Although ranked as the world's top rice exporter for decades, Thailand has had to set up a school for practising farmers aimed at teaching not only the right way of raising the crop but also the development of organic products to cope with rapidly evolving consumer preferences.

The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives started up the school project almost five years ago when the former government instituted a three-year debt moratorium for farmers as part of its populist platform.

The school project is designed to allow old and young farmers to share knowledge of original rice-farming techniques. It is also aimed at developing rice breeds in a bid to maintain the country's export competitiveness. The bank looks to benefit by reducing its non-performing loans, which account for 30 per cent of its total portfolio.

Ennoo Suesuwan, senior executive vice president of the bank, said recently that the project provides two school types - Organic Farmer Schools and Make It and Use It Schools - to help farmers produce more and reduce their daily living expenses.

"The idea is to ensure that farmers will have enough income and enjoy a better way of life through the King's initiative on the sufficiency economy," he said.

The Organic Farmer Schools concentrate on teaching about organic farming systems and products. The course covers the preparation of rice paddies, harvesting methods and rice processing to achieve organic standards.

"The bank's officials learned a lot from farmers and non-governmental organisation staff when they had to work closely with farmers in rural areas during the debt suspension period, particularly original rice farming, so we thought of transferring this traditional method to the younger farming generation," Ennoo said.

Farmers performing well under the debt moratorium were selected to attend the schools. They form a group of 10-20 farmers to brainstorm and share knowledge in rice-growing techniques as well as to discuss all problems. Each has to sacrifice part of his rice paddy for a demonstration area.

The objectives are rice development, marketing management and breed selection. Other goals are upgrading farmers' livelihoods and reducing production costs. After trials in the demonstration fields, the bank found that the organic system could cut production costs by 30-50 per cent while increasing output by 10-20 per cent.

When the project was started in 2003, the bank targeted to set up 200 schools but it established 250 schools in the first year. Now 539 schools are running and 33,657 farmers have taken the programme.

Farmers will learn how to select rice seeds and keep them for the next crop.

"Farmers will select only rice seeds of organic breeds to ensure 100-per-cent organic rice," he said, adding that organic rice farms have to pass Good Agricultural Practice certification as well as inspection by an organic foundation.

Farmers will be trained in marketing management to create their own brand. For instance, the bank has launched the Khao Khunatham (moral principle) brand for pure organic rice sold in vacuum packs.

By the end of the course, farmers will know how to select and maintain native rice breeds, of which Thailand has a wide variety. They would also conduct crossbreeding to develop new rice breeds aimed at improving yields.

"We plan to preserve the country's original rice strains. Each province has its own rice type. The combination of local wisdom and advanced technology will allow Thailand to cultivate breeds suited for specific areas," Ennoo said.

The school project focuses not only on organic rice but also commercial crops such as oranges, custard fruit and shrimp.

The Make it and Use it Schools project lets farmers make goods such as herbal soap, shampoo and liquid dishwashing detergent.

Achara Pongvutitham

The Nation