ancestors did over and over again, even though it was not working," he said.

"What we have to do is show them solutions with a quick result. Once they see the success of one person, the whole village is willing to follow."

When salinity in the soil covers more than 80 per cent of arable land in a village, it can severely damage production and as a result lead to a big drop in income for farmers who mostly grow rice.

Bunchert Seekaew, a Nakhon Ratchasima farmer, said the arable area in his village used to be covered in salt. He said people were usually in debt because of low rice production, with natural disasters such as drought and floods also taking a toll. But now farmers employed a mulching method, with rice straw used to protect the soil from the sun and prevent salty water under the land from surfacing and evaporating.

Bunchert said combining the method with organic matter like dead leaves and animal waste meant production had doubled from about 300 kilograms per rai to 600kg.

He encouraged other farmers to grow plants that could handle salty soil, such as tomatoes, mango and rose apple, for additional income. He said these crops alone were worth about Bt40,000 a year to him.

Under the project, a bio-organic fertiliser fund, currently worth more than Bt900,000, was set up to provide non-chemical fertilisers to farmers at a low price. Fertilisers are also sold and profits shared with members.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Farmers-taught-to-cope-with-soil-salinity-30245226.html

-- The Nation 2014-10-11

[OOLEEBER]

Mulching and using rice straw instead of burning it. Who'd have thought!

[hanuman2543]

"He said many farmers had the determination to learn new things but needed someone to guide them to the right path. The project encouraged them to think outside the box and use science-based strategies to solve problems."

""For some reason, they kept using the same method that their ancestors did over and over again, even though it was not working," he said."

Do they ever think before they make statements like this? I doubt it.

[gerry123]

"He said many farmers had the determination to learn new things but needed someone to guide them to the right path. The project encouraged them to think outside the box and use science-based strategies to solve problems."

""For some reason, they kept using the same method that their ancestors did over and over again, even though it was not working," he said."

Do they ever think before they make statements like this? I doubt it.

sorry your point??

[bheard]

Salinity is a growing problem in Australia. They have developed ways and means to combat the problem, but it takes a lot of effort and money to figure it out. It's not an easy problem to deal with and you can never be free from it.

A high water table is one of the culprits - salt is carried to the surface by ground water. Yearly flooding must be part of the problem. I'm glad to see that Thai government agencies are educating farmers about the problem, they need all the support they can get. Good on 'em!

[hanuman2543]

"He said many farmers had the determination to learn new things but needed someone to guide them to the right path. The project encouraged them to think outside the box and use science-based strategies to solve problems."

""For some reason, they kept using the same method that their ancestors did over and over again, even though it was not working," he said."

Do they ever think before they make statements like this? I doubt it.

sorry your point??

Didn't see the contradiction?

[gerry123]

"He said many farmers had the determination to learn new things but needed someone to guide them to the right path. The project encouraged them to think outside the box and use science-based strategies to solve problems."

""For some reason, they kept using the same method that their ancestors did over and over again, even though it was not working," he said."

Do they ever think before they make statements like this? I doubt it.

sorry your point??

Didn't see the contradiction?

i see now yes i would seem that nit picking seems to be the basis of your post not just one thing positive to say a great help to many i am sure

[seajae]

the amount of fertilizer they dump into their soil to increase yields yearly doesnt help either especially when its chemically based, natural is by far better and it is strange that have never done it before seeing as it saves them a lot of money plus reduces salt build up. For a farming mob they seem to lack a lot of common knowledge on good practices, this should be second nature to them.

[trainman34014]

If they can't work out what's wrong after several generations of doing it wrong i fail to see how 'mind maps' are going to make any difference. There is clearly a shortage of grey matter passing down the generations, and what grey matter there is has not been nurtured by Thai education methods and dinosaur educators, who have also been getting it wrong for numerous generations !

[mikiea]

"He said many farmers had the determination to learn new things but needed someone to guide them to the right path. The project encouraged them to think outside the box and use science-based strategies to solve problems."

""For some reason, they kept using the same method that their ancestors did over and over again, even though it was not working," he said."

Do they ever think before they make statements like this? I doubt it.

[mikiea]

huh? hanau you say what?

[LuckyLew]

How about teaching them supply and demand ... then maybe they will grow crops that produce a profit?

[WtFugarwe]

Tomatoes, Mang, rose apple....any other salt tolerant crops?

[belg]

pesticide, herbicide, insecticide, overproduction, never letting the soil rest .... well yes, in the end you get useless ground

maybe they can make salt mine activity (like on the way to hua hin)

or plan a beach in issan ?