Abstract:
This present research aimed to study a history of organic farming economy and a context of rural organic farming community in order to find out factors and conditions affecting a success of organic farming. Organic farming leads to a development of organic farming model for rural families which is satisfied with concepts of sufficient economy and sustainable agriculture. A knowledge management technique and a focus group technique were applied to this qualitative study where 3 forums were held at None Muay village, Choompolburi district, Surin province, and at Don Talad village, Champasak province, Laos.
The research results were as follows:
It was found that, in the past, the main objective of agriculture was for a household consumption where importance was given to factors of life, health, nature, environment, and society. People had learned how to plant appropriately, and had lived imitatively from their ancestors basing on principles of self-reliance and sufficiency. Agriculturalists, because of a globalized changing stream, have adjusted themselves to survive in a trend of capitalism. They have learned how to reduce a cost of production and how to increase a value of product by using household material resources. This consists of using a labor force which a focus is to reduce a cost of production by searching for a production process that helps to increase a product quantity. It also includes learning a new technique and using a new technology in order to help to reduce a production cost where wisdoms of a bio fermented water and an organic fertilizer are integrated with the Nano Auto Mix technology. Furthermore, rice growing is learned as a culture where a land is prepared by mainly using an organic fertilizer. A rice seed is developed and bio fermented water is used to increase a number of product.
Ways of life of organic farming family are based on philosophies of sufficient economy and self-reliance where a changing situation is reviewed, learned and adjusted all the time. Focuses are gave to a preparation of land, a changing of production process to add more values to household products, a productivity, a cost reduction, a behavioral modification of farmers, and learning a relationship between soil, air, and water.
A factor considered as important behavioral condition for an organic farming family was a strong belief in concepts of a sufficient economy and a self-reliant principle. Moreover, an organic farming family should be diligent, endurable, and economical. In order to growing rice as a professional, attention should be paid to a preparation of lands and rice seeds and a nurture of paddy fields. The important factors for a survival were a preparation of lands, household resource management knowledge, nutrition knowledge, knowledge of a relationship between soil, air and water, a cooperative grouping, a product transformation, and how to add more values to organic products.
However, a success of organic farming rice production should be motivated by a supporting from a government sector. A consuming of organic rice should be promoted to communities, villages, and sub-districts by a sub-district administrative organization. Furthermore, at levels of district and province, an organic product consuming should be promoted basing on cooperation between a government organization and an organic rice growing community in forms such in a school, a hospital, a sub-district administrative organization, a party in community, and etc.
An organic farming family, a desirable context and behavior, should by observant, practitioner, and be able to adjust themselves to a natural principle. Furthermore, they should be sufficient, endurable, and economical. Money would be used when necessary. An exchanging and sharing of experiences is also needed for a desirable organic farming family in order to generate a connection.
Strategies to develop an organic farming in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region are divided into 3 dimensions: 1) at an individual level or a family level; 2) at a macro level; and 3) at a regional level. According to a family or individual level, the first strategy is a preparation of man (basing on a Buddhist doctrine and a principle of self reliance). The second strategy is to give people knowledge of the nature which affects a growth of plants and animals aiming to reduce a production cost, increase a number of products, and add more value to a product by a transformation process. The third strategy is that household resources must by managed for the highest effectiveness. At a macro level, the first strategy is to promote a rice stubble ploughing and a straw keeping as food for buffalo and cow in a dry season. The second strategy is that a campaign to increase a number of cow or buffalo as a labor and for manure should be introduced. The third strategy is that an organic farming learning process should be regularly and continuously provided. The fourth strategy is that a compilation as a group to generate a network should be generated and focused. According to the regional level, the first strategy is to promote and support for a natural and environmental conservation in order to increase more nutrient and natural fertilizer to soil. The second strategy is to promote and construct a sharing identity of communities living along the Greater Mekong Sub-Region basing on beliefs or rituals about rice, water, and naga. The third strategy is to construct and provide a set of organic farmings knowledge about microorganism. Land fertilizing, and a production of bio-manure in order to help to reduce const of production and a number of debt in each family.
Organic farming development strategies for the Greater Mekong Sub Region should be expanded for a survival and a self- reliance basing on philosophies of sufficient economy and sustainable agriculture. Such strategies are reduction of production cost, productivity, and value added for organic products. However, an unstable state of mind of members in an organic farming family is an important obstacle for a thinking modification according to the concept of sufficient organic farming. This is because of each family has a cost to pay for such as food condiments and self-cleaning products- e.g. fish sauce, monosodium glutamate, detergent, shampoo, soap, and etc. Furthermore, people have to pay for other costs such as a traveling cost, a healing cost, a business cost, and etc. As a result, they have to make more money for such a cost. Therefore, they turn to produce for a commerce following a trend of capitalism.
From the presented study, it is suggested that to learn and know ways of life of people since the past till the present, and a production and agricultural history according to factors of life, health, nature, environment, and society are considering as very important for a modification and a survival in the era of globalization. Ways of life of organic farming family should be focused on concepts of self-reliance and sufficient economy.