Academician, activist
Suan Ngeun Mee Ma Company
Thailand
Figure 1. Holistic View of Sustainable Agriculture
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- Careful choosing and using of seed varieties
- Maintenance of the landscape and rural communities - Enhancement of wildlife habitats
Last keyword is “Security” means security of agriculture system. Both of developed and developing country, the inter-relation between issues of jobs, shelter and food security becomes apparent during economic downturns. Moreover, in-creased transportation costs of food make local/regional/national production of food more economically viable and vital to community sustainability than imports from abroad.
Hence a more comprehensive local food system based on sustainable regional agriculture should be built, which fosters a robust local economy and ensures that all citizens have access to healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate food.
Sustainable agriculture, as opposed to conventional agriculture, conserves natural resources like water, soil and biodi-versity and is at the same time economically viable. In order to bring food closer to the consumer, this paradigm emphasiz-es small-scale and medium-scale farms which are either family based or community based. This supports a very personal and direct contact between the farmer and consumer.
With it come many benefits:
- Children will again be exposed to the art of growing healthy food - The average health-consciousness of the population will rise again
- Product will be more affordable for the consumer but simultaneously more profitable for the farmer - Hundreds of new food and spice crops would brighten up our cuisine
- Thousands of local seed banks would guarantee an unlimited supply of valuable heirloom seeds - The genetic diversity of our food crops would be secured
And when cash crops are linked with agro-ecological improvements and accrued income for poor farmers, this leads to improved food self-reliance and revitalization of small holder agriculture. The sustainable farming expert pointed out that labor requirements on sustainable farms, and the better return on labor, provides employment opportunities where this re-source is most abundant, thus safeguarding rural livelihoods.
Figure 2. Mitomo’s Model for Integrated Farming Management
(Cow dung and compost→Grass Polyculture
→Cow→Cheese processing→Pig raising)
Figure 3. Attempt of Japanese Cooperative to promote sustainable regional food and agriculture economy (Activities of JA KITAMI RAI’s youth agriculture studies and learning program,the pride of Mr. Minami-organic farmer and a local food and vegetable education on the last Hokkaido’s lunch )
Nakorn Limpatathavon
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2. Opinions and Comments
The most impressive events what I gained through JENESYS programme were some experiences for meeting with spir-its of your agricultural wisdom like Mr. Mitomo’s and all of farmer’s community and I also touch the attracting Japanese culture and beautiful rural landscape. I can learn much of knowledge and spirituality from all of Japanese farmer. I can touch the hope and our common future from them. Agriculture still alive and bring our peach and sustainable dream comes true.
My Future action plans are connecting farmers and urban peoples with green and regional economy through my activi-ties such as City Farm Movement and Green Market Network beyond to be apart of our sustainable society or ideal state of agriculture.
1. Three keywords
Keyword 1 Key Word 2 Keyword 3
before Climate Change Food security Sustainable
after Participation Sufficiency Adaptation for climate change
<Reasons, Explanation or Justification>
First of all, I want to say thanks a lot for everyone who has join in this program, you are all can help me to find more about the meaning of agriculture.
So the most important thing is the participation of everyone. Like in this pro-gram, Mr. Mitomo and his community help and share their knowledge and experi-ence to each other to improve their dairy farm in a better way both practical and in their mind. So I can feel the power of everyone that wants to make a wonderful thing for their own life and the world.
If you are the only one that do a wonderful thing, you have an only one power to do but if you have a friends to make it together, you have more power and plus more encouragement to do every-thing even though an ideal state of agriculture in our dream.
And for this program we know that we not alone in the way of an ideal state of agriculture. Not only one country tries to promote the way but every country does that. Although we have different methods, but we would like to have a happy life in sustainable agriculture way.
The second one is Sufficiency. For real agricultural cannot make a lot of money like an industry or some business or you cannot find a comfortable life in the field. But if you can satisfy in what you are, what you have and what you do, you are a lucky person and always happy.
Mr. Imai and his family that I have a chance to live with them for one day, is the example for sufficiency life. Although he is around 30 years old, he can find any excellent job in the big city for comfortable life but he chose to become a dairy farmer and proud to be. He loves everything that he does and enthusiastic to live and learn with the nature. He doesn’t want anything much just for him, his wife and his daughter to live happily in daily life, have something to eat when you hun-gry, have a place to rest when you tire, have a friends to talk when you want and have some money to purchase a necessary thing, that enough for him.
For my opinion, Food is the main factor for our life. Everyone knows that the money cannot eat but rice or vegetable or milk can make you full and if you have your own field you don’t want any money to buy something to eat and you can be sure for food safety and food security for your life.
Nowadays we are in a climate change situation. You can see a different natural disaster from every country. How can we