RURAL "SUFFICIENCY ECONOMY" VILLAGES OFFER ALTERNATIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 000931 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV ETRD EAGR ECON TH SUBJECT: RURAL "SUFFICIENCY ECONOMY" VILLAGES OFFER ALTERNATIVE APPROACH IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES Ref: Bangkok 862 BANGKOK 00000931 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Despite Thailand's emergence in recent years as a major trading economy in Asia, the King's encouragement of a self-reliant "sufficiency economy" has attracted support in the countryside. Government programs support village recycling and low-carbon impact agricultural practices. A number of villages are moving away from chemical fertilizers for environmental reasons, confident they have found comparable organic alternatives. In the upper South region, sufficiency economy tourism is a growing phenomenon, with villagers eager to teach, and learn, about the best ways to increase garden production and introduce bio-fuel alternatives. Some believe that a more robust, self-reliant and simple rural economy can absorb redundant labor from factories closed by the economic recession. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: While many of the "sufficiency economy" practices Econoff observed were impressive in their ingenuity and some may hold promise for widespread application, the effort to re-invigorate traditional village life as an alternative to a more secular industrial society will be a tough row to hoe. Moreover, the government's efforts to promote the sufficiency economy may be a distraction from needed debate on improving real agricultural productivity and competiveness with other regional players. Laid-off workers likely to return to the villages are those with close family ties; it is very unlikely that there will be a massive re-migration back to the countryside. Nevertheless, as a matter of social policy, it is a phenomenon that may attract increased attention in tough economic times. End comment. ¶3. (SBU) For years, Thailand's King Bhumipol has taught his subjects to take the Buddhist "Middle Way" in economic matters, with a philosophy of self-reliance, minimal environmental impact and "small is beautiful" ideas that became known as "The Sufficiency Economy." After the 1997 economic crisis, when Thailand was devastated financially from years of conspicuous consumption fuelled by massive foreign borrowing that ultimately could not be repaid, the philosophy gained popularity as a way for national redemption. There was some fear among economists that extreme applications of the philosophy, such as a return to bartering, could leave Thailand �0A;behind in a world rapidly globalizing. But such fears have not been realized as Thailand has continued to maintain a largely open trading economy. Arguably the most noticeable impact on Thailand's national economic policy has been relatively tight control of the banking system and conservative macroeconomic management, which the past year has shown to have been very prudent. ¶4. (SBU) In the countryside, however, the sufficiency economy has gotten more traction. In recent visits to the Northeast and upper South regions of Thailand, econoff found that sufficiency economy principles are very much at the forefront of current village development efforts. Most of the efforts are home-grown, but are supported by government officials and programs. The 2009 Thai government budget allocates nearly half a billion dollars for rural development; separate ministry budgets also set aside money tagged for sufficiency economy programming. The 5-Year National Economic and Social Development Plans have formally adopted "the royal philosophy of Sufficiency Economy" as a guideline. Today, villages claim that self-reliance agriculture provides a means to deal with the economic recession by absorbing labor back into rural areas. The Northeast: Leaving Chemical Fertilizers for Home-Made Employment ¶5. (SBU) In the Northeast, econoff found that most of the villages visited are shifting away from chemical fertilizers as a way to reduce expenditures and preserve the environment. In Kalasin province, one village head told econoff that when he moved in 20 years ago, he and other villagers made a good living by clearing the natural forest and growing sugar cane and cassava. An industrial conglomerate set up a large sugar cane processing plant in the area to process the growing production. The farmers relied heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides and crop yields were impressive. "We were greedy," he admitted, "and went into debt trying to expand too rapidly." Over the years, however, they noticed that fish could no longer live in the ponds and the local well water tasted bad. Subsequently, the village head and a few other families began switching to natural, locally produced, fertilizers. "The first year, nothing grew," they said. But after 4-5 years of careful development they were able to produce a better crop than before and now actively promote the move away from chemical fertilizers among neighbors and neighboring villages. When Econoff walked through the fields and the headman pointed out the organically-fertilized fields and fields across the road he said were still using chemical fertilizer, the organic sugar cane did look very impressive. ¶6. (SBU) In nearly every village Econoff visited, there was some BANGKOK 