Youth & Organic Farming in Baan Nonyang

I made it up to Kudchum, Yasothon province for part of the Nonyang Village Organic Learning Center's "Youth Session" on the weekend of March 7-8. Below are some photos and notes from the events. There were youth in attendance from Yasothon, Mahasarakam, Roi Et and Kalasin provinces - mostly high school students (many of which are about to finish school and begin looking for employment). The goal of the weekend was to teach the youth groups about organic farming as a career, introduce a few different techniques, and motivate the youth to continue with group activities or campaigns related to organic farming - like those of the Kids Love Nature group in Surin or Wai Sai Hua Jai in Yasothon. Thanks to P' Breeo and Udee for inviting me to join in on the fun!

Mae Tanai kicked off Sunday's activities with a brief talk about her experience of becoming an organic farmer. She had worked in Bangkok for a number of years before coming home to pursue a new career at home in Mahasarakam. She pointed out a number of valuable things, "farming is the basis for a secure livelihood and freedom. We all have 24 hours in a day - but it's up to us how we use them. We have a choice to pursue the labor market, but given the economic crisis, I believe that farming is a better alternative." I think her words got everyone thinking before we went out to spend our remaining 12 hours learning more about organic farming.

Learning to make dish soap from natural ingredients

The group was split in two before heading out to Paw Taa and Paw Noi's fields. With Paw Taa, each group learned about rice seed selection and SRI planting methods. With Paw Noi, they learned about various grafting and tree pruning techniques, including Dragonfruit, Mango and Longan.

Nu, from the Wai Sai Hua Jai group, picks out the best rice grains for seeding. The kids used magnifying glasses to see the characteristics of each grain more clearly - especially the "nose," where the roots will eventually emerge.

Having selected the best seeds, they are planted in a burnt rice husk mixture and watered for about 2 weeks, until they are ready to be planted in the paddy, one seedling at a time. Below, 20 day old seedlings in one of Paw Taa's dry-season, seed-saving paddies.

Over at Paw Noi's fields, Paw Lurn and Paw Noi gave the group a lesson on Dragonfruit grafting, Paw Jong gave a lesson on Mango grafting and Paw Anon taught about rootstock grafting for Longan.

There are three main varieties of Dragonfruit, based on their white, yellow and purple colors. March and April are their fertilizing months - male plants tend to be wider, female plants more narrow - and they pollinate during the evening time.

Udee ties on the coconut husk mixture that will create a micro-environment for new Longan roots. The Alternative School project at Jalurn Suk School also practiced this back in October, with Guava trees.

The afternoon's sessions were definitely educational, but I think the kids were pretty hot and tired by the evening. Thankfully, a big dinner-tasting/party was in the works for that night and everyone had a lot of fun. Each meal was presented based on the homes that the kids stayed in, and they got up in front of everyone and explained where the ingredients came from (unfortunately, the cookies were purchased), how they were produced and then gave a short advertisement for their dish. Afterward, we all shared the food together and had a little jam session with music and drama performances.

Paw Taa: "answer proudly that you are farmers' children!"

While it's hard to expect rural youth to jump right into organic farming for their career - especially given family situation, inherited debt or other obligations - activities like the Youth Session are important ways for kids to learn more about self-reliance and the alternative of organic farming. A lot of the youth in these groups may go right to Bangkok and work for a few years, or spend most of the cold and dry seasons working in different hired labor jobs. But when they come home to support their parents or begin a family, farmers' groups within the AAN feel it's important to teach them about the community-based opportunities provided by organic farming. I applaud the youth-focused work of P' Breeo, Udee and their student team from Mahasarakam - it is essential in the effort to bring young people into Isaan's movement for sustainable agriculture. Plus, they are just really good at what they do and understand clearly where rural youth are coming from.