Farming for a new generation | Bangkok Post: learning

About agriculture

With goal of raising farm productivity 52 times to 259,000 baht per rai, sparking a new interest in farming as a career is the aim of this project.

Photo above of a young farmer watching a rice threshing machine do its work at harvest time (Photo: Dario Pignatelli).

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Economics

Farming 101

Political science graduate goes back to her roots in pilot project aimed at proving agriculture can provide a healthy living
3/07/2012
Wichit Chantanusornsiri

Her eyes are clear and wilful in the harsh light of midday, and while the noon sun may burn her skin, it cannot compare to the fire in her heart.

Despite the long-term decline in farming, some younger Thais are learning to work the land.

"There is no shame in farming. It's a career like any other, one that requires skill and knowledge to succeed. It's just not a skill one learns at university," Siriau Keawpara said with passion.

The 24-year-old farmer is perhaps atypical, a Ramkhamhaeng University political science graduate who has eschewed a city office job to take up farming as her vocation. 

Ms Siriau acknowledged that among her classmates, few ever considered working in agriculture, knee-deep in mud and dirt.

While many of today's younger generations may believe farming offers a threadbare wage for heavy manual labour, Ms Siriau said she is convinced that one can indeed make a good living with proper planning and management.

She is one of 85 participants in a pilot training project run by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) to help farmers improve their fortunes through the application of modern business and agricultural techniques.

The students are taught to grow organic rice, fish and vegetables all in the same plot. Ms Siriau said that after finishing the five-month practical training programme, she will bring the lessons back to her family's own 20-rai farm in Nakhon Pathom province.

"I think Thailand can be a regional leader in agriculture. Under the Asean Economic Community from 2015, we'll have an opportunity to grow food for people in this whole region, even worldwide," she said.

UTCC rector Sauwanee Thairungroj said the university has devoted 100 rai of land in Nonthaburi province to the project.

Experts in agricultural economics, logistics, food science and business management all help provide instruction to the participants.

Dr Sauwanee said the global economic crisis shows the importance of the agricultural sector to the country's overall economic security, as crops can be leveraged for both food and energy.

She said Thailand needs to increase the value of its land and look to reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides to increase sustainability through organic farming.

Dr Sauwanee said the number of farmers have declined steadily in recent years, raising questions about the future of Thai agriculture.

The pilot project is aimed at generating annual revenue of 100,000 to 259,000 baht per rai, a level up to 52 times the average income generated by farmland today.

Participants are taught new rice-growing techniques aimed at maximising efficiency and productivity, starting from the selection of paddy seeds to the cultivation of rice stalks, transportation and growing techniques.

Principles of the sufficiency economy philosophy championed by His Majesty the King are also ingrained in the coursework.

BAAC president Luck Wajananawat said the project encourages farmers to improve their skills and knowledge.

Negative behaviours such as drinking, smoking and gambling are also discouraged in order to help improve not only their health but also their personal finances.
 
Phongsak Assakul, president of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said the business models used in the project will ultimately improve farmers' livelihoods, in turn helping to reduce the country's income gap and support social stability and economic growth.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Economics, Farming 101, Political science graduate goes back to her roots in pilot project aimed at proving agriculture can provide a healthy living, 3/07/2012, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, link)


Farming Vocabulary

generation - a group of people in a society who were born and live around the same time (example: my grandfather's generation)
a new generation - a new group of young people who are just beginning their adult lives and careers

farming for a new generation

productivity - producing more with the same amount of inputs (labour, energy, etc)  ผลิตภาพ การเพิ่มผลผลิต ความสามารถในการผลิต
farm productivity

with goal of raising farm productivity 52 times to 259,000 baht per rai, sparking a new interest in farming as a career is the aim of this project.

