Noohriean Thompirom, 62, and her husband, Prawat, 61, a farming family in Ban Nong Phue in Khon Kaen province, have spent the bulk of their lives growing sugar cane.
Like most farmers, their experience is with monoculture crops alone, and they bridged the gap by taking on manual jobs during the remaining months of the year. While farming, they relied heavily on chemical fertilisers and lacked modern know-how, which trapped them in a burdensome debt cycle.
Fortunately, they don't have to continue living in such harsh conditions.
The irrigation system set up in Ban Nong Phue by Pid Thong Lang Phra has benefited farmers.
Mrs Noohriean's family in Thung Pong, Ubon Ratana district, found hope after joining the government's Pracha Rat public-private collaborative scheme a few years ago, jointly handled by the Pid Thong Lang Phra royal project. Private sector collaborators include Charoen Pokphand Group and Mitr Phol Group, while local agencies are also involved.
Ban Nong Phue is a pilot project of the collaborative initiative jointly carried out by the government and private sector to persuade farmers to move away from traditional ways of monoculture farming and into multiple crops.
The initiative applies the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Sufficiency Economy concept on water resource development, smart farming and marketing development and distribution channel management for technical, technology and financial support.
The Pid Thong Lang Phra project has been tasked with developing water resources for villagers to ensure that farmers have adequate water supply. The project has irrigated 9,401 rai of farmland.
Mrs Noohriean has decided to grow multiple crops as advised by the Pracha Rat scheme because she believes she can earn more income in the future and, more importantly, the project helps provide technical support and agrees to purchase products from her farmland.
Mrs Noohriean has a total of 25 rai of farmland, and this year she has dedicated 16 rai of her farmland to grow rice, 3.5 rai for fragrant coconut, three rai for sugar cane, two rai for several kinds of vegetables and 0.25 rai for a fish pond.
In the past, she grew sugar cane, which generated 360,000 baht in annual income, 70% of which was spent on the next year's production costs, including chemical fertilisers and harvesting expenses.
"We hardly had any savings in the past," she said. "We didn't hesitate to change our growing methods once the project suggested we grow several crops in lieu of sugar cane."
She said she fetched income from growing several vegetables on two rai worth a combined 120,000 baht a year. She grows crops six times a year, with average vegetable sales worth 10,000 baht a month.
With the support of the Pracha Rat scheme, her income from sugar cane has risen to 500,000 baht a year.
Consistent water supply, in particular, has raised her sugar cane productivity.
Mrs Kam-on Sompan,62, a farmer in Ban Nong Phue, Tambon Thung Pong, Ubon Ratana District is making organic fertilizer.
Jhomkitti Sirikul, an executive for sustainability, good governance and corporate communication at Charoen Pokphand Group, said the group's cash-and-carry unit Siam Makro Plc has agreed to purchase vegetables from farmers on the condition that they meet the company's quality requirements.
The group has also established a special team in the area to work with the Pid Thong Lang Phra project, while Siam Makro provides technical advice about production and organic fertilisers to participating farmers.
Mr Jhomkitti said 48 farming families with 75 rai in total have agreed to change to farming multiple crops instead of sugar cane or glutinous rice monocultures.
CP Group is one of 10 private companies that teamed up with the Pid Thong Lang Phra project and other state local agencies, as well as Khon Kaen University, to implement a pilot project at Tung Pong district in 2016.
Participating farmers were convinced to grow cash crops on 2-3 rai to generate income in the short term.
Thinnakorn Klomsaard, director of technology and human resources at Mitr Phol Group, said the company joined the Pracha Rat project last year and tried to convince cane farmers in Tung Pong district, which has 6,000 rai of farmland, to improve their productivity and use more technology in their production process.
Only 10 farmers with a total of 75 rai have joined the project. The company expects participating farmers to be agents of change and attract other farmers.
Mr Thinnakorn said Mitr Phol provides farmers advice on how to develop a water supply system that can increase productivity and use machinery in the harvest.
Farmers who grow sugar cane using traditional methods make an estimated 3,000 baht worth of profit per rai. Farmers who are supported by water supply improvements can fetch a profit of about 8,000 baht per rai, with productivity rising to 20 tonnes per rai from 10 tonnes.
Mr Thinnakorn said farmers can significantly cut their harvesting costs if they band together.
