Announcing Results of the 13th Samnuek Rakbankerd Farmer Selection Project, 2021: Uplifting Thai Farmers under the Concept “Creative Agriculture, Sustainable Happiness”, Embracing Digital Economy
Ruam Duay Chuay Kan Samnuek Rakbankerd Foundation with Department of Agriculture Extension and dtac jointly held the 13th Samnuek Rakbankerd Farmer Selection Project of the year 2021, under the concept of “Creative Agriculture, Sustainable Happiness”. The project deliberately seeks potential farmers and features Thai farmers who pursue and bring organic agriculture into a knowledge-based implementation to enhance and add value to their products, which is ideally a feasible practice guiding the farmers themselves, society, and communities to sustainability of life quality. The purpose is accordingly in line with the government policy of sustainable economy development (Bio-Circular-Green Economy: BCG).
Mr. Boonchai Benchajongkul, President of Ruam Duay Chuay Kan Samnuek Rakbankerd Foundation, remarked on his position of project initiator, “This year, our Samnuek Rakbankerd Farmer Selection Project has reached its 13th anniversary, which comes under the concept of ‘Creative Agriculture, Sustainable Happiness’. We devotedly encourage Thai farmers to keep pace with organic agriculture, which features creativity and integrates technologies and innovations with the production processes. This is prospectively leading to the sustainable development of society, economy, and environment, so as to respond to the government policy of sustainable economy development. (Bio-Circular-Green Economy: BCG), simultaneously opening the marketing door to both online and offline export, which potentially fosters sustainable development in all domains engaged”.
“Over the past 12 years, the Samnuek Rakbankerd Farmer Project has been committed from the beginning to seeking experts of the New Theory of Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy, and underscoring royal projects of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Those expert are namely farmers in the prototype community enterprise and agricultural cooperatives, farmers with a business model of online agricultural products, and farmers with export potentials”.
Mr. Alongkorn Polabutr, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, gave a speech that, “Department of Agriculture Extension has had propelling contributions to agricultural sectors, which are all performed upon the vision “Strong farmers, better lives, and more income”, to satisfy policies and related plans of the government and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. We wish to grant a better quality life to farmers so they can be sustainably self-dependent, as witnessed here by our cooperation in the ‘Samneuk Rakbankerd Farmer Project’, which has been consistently hosted by Ruam Duay Chuay Kan Samnuek Rakbankerd Foundation, and ‘technology-aided learning reinforcement for farmers’, which has been delivered to farmers in the form of learning sessions by Total Access Communication Public Co., Ltd. (dtac). Up until this year, we have organized Samnuek Rakbankerd Farmer Selection Project. I hope that the collaboration of Ruam Duay Chuay Kan Samnuek Rakbankerd Foundation, dtac, and Department of Agriculture Extension ignites the growth of Thai agricultural sectors and paves a light way to unitedness, stability, sustainability, and prosperity. This is supposed to offer Thai farmers with a better quality of life and sustainable happiness”.
Mr. Prathet Tankuranun, Chief Technology Officer of Total Access Communication Public Co., Ltd. (dtac), had a remark on the Creative Agriculture, Sustainable Happiness, “It is the key conceptual criterion of the year for farmer selection. The concept plays a critical role and relates to the current social and economic situation, which becomes more challenging as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. dtac as a service provider of telecommunication, which is necessarily a fundamental contributor to the digital economy, has come up with the equality-fostering policy of Digital Inclusion. We have been expanding 700 MHz network under the campaign ‘Good for All, Digital Inclusion for Equality’, highlighting 3 main missions: 1. Good for All Connectivity, 2.Affordable and Accessible Services, and 3.Digital Upskilling. dtac thereby forges ahead in making Thailand all good and stays supportive of life equality”.
Awarded farmers of this year are as follows. The winner “Mr. Narathip Phumthaworn”, from Chayada Black Rice Crab Farm, Sukhothai Province, is a farmer who carried his passion to earning, running an organic black rice crab business to make a prosperous living.
“The winner is a competitive farmer who was at first passionate with black rice crab farming, and then brought it into an organic farming business. He has applied technologies and innovations to his closed loop farming system, following the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), so the products are all health-friendly. The solar cell system is also implemented, which assists in controlling the draining process to retain a rainy-moist atmosphere, so it yields products for an entire year The organic crabs are value-added as being processed as a variety of products, namely pickled crab, crab chili sauce, preserved crab, crab sauce, crab paste, and crab paste with oil. Such products gain a warm welcome from Thai customers and are being distributed in foreign countries, which makes partnered farmers in the community earn more and contributes to sustainability of black rice crab farming from generation to generation”.