Farming 101 - meaning: the name of a class in farming taught at college or university

threshing - using a tool to separate the grain of rice or wheat from the rest of the plant such as stock
harvest - the activity of gathering a crop from the field after it is grown and ready to eat

go back to your roots - go back to where your family, grandparents and ancestors came from in the past (many were farmers in the past but now live in the city)

pilot - a small test of a new idea or product or idea before introducing it everywhere
pilot project

provide - to give someone something that they want or need
agriculture can provide a healthy living

Political science graduate goes back to her roots in pilot project aimed at proving agriculture can provide a healthy living

clear - bright; without clouds or marks in it
clear eyes - healthy bright eyes

wilful - determined to do something (and nothing will stop you)

harsh - strong; strict, unkind and very strong อย่างแรง
harsh light of midday

work the land - farm; grow crops on land; do all the tasks needed in farming: plowing the land, sowing the seed, irrigating, harvesting the crop, etc

Her eyes are clear and wilful in the harsh light of midday, and while the noon sun may burn her skin, it cannot compare to the fire in her heart. Despite the long-term decline in farming, some younger Thais are learning to work the land.

shame - being embarassed, shy or guilty about something (so wanting to hide it and not let people see it)
there is no shame in ... - don't have to be shy or hide it ...

career - a job that a person does for much of their life (See Wikipedia) (See glossary)
passion - a strong enthusiasm or interest ความชื่นชม หลงใหล

"There is no shame in farming. It's a career like any other, one that requires skill and knowledge to succeed. It's just not a skill one learns at university," Siriau Keawpara said with passion.

atypical - not usual or typical
eschew - avoid doing something (usually for moral reasons)

take up - start doing some activity regularly (example: in retirement he decided to take up golf)
vocation - a serious job that you do that provides you a purpose in life

The 24-year-old farmer is perhaps atypical, a Ramkhamhaeng University political science graduate who has eschewed a city office job to take up farming as her vocation. 

acknowledged - to say that they know that something is true (something they would probably not usually say)

Ms Siriau acknowledged that among her classmates, few ever considered working in agriculture, knee-deep in mud and dirt.

thread - a long thin fiber used to make cloth or sew things together ด้าย, เส้นด้าย,
bare - having nothing or almost nothing
threadbare - very poor; clothing that has been worn so much that it is very thin and has holes in it

wage - an amount of money that you earn for working, usually according to how many hours or days you work each week or month ค่าจ้าง
threadbare wage - a very low wage

manual - done with the hands (not done by machine or computer)
manual labour- work done with the hands

convinced - certain; sure แน่ใจ, มั่นใจ

proper - correct; done in the right and correct way
proper planning and management

While many of today's younger generations may believe farming offers a threadbare wage for heavy manual labour, Ms Siriau said she is convinced that one can indeed make a good living with proper planning and management.

participants - people who are part of an activity or project

training - to teach people how to do an activity or job การฝึกฝน
pilot training project

fortunes - how well people do in their life; whether they make money or are poor; whether they are success or not 
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
help farmers improve their fortunes

application of - use of

techniques - methods of doing a task or activity เทคนิค
agricultural techniques
application of modern agricultural techniques

She is one of 85 participants in a pilot training project run by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) to help farmers improve their fortunes through the application of modern business and agricultural techniques.

plot - a piece of land used for a particular purpose
organic rice plot

practical - useful for real people in real situations ที่ขึ้นอยู่กับความเป็นจริง
practical training programme

opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do (See glossary)
rector - the person in charge in some universities, schools, colleges and universities อธิการบดี  อธิการบดีของมหาวิทยาลัยหรือวิทยาลัย

The students are taught to grow organic rice, fish and vegetables all in the same plot. Ms Siriau said that after finishing the five-month practical training programme, she will bring the lessons back to her family's own 20-rai farm in Nakhon Pathom province. "I think Thailand can be a regional leader in agriculture. Under the Asean Economic Community from 2015, we'll have an opportunity to grow food for people in this whole region, even worldwide," she said. UTCC rector Sauwanee Thairungroj said the university has devoted 100 rai of land in Nonthaburi province to the project.

