Volunteer Soil Doctor Network: A Driving Force for Sustainable Land Development (Thailand)
Type: Approaches
Creation: 2018-12-06 07:58 Updated: 2021-05-06 12:19
Compilers: Kukiat SOITONG
Reviewers: Rima Mekdaschi Studer, Pitayakon Limtong, William Critchley
Country/ region/ locations where the Approach has been applied
- Country: Thailand
- Region/ State/ Province: Chantaburi province
- Further specification of location (e.g. municipality, town, etc.), if relevant: 47 Moo3 Tambon RAmpan Thamai District,Chantaburi province
- Map: View Map
Description of the SLM Approach
Short description of the Approach
The Volunteer Soil Doctors Network at Tam bon Ram Pan, Tamai District, Chantaburi province is a grouping of lead farmers who have been assigned to be "volunteer soil doctors", applying the new theoretical Agriculture and Sufficiency Economy Philosophy of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama 9). Their adoption of the theory helps them to demonstrate its efficiency through management of their own small-scale farms.
Detailed description of the Approach
The volunteer soil doctors are the farmers who coordinate land development activities such as land suitability, land management, soil improvement, soil test services, including some activities of the Land Development Department. Currently, Thailand has more than 80,000 volunteer soil doctors living/ operating in villages, sub-districts, districts and provinces, covering the whole country. The Volunteer Soil Doctors Network is a grouping of the lead and volunteer farmers who have been assigned to work together as a network, support each other and assisting the Land Development Department to achieve its goals. They facilitate knowledge exchange, learning and supporting technology transfer to their communities. The nationwide network covers the village level, tambon or sub-district level, district and provincial level.
The Land Development Department selected and appointed 80,000 volunteer lead farmers in the village level, covering the whole country, to be volunteer soil doctors. The Land Development Department and those lead farmers select the chief of the volunteer soil doctors at the district level and the chiefs from all districts choose the representative in the provincial level. Chiefs of the volunteer soil doctors at various levels work together in a network pattern. A knowledge exchange forum for the volunteer soil doctors in each network hierarchy is set up. The network of volunteer soil doctors in each level provide information, news and public relations to their members. The Volunteer Soil Doctors Network provides extension, promotion and technology transfer to their communities. The Land Development Department provides training for volunteer soil doctors. Finally, the monitoring/ evaluation and reporting will be done by Land Development Department.
The stakeholders related to the Volunteer Soil Doctors Network are volunteer soil doctors who apply the New Theory of Agriculture and transfer the technology to farmers, school pupils, university students and anyone else interested. Farmers, school pupils, university students, general public and government officers may come to study and practice in the operating area. The Land Development Department and the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board support materials, publications and technical knowledge in the New Theory of Agriculture. The New Theory of Agriculture as applied by the Volunteer Soil Doctors Network focuses on the usage of organic materials, reducing the use of chemicals, to improve soil resources and environmental conditions. However, the limitation of the networking is the low adoption of the New Theory Agriculture because most farmers focus on profitability, while the New Theory Agriculture concept stresses sufficiency economy and self-reliance.
Photos of the Approach
- 📍 47 Moo3 Tambon RAmpan Thamai District,Chantaburi province
- 🗓 2009-05-12
- 📷 Parichart Paipakvan
- 📍 47 Moo3 Tambon RAmpan Thamai District,Chantaburi province
- 🗓 2013-01-11
- 📷 Parichart Paipakvan
- 📍 47 Moo3 Tambon RAmpan Thamai District,Chantaburi province
- 📷 Parichart Paipakvan