The runner-up “Mr. Jirapat Kadeewee” is a farmer from Saen Boon Farm, Kalasin Province. He was formerly an engineer who decided to turn himself as a farmer, producing and exporting plenty of agricultural products, namely fresh salad vegetables, herb shrimp chili sauce, and giant freshwater prawn.
“Jirapat is a scientist farmer returning to hometown to pursue organic farming. With a strong commitment to serving his family members and those in the nearby community with organic food, he has applied scientific knowledge to his farming procedures, both for soil stabilization and bio-fermentation, and he has implemented modernized technology into the plant-growing building to enable a remote control over water system, which helpfully equips the building with facilities. His practices bring products of standardized quality: salad vegetables, herb shrimp chili sauce, and giant freshwater prawn. Additionally, the farm serves as a tourist attraction and learning source of modern farming, welcoming those who are interested and would like to have a visit, which consequently offers the community with sustainability”.
The second runner-up is “Mr. Tanawat Manovachirasun” from Suan Baan Mae, Phangnga Province. He is a farmer who fulfills his mother’s dream by integrating traditional wisdom with modern technology, and becomes successful in operating an organic mangosteen export business.
“He is a designer farmer returning to hometown to embrace his mother’s dream. He is dedicated to uplifting the position of farmers by integrating traditional wisdom with modern technology, and eventually he becomes successful in growing organic mangosteen and bitter beans. The produces are further processed as such products as cold pressed mangosteen juice, mangosteen dried sheet, and baby green mango preserve. Besides, taking advantage of the obtained degree, Tanawat adds value of the products by creating unique packages that come in a Thai folk handicraft style, which perfectly represents the Thai identity”.
Outstanding Farmers
1. Naphassawan Menasin Farmer from Benjamas Naphassawan Farm, Ubon Ratchathani Province
2. Isma-ael Lateh Farmer from Nuris Farm, Yala Province
3. Pinya Srisaray Farmer from Farm Fun Mae (Mother’s Dream Farm), Ratchaburi Province
4. Pattraruetai Promnil Farmer from Nopparat Farm, Nakhon Phanom Province
5. Phiriyakorn Liprasoetphan Farmer from GardenThree, Nongkhai Province
6. Ruttarin Sawangsaleerut Farmer from Deetorjai Farm, Sa Kaeo Province
7. Manoturm Chusang Farmer from Banrai Chainam Farmnok, Surat Thani Province
Overview of Samnuek Rakbankerd Farmer Selection
“Samnuek Rakbankerd Farmer Selection” is an extensive project following the former Rakbankerd’s project on community leader improvement, which was initiated upon an intention of the founder Boonchai Bencharongkul, to foster and implant a sense of homeland ownership into children’s mind. For the present project, the purpose is to seek, foster, and award new-generation farmers who are potentially a role model of new face farmers. The prospective farmers are supposed to be a critical thinker, know how to turn a body of knowledge to practicality and feasibility, and possess an ability of self-adjustment to currents of change, as well as self-dependability, which should bring sustainability to communities. In addition, the project highlights the ideology of homeland ownership and commitment to appreciation of the land, which is a mutual ideology of Ruam Duay Chuay Kan Samnuek Rakbankerd Foundation and partners. It underlines an intention to promote, support, and uplift Samnuek Rakbankerd Farmer networks to have them prepared for playing a role as an entrepreneur on their own. Importantly, the highest goal is to publicize works and accomplishments of Samnuek Rakbankerd Farmers so that they can be recognized and inspirited to pursue their ways of agriculture life.
Selection Criteria
The committee has made a decision based on the following 4 criteria.
1. Farmer: The winners must be an organic farmer or follow an organic path, aged 18-50, possess Thai nationality, have established skills in agricultural matters, and know how to pass on experiences.
2. Agri Organic: The winners must be experienced in organic farming that satisfies health concerns, ecological matters, fairness, and mindfulness.
3. Creative: The winners must have applied traditional wisdom, modern bodies of knowledge, technologies, and marketing principles to development and branding of their products.
4. Sustainability: The winners must be part of a group working on potential enhancement of communities, contribute to professional upskilling, foster sustainability of their own life and communities, develop products consistently, and keep manageable of limited sources to take the greatest advantages.
Selection Results of “2021’s Samnuek Rakbankerd Farmers”
The awardees must be a role model of new generation farmers and supposed to be a critical thinker, know how to turn a body of knowledge to practicality and feasibility, and possess an ability of self-adjustment to currents of change, as well as self-dependability, which should bring sustainability to communities.