SFS is working with the Tabthai village farmers' group to be the first farmers' group in Thailand to raise organic-certified pigs! This may not sound like the most exciting news, but certification will help Tabthai farmers' when it comes time to sell pork at the Surin Green Market every Saturday. Consumers are starting to be suspicious when it comes to animal products (the melamine scare continues here in Thailand), so proving that local farmers raise healthy, chemical-free animals is important. Last week we were out meeting with farmers to distribute application forms for Agriculture Certification Thailand (ACT), which will accredit our members' farms.
Pigs are raised in small pens that are dug a few feet below ground - doesn't the pig pen above look almost like a tropical beach hut?Tabthai village's pigs were originally raised to generate organic fertilizer for the rice paddies; after raising a pig to full size and slaughtering it for villagers' to eat, the pen is cleaned out and the fresh manure compost is bagged for use out in the fields. But as more people have taken to raising pigs, farmers began sending surplus pork to the Green Market every Saturday. The past two years of sales have provided Tabthai farmers with significantly more weekly income.
We'll keep you updated as to whether or not our pigs pass certification, but from our point of view, it seems like a sure thing.
0 comments:
Post a Comment