Farmers in the Northeast have shown a willingness to stop crop burning and switch to a decomposition method instead, saying they are ready to be part of the transition towards sustainable agriculture with the support of related sectors.
With the country facing a PM2.5 crisis, the USDA-funded Thailand Regional Agriculture Innovation Network (Rain) project has launched a campaign to advocate for decomposition as a way to manage agricultural residue effectively instead of burning it.
The "Chi River No Burn" campaign encourages rice farmers in the northeastern region to use microbial solutions to accelerate the decomposition of post-harvest rice stubble.
In Thailand, burning is often a way to eliminate crop waste and has long been a practice adopted by rice farmers to prepare land for the next planting season.
According to data from the Pollution Control Department (PCD), most PM2.5 in Thailand originates from fire hot spots scattered across the country.
Since the beginning of this year, 10,543 such hot spots have been reported, 3,287 of which were detected in rice fields.
The "Chi River No Burn" campaign targets over 100,000 rai of rice plantations in the Chi River basin, the second-largest rice-growing area in Thailand, known for producing off-season rice.
Approximately 6,000 rice farmers in the area, which covers Khon Kaen, Kalasin, Roi Et and Maha Sarakham provinces, are now participating in the campaign.
Participating farmers are provided with microbial solutions -- a mix of bacteria capable of activating rapid decomposition, cutting the decomposition time of crop residue in half -- that are used on their land.
Any participants who recruit other farmers to join the programme will get incentives, including cash vouchers to buy agricultural appliances and supplies.
Local give-and-take
The Bangkok Post met with participating farmers in Khon Kaen's Muang district, who said they used to resort to burning to manage crop residue as it was fast and cheap.
Ploughing fresh stubble is hard and costly because it requires machine work, so burning makes for an easier plough, manually or with tractors, they said.
Before joining the campaign, some of the farmers had already stopped burning due to various reasons, such as being injured by out-of-control flames and suffering from respiratory conditions due to smoke and pollutants.
They then turned to adopting methods of compressing and decomposition.
However, according to the farmers, the decomposition process, which normally takes 30 days, does not accommodate the short timeframe of off-season cropping, which needs to begin within 14 days of the main harvesting period ending.
After adopting the practice introduced by Rain and adopting the use of bio-activators, they say planting has become faster, and they face fewer costs.
Chanwit: Crop yields increased
"The decayed stubble becomes a nutrient for the soil and helps to increase crop yields," said Chanwit Srimungkun, a farmer from Nong Tum sub-district.
Furthermore, as the microbes decompose the stubble and produce more organic matter, he does not require much fertiliser.
The pollutants caused by burning also affect the soil quality, which makes farmers rely heavily upon fertilisers, which are also costly and non-organic.
Farmer Punnarat Sitadyod from Nong Tum says the soil now needs to be ploughed only twice, compared to three or four times in the past, which helps him reduce labour costs by half.
Thanks to the nourishing soil, crops from participating paddy fields in Don Chang sub-district were also found to have grown quicker and denser, according to Ratchapak Srimueanghao, a local rice farmer.
He said the rice in his field was 20-25cm tall, while those not part of the campaign were around 15-20cm tall.
Options leading action
Sirinan Srimungkun, the village head of Ban Khok Ta in Nong Tum sub-district, said 60% of local farmers in Khon Kaen have to shift away from burning, and the use of bio-activators is one of the innovations they will adopt.
She suggested there should be comprehensive support from the authorities to encourage more farmers to participate in the transition towards sustainable farming. Incentives for their participation may be essential, she said.
Sirinan: More support needed
Ms Sirinan said some rice farmers hardly earn any profit from their harvest because the central rice price is relatively low.
"Farmers were told [by the authorities] to stop burning, which is cheap, but no resources or support were provided [to help them do so]," she said.
Ms Sirinan said that what farmers really need are options and access to knowledge, technology and financial assistance.
Sparks: Farmers need help
"When [the authorities] say 'stop burning', their sentence should be completed with 'and do this instead,'" said William Sparks, Rain's project director.
He said most farmers realised that burning was dangerous to their lives, property and environment, but they still did it because they had no other choice.
"So, I think instead of painting farmers as lazy and irresponsible culprits, we need to make sure they know that they have options that are accessible", he added.
To ensure sustainable farming, comprehensive measures are required to assist farmers from upstream to downstream, which can be done through a network of various stakeholders.
He said that the process of sourcing, supporting, scaling, selling, and sharing is necessary.
The process begins with researchers and academics helping to source out innovation.
Then, there should be a supportive business model to ensure the farmers can make money while conserving the environment.
After that, a network of private and governmental sectors then needs to scale out the practices and ensure the farmers can sell their products.
Successful methods and outcomes should also be shared across the region.
"At the end of the day, it is not the farmers' job to hammer themselves to take care of the environment on behalf of all of us, right?
"We drive cars. We run factories. We all use plastic. So, it should not be purely on the shoulders of the farmers [to protect the environment]," Mr Sparks said.