logistics - transporting and storing goods on the way from factory to consumer (See Wikipedia) การขนส่งและจัดจำหน่ายสินค้า การขนส่งสินค้า
global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก

crisis - an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤตการณ์ วิกฤต
global economic crisis

sector - a part of a country's economy or business activity ภาคเศรษฐกิจของประเทศ (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia)
agricultural sector

security - providing safety from harm or damage ความปลอดภัย
economic security - providing safety from becoming poor and having no money

lever - a long bar that you put under a heavy object to move it upwards more easily, a way of getting more power (See Wikipedia)
leverage - meaning: getting more value from something
crops can be leveraged for both food and energy

pesticides - chemicals that kill insects that eat and destroy plants (See Wikipedia)
organic farming - farming that uses natural methods and does not use chemicals that can damage the environment such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers (See Wikipedia)

fertilizers -  any material that is added to the soil during farming to provide plant nutrients that help plants grow, about 40 to 60% of crop yields are from commercial fertilizer use which is thus essential for high-yield harvests (See Wikipedia)
chemical fertilizers - inorganic commercial fertilizers, in the short-run makes plants grow faster but in long-run may damage the fields and environment (See Wikipedia)

sustainability - situation or activity can continue for a long time
reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides to increase sustainability through organic farming

Experts in agricultural economics, logistics, food science and business management all help provide instruction to the participants. Dr Sauwanee said the global economic crisis shows the importance of the agricultural sector to the country's overall economic security, as crops can be leveraged for both food and energy. She said Thailand needs to increase the value of its land and look to reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides to increase sustainability through organic farming. Dr Sauwanee said the number of farmers have declined steadily in recent years, raising questions about the future of Thai agriculture.

annual - happening once a year ประจำปี
revenue - income from taxes or business activities รายได้
annual revenue

income - money that people receive from work or some other source, used for household consumption and savings

generated - created
income generated by farmland

The pilot project is aimed at generating annual revenue of 100,000 to 259,000 baht per rai, a level up to 52 times the average income generated by farmland today.

efficiency - waste little time, energy and resources in doing a task (minimize time, energy and resources in performing a task) (See glossary) การทำงานอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ คุ้มค่าเวลาและใช้พลังงานหรือต้นทุนในการผลิตน้อย เพื่อให้ได้ผลผลิตมาก
maximising efficiency

paddy - rice after it has been harvested from the field  ข้าวเปลือก
paddy seeds

cultivation - growing plants

stalk - the long thin part of a plant that holds up a flower or fruit at the end
rice stalks

Participants are taught new rice-growing techniques aimed at maximising efficiency and productivity, starting from the selection of paddy seeds to the cultivation of rice stalks, transportation and growing techniques.

sufficiency - the state of having or being enough
sufficiency economy philosophy - (See essay by Medhi Krongkaew)

ingrained - included and a part of in a deep way; based up this 
ingrained in the coursework

skills - a type of work or task requiring special training and knowledge ทักษะ ความสามารถเฉพาะทาง

negative behaviours - bad things that people do

gambling - the activity of betting money, for example in a game or on a horse race การพนัน
discouraged - try to make people not do this

personal finance - a person's money situation including their savings in the bank, debt, etc (See Wikipedia)

Principles of the sufficiency economy philosophy championed by His Majesty the King are also ingrained in the coursework. BAAC president Luck Wajananawat said the project encourages farmers to improve their skills and knowledge. Negative behaviours such as drinking, smoking and gambling are also discouraged in order to help improve not only their health but also their personal finances.
 
models - a system, a simple description of how a system works (to help you understand it)
business model - simple descriptions of important parts (core aspects) of a business and how the business creates value for people, including its purpose, offerings, strategies, infrastructure, organizational structures, trading practices, and operational processes and policies (See Wikipedia)

ultimately - in the end, finally, after a series of things have happened ท้ายที่สุด, ตอนสุดท้าย, ในที่สุด
livelihoods - ways to earn money to support a family; a source of money and income such as a job that allows you to buy the things that you need (See glossary)

gap - a big difference between different people or groups ช่องว่าง
income gap - a big difference in the income of two groups 

support - help สนับสนุน
stability - a situation in which things happen as they should and there are no harmful changes; when something is not likely to move or change ความมั่นคง, เสถียรภาพ

stability - when a situation does not change suddenly and unexpectedly, so people can operate normally and successfully ความมั่นคง ความมีเสถียรภาพ  
social stability

Phongsak Assakul, president of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said the business models used in the project will ultimately improve farmers' livelihoods, in turn helping to reduce the country's income gap and support social stability and economic growth.

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