วังสมบูรณณ์ Wang Sombun

In Thailand’s Northeastern 'Isan' region, close to the Cambodian border, the municipality of Wang Sombun, in the province of Sa Kaeo, has gathered together some of the poorest families of the district to join in a start-up agricultural scheme, growing organic asparagus.

Lung Gongkaa shows us around the asparagus fields

The project was the idea of the local อบต (office of the municipal government) who conducted surveys to identify those in the district most in need of assistance. The land was given by CODI as part of Baan Mankong Chonabot. The water, roads and electricity was provided by the อบต who also connected the new community with SWIFT. Co, a Thai agricultural company specializing in growing organic fruit and vegetables.

Sprinklers were provided by the อบต

Asparagus, mai farang in Thai, translates as 'caucasian bamboo'.

SWIFT. Co provided the people with seeds and training on organic methods of farming. The people have signed a 5 year contract with SWIFT guaranteeing SWIFT will buy all their produce at a fixed (and by the people’s accounts quite good) price. In exchange the people have to live with plenty of rules imposed by the company, for example, no smoking and no living on site. These rules are intended to maintain the strict organic status of the produce.

SWIFT Co. shows its contribution to the project

The CASE team speaking with Lung Gongkaa

Lung Gongkaa's simple, but sophisticated resthouse

Speaking with the อบต

Many are happy with the money they are now getting, even in the dry season (which is severe in the Isan Region) they can usually make around 500 Baht a day (around 20AU$) which is a lot more than they can get outside.

One of the farmers tells us of her new, more profitable, livelihood

The intention was to give a chance to the poorest . But for most it is not a fresh start. They carry debts from former working arrangments. Debt cycles are a common problem of the rural poor In Thailand (as in other semi feudal rural contexts). The farmer rents land on which to work, he borrows money from their landlords or potential buyers (the only locals with money to lend) in order to purchase new seed, fertilizer and pesticide, which are all necessary to produce enough to make ends meet and service the debts. The landlords and buyers often exploit this relationship with high interests or reduced payment for produce.

Even the most makeshift constructions are equipped with a Thai flag and (in this case home-made) spirit house

Some of the people do not fully trust the new system and continue to work outside as day labourers, disrupting their chances of making a fresh start and forming strong links with their fellow participants. There is a feeling amongst many in Wang Sombun that this artificial grouping of people is not yet a ‘community’, they have, after all, only been living together for the past 3 years. There are practices in place however, such as the common germination of seedlings, which are intended to build stronger relationships amongst the people.

A man packs asparagus.

The people make the most of any opportunity to socialise

In two years time the contract with SWIFT Co. runs out. There is some discussion about what else they could do with their land but most likely they will renew the contract for another 3 years.

A couple of kids go off fishing at the nearby dam

อัมพวา Amphawa

An old market town on the Mae Klong river, Amphawa has long been famous for the fireflies which live amongst the mangroves in the esturine waters where the Mae Klong meets the sea.

The hing-hoi (fireflies) are one of Amphawa's big drawcards

The CASE team began their investigation by wandering along the riverside, Pi Sut was filming, Ae was sketching, the rest of us were taking photos, asking questions and chatting with shopkeepers, homestay owners, residents, and anyone who had the time to tell a little of their own story of Amphawa.

Having a laugh with the community

and listening to their stories.

Amphawa has recently been targeted for rejuvenation through a number of tourism initiatives. A floating market has been set up. The old Chinese shop-houses have been renovated for use as shops, cafes and accommodation assisted by a partnership of Amphawa Municipality, the Office of Natural and Environmental Policy and Planning, the Faculty of Architecture at Chulalungkorn University and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). In just a few years, the numbers of visitors to Amphawa has gone up dramatically, especially on the weekend, attracting hoards from nearby Bangkok. People go there for the fire flies, but is their habitat being threatened by the tourism which they attract?

The talaat naam (floating market) is a popular new addition to Amphawa

Renovated shophouses

Esturine saplings, they will grow to form part of the fireflies' habitat.

We also met with some of the community representatives who are coordinating with CODI on the Baan Man Kong assistance for Amphawa. They described some of the conflicts within the community. While the market is thriving, the economic benefits of the new visitors are not spreading to the surrounding areas. They are feeling only the negative effects: the rubbish, the noise of firefly tour boats at night. They have tried setting curfews for the boats, but they are hard to enforce. They have tried employing people to collect the rubbish but there are squabbles over who will pay their wages.

Meeting with community leaders.

While parts of Amphawa are booming...

others are left behind.

Tour boats have been a noise problem for residents at night.

There have been some successes though. Pi Daeng described an inovative strategy, sponsering a public, open-air karaoke initiative to bring people over to formerly overlooked areas of the market.

Pi Daeng explains...

...public karaoke.

On Another People's Land

Between August and September, CASE began a new project on the behalf of CODI (Community Organisations Development Institute) http://www.codi.or.th/ . CODI has, among its other activities, been implementing the large scale บ้านมั่นคง (Baan Mankong- 'secure housing' in Thai) projects across Thailand for the last 4 years. The Baan Mankong projects are an innovative programme of urban upgrading projects which place Thailand's urban poor at the centre of a process of developing long term, comprehensive solutions to their cities' land and housing problems.

CASE studio has been working with CODI (and its previous incarnation UCDO) since 1996 and has been highly involved in the development of the Baan Mankong programme. The success of CASE studio’s 1997 Akarn Songkroa project, for community led upgrading in Ayutthaya contributed to the original drafting of the Baan Mankong Project. CASE was then asked by CODI to undertake the largest and most ambitious of 10 pilot projects for Baan Mankong in Kaoseng, Songkla. CASE has subsequently facilitated 8 other Baan Mankong projects across Thailand.

CODI has now asked CASE to undertake a pilot project for the development of บ้านมั่นคงชนบท (Baan Mankong Chonabot) a version of the Baan Mankong project specifically tailored to rural areas.

A team of four of CASE studio’s architects and a film maker have proposed to visit 7 of the communities participating in the Baan Mankong Chonabot programme to document their situations, problems and the solutions which are emerging. This broad understanding will then be the background to a specific pilot project where the CASE team will work with one of the communities on the issues identified.

The project has been titled บนแผ่นดินของคนอื่น (bon phean din khawng khon euhn - 'on another people's land' in Thai) the title has a double meaning reflecting both the situation of the communities who live upon land legally owned by another and our own situation as outsiders attempting to enter and work with a community which is not our own.

The Sites:

1. อัมพวา (Amphawa, Samut Songkhram)
2. วังสมบุรณ์ (Wang Sombun, Sa Kaeo)
3. วังน้ำเขียว (Wang Naam Khio, Nakhon Ratchasima)
4. บ้านแฮด (Baan Haet, Khon Kaen)

5. นาน้อย (Naa Noi, Nan)

6. บ้านแม่ละนา (Baan Mae La Naa, Mae Hong Sorn)
7. ปิล๊อก (Pilok, Kanchanaburi)