Nuttapoom, when and how did your farm get involved in Organic cultivation?
Our founder, Dr. Athapol Noomhorm, played a pioneering role when we started working organic standards to all the operating systems for our farms. We were also inspired by Thailand's previous king, Bhumibol Adulyadej who made a great effort in helping Thailand's agriculture by introducing and promoting the use of natural fertilizers and compost instead of chemical fertilizers. All efforts give us a better quality of life, clean, safe and sustainable.
What are your main concerns as a farmer?
Our main concern is sustainable growth with a healthy environment and staff. We realize that since we have been working according to organic principles for more than a decade, we are using less input (fossil fuel, electricity, and non-chemical fertilizer) compared to conventional farming. In this way we can produce better and cleaner products for our customers while also provide a healthy environment for our farmers.
What kind of a community and support do you have at the farm?
We are like a family because most of our staff has been working with us since we set up the company, more than 20 years ago!! We provide accommodation, medical check & health insurance, and lunch to our staff and farmers. We also fund our local community, such as schools and temples near our area and conduct other activities such as making merit together with our staff and local people during the Buddhist Holy day and donate to charity.
Do you have other plans to improve the sustainability at the farm?
During the past few years, we have been focusing more on fertilization ourselves by using all raw material from our farms. Examples of the materials that we use for fertilization are banana leaves, corn husks, lemongrass and papaya. We also use some strong herbs (Basil, Chilli, Thai) to prevent insects in our farms.
