Terraced Fields: Disaster Prevention and Bringing People Home

Matichon•General•21d ago

Reader Briefing

A young leader transforms his community in Chiang Mai by implementing terraced farming techniques to combat landslides and improve livelihoods.

•Jettakorn Jiraratphong (Vee), a young Lahu ethnic leader from Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai, returned to his village after a successful career in engineering.
•Facing recurring landslides and environmental degradation from traditional farming, Vee adopted terraced field techniques, inspired by a government conservation project.
•These 'step-like' fields, reinforced with vetiver grass, retain water and soil, making the area more resilient to natural disasters and increasing agricultural yields.
•The initiative has encouraged other villagers to adopt the methods, fostering a sense of community pride and reducing the need for young people to seek work in cities.

Overview

•Jettakorn Jiraratphong (Vee), a young Lahu ethnic graduate from King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, returned to his village in Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai.
•Traditional orange farming in Vee's village led to heavy pesticide use, environmental damage, and reduced profits due to the focus on the fruit's peel.
•Vee decided to cut down 6 rai of orange trees and replace them with coffee, avocado, beans, and pumpkin on his remaining 4 rai, reducing pesticide use.
•In 2024, heavy rains caused landslides and mudslides that tragically killed the village headman and five residents, leading to Vee becoming the new headman.
•A project by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation introduced terraced farming (step-like fields) to prevent soil erosion on the slopes.
•Vee implemented the terraced farming technique on his own land, growing beans and pumpkins, which inspired other villagers to join the project.
•Over 80% of the agricultural land in Doi Laem village, Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai, has now been converted to terraced fields, significantly reducing landslide risk.
•The successful implementation of terraced fields has increased agricultural produce, improved residents' livelihoods, and encouraged migration back to the village.

Full article content is available on the original source.

Read on Matichon (Thai Version)View in Google Translate

Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Jettakorn Jiraratphong (Vee)

"Besides taste, we have to sell the beauty of the peel. Oranges with imperfect peels fetch poor prices, so more pesticides are used. More use means more money gone. Rain washes these chemicals down. Seeing this, I felt it wasn't right."

ผลส้ม นอกจากรสชาติแล้ว เราต้องขายความสวยงามของผิวด้วย ส้มที่ผิวไม่สวย ราคาไม่ดี จึงต้องใช้ ยาฆ่าแมลงเยอะ ยิ่งใช้เยอะ เงินก็หมดเยอะ ฝนตกลงมา น้ำฝนก็ชะเอาสารเคมีเหล่านี้ลงไปพื้นล่าง ผมเห็นแล้ว คิดแล้ว รู้สึกว่ามันไม่ใช่

Jettakorn Jiraratphong (Vee)

"We don't want our home in Doi Laem to face losses from floods and landslides again."

เราไม่อยากให้บ้านดอยแหลมของเรา ต้องเจอกับความสูญเสียจากเหตุการณ์น้ำท่วมดินถล่มอีก

Jettakorn Jiraratphong (Vee)

"The increased produce from the plants we grow will improve our income and living conditions. I believe our people won't need to struggle working in the city anymore."

ผลิตผล ที่เพิ่มขึ้น จากพืชพรรณที่เราปลูก จะทำให้พวกเรามีรายได้ และความเป็นอยู่ที่ดีขึ้น ผมเชื่อว่า พี่น้องของเราไม่จำเป็นต้องไปลำบากทำงานในเมืองอีกแล้ว

Key Entities

Person

Jettakorn Jiraratphong (Vee)(เจตกรวี จิรารัชพงศ์)

A young Lahu ethnic leader from Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai, who implemented terraced farming techniques to prevent landslides and improve his community's livelihood.

Organization

King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok(มหาวิทยาลัยเทคโนโลยีพระจอมเกล้าพระนครเหนือ)ℹ️

The university where Jettakorn Jiraratphong (Vee) studied engineering.

Conservation and Watershed Management Bureau, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation(สำนักอนุรักษ์ และจัดการต้นน้ำ กรมอุทยานแห่งชาติสัตว์ป่าและพันธุ์พืช)

The government bureau that introduced the terraced farming (step-like fields) pilot project in Mae Ai District.

Place

Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai Province(อ.แม่อาย จ.เชียงใหม่)

The rural district in Chiang Mai Province where Jettakorn Jiraratphong (Vee) originates and has implemented a terraced farming project.

Doi Laem Village(บ้านดอยแหลม)

The village in Mae Ai District where Jettakorn Jiraratphong (Vee) is the headman and where the terraced farming project has been successfully implemented.

Timeline

2024

The year when heavy rains caused deadly landslides and mudslides in Doi Laem Village, prompting the selection of Jettakorn Jiraratphong (Vee) as the new headman.