Mae Chaem, a district in Chiang Mai province, is a place where maize fields stretch as far as our eyes can see. Thinking of planting other crops, such as fruit crops, is difficult because the area is arid. Farmers lack the knowledge to practice sustainable agriculture because they have long relied on conventional farming for 30 years. When they tried to seek industrial seeds to plant vegetables, they could only use them once and had to buy new ones constantly. The cost of seeds was also high, making it unworthy for household consumption or investment. This led to the saying among the local people that “The Mae Chaem people have no choice.” Ultimately, the forest disappeared and was replaced by “corn fields”
With the involvement of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) or WWF Thailand, efforts were launched in Kong Khaek Subdistrict, Mae Chaem District, to promote sustainable agriculture and improve smallholder farmers’ access to chemical-free food. This included the establishment and development of the Kong Khaek Sustainable Agriculture Community Enterprise, which WWF provided them with workshops in tamarind processing, fertilizer production, and organic vegetable farming, with emphasizing crop diversification and biodiversity enhancement, as well as setting up the field trip to visit the Maetha Organic Community Group, and supported members with organic vegetable seeds. Our initiative culminated in the creation of the Kong Khaek Sustainable Agriculture Green Market, which received venue support from the Kong Khaek Administrative Office.
Previously, elderly housewives had to live lonely lives alone at home. Now, they’ve started grouping together to sell chemical-free vegetables, finding company to alleviate loneliness, and reducing the risk of depression. They had good opportunities to practice their vendor skills as well as observing customers’ demand and understanding agroecology of each vegetable in each season. Customers previously hesitated to buy insect-damaged vegetables, but now everyone is confident to buy because the produce is free from agro-chemicals. People in the community are also starting to ask for the group’s vegetable seeds and request to share them for planting, as the Kong Khaek villagers are now widely aware that the organic seeds from WWF can be saved and replanted.
Dr. Ulf Jaeckel from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Tanja Ploetz from WWF Germany, visited members of the green market and the members at the Kong Khaek Administration Office.
The journey of the green market of Kong Khaek Sustainable Agriculture Group: past, present, and future, including a summary of lessons learned by the members and the development of the sustainable food system in Kong Khaek Subdistrict, Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai Province.
Recently, the green market has become well-known within the community. When people want to eat chemical-free vegetables, this is the place they think of. Even people living in Mae Chaem District, being 10 kilometers far from the market, have started to shop for the vegetables from the market. This tangible success has instilled pride among members, giving the group morale to further develop the sustainable community food system and to create a learning center for other communities.
The development of a sustainable agricultural and food system through the green market may be the first step towards ‘opportunity’ for the Mae Chaem people.