00000931 002.2 OF 003 effort underway to switch away from chemical fertilizer. Many admitted that they still relied on chemical fertilizer, but said they are working to develop organic substitutes in order to lower expenses (especially after petrochemical prices soared last year) and preserve the environment. Many are also seeking ways to live more simply. In one group of villages, early skepticism has given way to an inter-village barter system for fruits and vegetables in which econoff was told 60 percent of the households now participate. Only produce left over from the exchanges is then taken to the nearby city market for cash sales. Another village specializes in herb production and encourages herbal treatment at home as an alternative to long waits at the district health clinic. ¶7. (SBU) The movement toward self sufficiency is being encouraged by local officials and spread by villagers. A Development Board officer in Khon Kaen province explained that despite best efforts to develop reservoir systems, the poor soil and lack of rainfall for much of the year means that only 14 percent of the region has irrigation, making imperative the need to make maximum use of what resources are available if the area is to develop. The government also promotes micro-enterprise in the villages, though the officer admitted that to be more effective government programs need more grassroots input into what is appropriate on a village by village basis. It is not just the government that is encouraging more earth-friendly change. Village monks told Econoff that they stress the importance of not harming the environment in their teachings. Village leaders say that while they realize young adults will inevitably leave to find paid work in factories and cities, teaching them basic sufficiency economy skills will enable them to come back and make a living when economic times are bad. The Upper South: The Growing Pilgrimage to Sufficiency Economy ¶8. (SBU) Evidence of the sufficiency economy movement was even more striking in the upper South. In all villages visited, village leaders spoke of how they are implementing sufficiency economy principles to one extent or another. Baan Khoa Krom village in Krabi province has transformed itself into a training center for sufficiency economy living. The village head told econoff that their goal is to preserve ancestral knowledge about how to live off the land and share that knowledge. He claimed that with these techniques, whereby any person can learn to provide enough for himself, the land can support almost a limitless number of people, unlike a modern industrial economy which squanders natural resources. To that end, they have built an education center which in the two months prior to Econoff's visit housed over 200 visitors who came to learn the village's ways of sufficiency living. The headman explained that the curriculum first requires training in changing one's mindset away from modern materialism. The training also stresses the need for friendliness, environmental preservation, and cultural and religious values, in addition to the practical skills of self-reliance. ¶9. (SBU) In another village in Surat Thani province, villagers have pooled funds to construct a dozen dorm cabins for visiting students of sufficiency economy principles. The 500-baht (14 dollar) day charge for room, board and training is partially offset by government subsidies. The ministries of Agriculture, Interior and Education support the program. At the time of Econoff's visit, they had trained 490 people in the previous two months and had high expectations of full cabins during the upcoming two-month school holiday. ¶10. (SBU) In Baan Khoa Krom, the headman claimed that the village was almost completely self-sufficient. He then took Econoff on a tour of more than 20 projects that he said villagers to produce virtually all they need and generate products for sale outside the village to buy the few items the village cannot product itself. The projects seemed quite ingenious. Among them: * Compost fermentation capable of producing gas to run a cooking stove for two hours from 50 kilograms of vegetable waste. * Production of a smoked orange wood liquor which can be sold for 600 baht per liter in the local market for use as a pesticide. * Fermented durian husks, which after one month can be used as fish food. * Quadrupled banana production by inverting parts of the trees. * Vegetables that need water only once a week when grown in coconut husks. * "Condominium" gardens where fruits and vegetables are grown on top of each other, in seven layers, fertilizing and growing off each other. * Palm leaves ground up for cattle feed and the cattle manure processed for methane gas. What remains after the gas is taken off can be used as fertilizer (and has no smell!) for increased palm and other tree cultivation. * Bio-diesel production from used cooking oils, with a by-product made into soap. BANGKOK 00000931 003.2 OF 003 Econoff's favorite was the long string pulled tight over fish ponds, onto which hundreds of red ants are enticed with chicken grease. Periodically during the day, the string is plucked, flinging the ants down into the pond, where they become, reportedly, a favorite snack for the catfish. The Baan Khoa Krom headman insisted that the "sufficiency economy" agricultural techniques and lifestyle he promotes can be readily adopted by villages throughout Thailand. JOHN