Trust before change: Inside Thailand’s rice farming communities

By Christian Dohrmann

This year, Thailand and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have embarked on a journey toward improving its sustainable rice cultivation practices. The Thai Rice: Strengthening Climate-Smart Rice Farming and the Accelerating the Scaling of Low-Emissions Rice in Southeast Asia projects, among other initiatives, are gaining momentum in the country. As part of this journey, IRRI has conducted household and farm management surveys in seven provinces in the country. Dr. Nittaya Cha-un, Researcher at the Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, serves as our guide through the local rice farming community.

While strategies to change farmer behavior are debated in offices, a different reality unfolds in the paddies. Farmers are aware of changing weather patterns, experiment with ducks for pest control, and recognize that reducing water can improve their yields. Yet when change is formally proposed, opposition emerges.

This contradiction tells of a complex decision-making landscape where survival instincts, cultural wisdom, and social pressures create a pulling and tugging between resistance and adaptation.