UTHAI THANI, 27 July 2015 – The governor of Uthai Thani province spoke with local farmers who used His Majesty the King’s Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy to manage their crops and mitigate drought that has crippled the nation’s agriculture.
Governor Somchai Leartpongpakorn visited Moo 5, Thung Yai sub-district, Mueang district, where farmers have applied the King’s message of sustainable living. Locals created an eight-rai reservoir, where rain water was collected during last year’s monsoon. Then during the dry season, water is distributed to a system of smaller one-rai pools to irrigate 20 rai of rice paddies. Finally, the leftover water is pumped back into the main reservoir.
To conserve water further, the farmers employ alternate wet/dry irrigation (AWDI). As the farmers explained, the AWDI method involves inundating rice paddies with water 5 cm deep, allowing the field to dry, then following up with water 15 cm deep and adding fertilizer. They claimed that the AWDI method enhances nutrient uptake by the soil and crops.
The farmers also took the opportunity to grow flowers along walkways and partitions that can be sold for extra income, as well as vegetable gardens for their own use.
