Jasmine rice in the Weeping Plain: Adapting rice farming to climate change in northeast Thailand
- Thailand
ENTRY DATE: 09.03.2012 | LAST UPDATE: 09.03.2012
SCALE:
- Community Level
TARGET AREA:
- Rural
BEST PRACTICE IN:
- Capacity Building
- Microfinance
- Research and Development
KEY SECTOR:
- Food Security
FUNDING AMOUNT:
Description of Intervention
• Awareness raising among men, women and children on climate change and its potential impacts in Thailand;
• Provision of loans to design and implement their own on-farm water management systems to sustain principle sources of water; and
• Dissemination to other farmers of their adjusted farming practices (57 out of the 509 organic-farming households joined the programme).
Problems to be Addressed
Thailand’s north-east has faced increasing average temperatures and later onset of the rainy season over the last ten years. Irregular weather patterns further induce pest attacks on rice crops and fungal disease, reducing the quantity and quality of the crops. In 2007, Yasathorn province experienced the longest rainy season drought in decades, resulting in failed rice harvests.
Aims
Reduce the negative impacts of climate change on the production of organic jasmine rice.
Objectives
• To assist farmers in recognizing the impacts of global warming and climate change;
• To support farmers with appropriate water-management systems, such as ponds and artesian wells for their organic farms;
• To promote selected farmers as catalysts for change, by means of sharing their knowledge and experiences with other farmers in Yasothorn; and
• To study the impact of climate change on women.
How it fits into the EbA concept
Through the project, the farmers prepared for water stress caused by increasing temperatures by restoring soils ruined by past droughts and by managing water resources. According to their farm sizes and energy-saving opportunities, the farmers designed and implemented on-farm and less resource intensive water-management techniques, such as diversification of food crops that required less water, and water pumping for the paddy and vegetable garden irrigation. Consequently, the project enhanced the availability of water for diversified crops important to their livelihoods. The project also built upon the farmers’ traditional knowledge and cultural practices to cope with unexpected water stress in the future.