Young Smart Farmer is a program to help set a role model for a new generation of farmers who want to upgrade Thai agriculture.
Recently the Thai government has made it a big priority to provide local organic foods to government based organizations such as schools and hospitals. This push is becoming more apparent after Thailand’s decision to increase their footprint in the organic trade sector of Asean.
So, we at Warm Heart volunteered to work with Young Smart Farmer on testing sustainable farming methods to feed large amounts of people during all times of the year.
Young Smart Farmer comes to Warm Heart
Young Smart Farmer Chiang Mai came to Warm Heart to begin a year long test period of sustainable farming. The kids were split into three groups to learn about sustainable farming.
The first group talked about crop planning. Here they learned it’s important to plant vegetables according to a plan that includes adjustments for the seasons and the relationship of the different plants to each other. Crops need to be rotated to allow the soil to replenish. Different bugs like different crops so mixing them avoids losing several crops to one bug. The lengths of time for the vegetables to mature should also be taken into account so there is a good variety to eat all year. It’s also good to plant their favorite food!
Composting and Fertilizers
The second group focused on soil preparation with bio fertilizer. Here we learned about composting and how to make a natural super fertilizer. Some fertilizers help separate the soil, other fertilizers bring nutrients. We mixed up a pink liquid consisting of shallots, whisked egg, eggshells, and micronutrients that will sit in the sun until it darkens and decrease the growing period time.
The third group got their hands dirty with soil preparation. They turned over the dirt to loosen the soil and added biochar fertilizer. We cleaned up the garden and made sure biochar was equally applied to all the soil. When the seedlings are planted they will have the best chance of growing.
Each group plays a major role in making this test period successful.