His Majesty the King's philosophy of the sufficiency economy, which he always promoted among Thai people, depends on diligent work and the avoidance of greed and cheating or dishonesty. The rewards of this approach to life include a comfortable life and -- importantly -- the avoidance of debt.
road to success: Karen children going to school.
His Majesty did not specify that it was necessary to be a farmer to practise it. The principles of the sufficiency economy can be applied to other professions as well, and can lead to different kinds of success. There are many examples, but one that I would like to point out today comes from a Karen village where life is governed by a way of thinking that is simple and reasonable, and offers permanent benefits to the local society. It is one version of the sufficiency economy approach.
This Karen community is at Baan Ang Kaluang on Doi Inthanon in Mae Chaem district in Chiang Mai. Their approach to living was explained to me by Somsak Khiriphumithong, a community member.
He said that the Karen were like other hill tribes who had originally come as refugees from elsewhere seeking a suitable place to live, and had eventually settled down permanently. They like to live on mountaintops at altitudes of between 500 and 1,000 metres (about mid-level) above sea level.
Between sea level and 500 metres is the zone called the Teng Rang Forest, after a type of tree that grows there (Siamese sal). The soil cover is not thick and does not retain water, so the terrain becomes very hot during the summer and most trees lose their leaves, leaving bare branches. This aridity prevents any crops from being grown.
Above 1,000 metres, it becomes cold and too windy, so the mid-level is the best for living and farming. There is plenty of moisture, forests flourish and rice can be grown.
The Karen prefer to live near forests and have accumulated a wealth of traditional knowledge concerning them. Rice farming is practised using a method they call khao rai, with cultivation taking place not only in wide fields but in small, terraced plots. There is one crop per year during the rainy season, with moisture provided solely by rainfall. They are not interested in growing a second crop because it would mean bringing water up from below, and there is a feeling that the people living down below need it more.
Somsak Khiriphumithong
In the past, there were problems during periodic droughts, when some families could not grow enough rice to sustain them. The late King saw this and sympathised. He had granaries built for storage and then donated rice to fill them. These silos were called "rice banks". Villagers could take rice from them to eat when they needed it, and then when the growing season came, those who had borrowed rice from the bank could take as much of their new crop as they needed, then put the rest into the bank. Every household could use it, so the bank acted as a community resource. With everyone contributing to it, if there was an excess that could not be contained in the rice bank, it could be sold and the money divided up between the community members. No one ever went without rice.
The Karen raise water buffaloes because they are preferable to other kinds of farming equipment in terraced rice fields. There are many advantages to using these animals. They leave droppings while working the fields, and these enrich the soil. During times of the year when the fields are not being cultivated, the buffaloes are sent into the forest, where they find their own food consisting of growing plants and dead, dry leaves. The dry leaves are highly inflammable and are the cause of many forest fires, so the more of them that the animals eat, the better.
The buffaloes also fertilise the forest with their droppings, making it lush with plants, flowers and fruits for other animals to eat, creating a flourishing ecological system. With the land so healthy and full of nutrients, the villagers are able to farm it throughout the year, and always have produce to eat or sell. Natural forest and cultivated plants intermix in a healthy environment.
One source of supplementary income for the Karen at Baan Ang Kaluang is growing coffee. Their cultivation method does not require any other plants to be cut down or cleared. The coffee is grown together with other crops, with each left to take care of itself in harmony with the others. For example, when coffee is grown together with mango trees in the natural system, the trees will be home to many red ants' nests. These ants like to eat worms and other pests to attack the leaves of coffee plants. This means that no insecticides are needed to protect the coffee plants grown by the Karen.
When the Royal Project was established on Doi Inthanon, the local Karen benefited. Some Karen families took to farming using compost or organic fertiliser for their crops. Others chose to raise flowers to cut and sell. Households in these two categories have to live far from each other, however, as the flower growers have to use insecticide to control the pests that attack the blooms. This makes them a threat to organic farmers who fear that the same pests that are attracted by the flowers can eat their vegetables, too, and they do not want to use insecticides. This means that the two types of farms have to be located at a distance from each other.
The raising of rainbow trout has also been promoted in the Karen community. The fish are bred in concrete ponds with feeding at certain times of the day. Fast-flowing, cool water from natural waterfalls is channelled through the ponds, or else water from other sources is allowed to flow through them. Once the fish have grown to a good size, they are sent to the Royal Project for sale.
Mr Somsak said that in his village there is plenty of rice to eat, the local people earn supplementary income and there is an abundance of fresh produce that they either grow or bring in from the forest. If they have any spare time, they can take jobs on the mountain. They don't have any serious worries and are not in debt. Children are sent down from the mountain to school.
Their happy situation reflects the success of the sufficiency economy. The Karen villagers work hard, are not greedy or given to cheating each other, and are not in debt. They are permanent recipients of the ongoing benefits brought by the sufficiency economy philosophy promoted by HM the King.
rolling landscape: Rice farming is practised using the 'khao rai' method in terraced plots.
Photos: Suthon Sukphisit and 123RF
