Repeated flooding in Kabin Buri district of Prachin Buri has dashed the dreams of some local people who hoped to follow in the footsteps of their parents and become phak krachet chaludnam growers.
Farmers living by Kwaeo Hanuman River have abandoned thousands of rai of paddy fields, especially phak krachet chaludnam farms, due to fast currents brought on by the overflowing river.
Phak krachet chaludnam, a type of water mimosa, is a name used by residents along both sides of the Kwaeo Hanuman. The district is well known for the crop. The vegetables taste and look far better than those harvested in other parts of the country.
They also grow longer stems and have a distinctly crunchier taste and deeper flavour.
But phak krachet chaludnam is not immune to floods, which this year have washed away all the prized crops.
Growing them during the summer is also not the best idea. Water shortages can stunt or even kill the plants.
The same happens to paddy fields. They are severely damaged by floods during the rainy season, forcing farmers to grow only off-season rice.
The farmers also face the prospect of drought.
Many residents have abandoned farming and now work in factories, though that means a loss of income from the the crop.
Nipha Sutthisuphon, 51, is one of a growing number of residents in tambon Nakhaem who have decided to work in a factory.
"We have lived with the water mimosa and earned money from it. But the amount of water is just too much and the current is very strong," she said.
Ms Nipha said the flooded rivers threatened to erode her riverfront land. Many neighbours have lost parts of their properties to the floods.
Residents in the district say this year's floods have lasted longer and inflicted more damage to farmland than in previous years. Farmers say there is no telling how soon they will be able to return to their land, and many of their beloved crops have been washed away.