After some instruction from a villager it takes Mochifumi Totani of Japan just five minutes to make luk prakhob herbal balls for Thai traditional massage.

"Look at the way his hands move. It looks like he's done it before," a Thai villager whispers to the person next to her.

"You're right. Anyway, did you taste the Japanese juice? It's good," she replies.

This was the scene this past Wednesday afternoon at Prachin Buri's Ban Dongbang - a small village 98 kilometres northeast of Bangkok.

It was the first meeting of chemical-free farmers from Thailand and Japan. Both groups are interested in earning more from community-based agro-tourism.

They live in remote villages and have been hard hit by mainstream political policies. Each group has attempted to survive and preserve its rural "soul".

"The meeting is grass-roots diplomacy that will strengthen Thai-Japan relationships in a sustainable way," says Chulalongkorn Social Research Institute director Surichai Wankaew. A Japan Foundation statement  calls it "experience sharing by two living communities of the two countries that use traditional local knowledge for developing their communities for sustainable development." The foundation promotes international cultural exchanges.

Umaji is a small village in a remote area of Shikoku Island's Kochi province in Japan. Located on a plain, surrounded by mountains covered with thick pine forests, the area could not grow crops except a citrus fruit called yuzu, which looks like a small grapefruit.

Most of the 1,269 people that live there are old. Young people head to the cities for work. It is hard for the residents to work the orchards.

The yuzus were not top quality and the village was selling few. Add to that over-production of yuzus and prices were dropping significantly.

So in the 1980s villagers led by Totani, now 54, decided to make juice from the fruit instead of selling them to be eaten.

A small farmer with no marketing knowledge, Totani struggled to sell the juice.

But the village developed new products including a soft drink, cooking vinegar and, most recently, cosmetics made from yuzu seeds.

Today, the village earns 1.2 billion Japanese yen (Bt345 million) from yuzu product sales.

The years-long struggle has strengthened community spirit in Umaji. This has led to other development, including forest protection, village networks and youth groups and tourism.

"We not only sell yuzu products but our whole village is now a product. Working together, with the charm of a rural community, we have reached this success," Totani explains. "For a long time people left the community for the city but now we believe our sense of community is seeing the reverse. City people follow us. It is surely not a smooth path. We put all our effort into proving our beliefs."

Today, despite its remote location, thousands of people flock to Umaji's hot springs and eat fish from the local river.

The village emphasises direct sales. It sends packages of products directly to customers. The aroma of the contents is evident.

The village even has television advertisements promoting its products. The ads feature village personalities. The aroma of Umaji's produce is a selling point.

Back to Ban Dongbang.

Villagers established a farm supplying 23 varieties of herbs to Thailand's biggest herbasl products manufacturer - the Chao Phya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital in this province.

Villagers earn about Bt2 million annually while the hospital earns around Bt100 million per year.

Dongbang is the largest source of herbs for the hospital, supplying about half of what it needs, says hospital pharmacist Dr Suphaphorn Pitiphorn, who is also a senior officer on the hospital's foundation.

Compared with Umaji, Dongbang's experience is still young.

Umaji has been organic farming for decades and Dongbang for just seven years.

Dongbang villagers used to survive by farming rice and collecting forest products, including herbs. Later, the government encouraged them to start mono-crops - bamboo, fruit and flowers. But that led to increased use of agricultural chemicals.

In 2000, a herbal-farming group led by Samai Khoonsuk started a cooperative.

The Samai group got the job of growing chemical-free herbs for the hospital at a guaranteed price.

Years of learning finally saw the villagers expand their organic farm to 101 rai.

As well as growing natural herbs the villagers have learned Thai traditional massage and make all sorts of herbal products themselves.

Each family can earn as much as Bt15,000 a month.

"Most of all, farming is good for our health in the long run," Samai says.

To increase earnings, the Dongbang Herbal Cooperative is developing agro-tourism so visitors can enjoy being members of a herbal-farming community.

"Compared with Umaji we are just a baby. But, we share many similarities. I have learnt a lot from them," Samai said.

"I hope one day we can achieve success like Umaji," cooperative chairwoman Tiphaphorn Khoonsri says.

The hospital's Suphaphorn is impressed with Umaji, too. "The hospital here works mainly on manufacturing Thai traditional herb products while Dongbang Cooperative works on supplying materials. At Umaji, they do both jobs at the village. I admire their teamwork, their non-stop learning and their rural spirit," she says.

After a night in Dongbang, Totani told the villagers he was impressed by their diversity and is an admirer of the area's geography.

"Dongbang and Umaji have different weak and strong points. So you should learn from us how to find your own strong points," Samai translated for Totani during a sake-sato dinner in the bamboo huts of the Dongbang cooperative.

Even though success has been tasted at varying levels, neither village is about to give up its struggle.

At Umaji, villagers are currently working on the financial survival of its nine-year-old company. ECO-ASU preserves forest surrounding the village, manufactures wood products and sells them.

It is an effort to provide employment for all villagers as well as protect the local environment.

In Dongbang, villagers are learning their strengths. One option is to create a centre for herbal supplies.

"Umaji villagers inspire me and brighten up my dreams," Suphaphorn says.

Kamol Sukin

The Nation

PRACHIN BURI