กรมหมอ่น Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System ...Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) based on GIAHS criteria: 1. Food and livelihood

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Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS)

Nongsung District Mukdahan Province

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• Mukdahan is one of the northeastern provinces of Thailand.

• Neighboring provinces are Amnat Charoen, Yasothon, Roi-et, Kalasin, Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom.

• The province is located in the Mekong valley. In the west of the province are the Phu Phan, which are covered with thick forests.

• The province comprises 7 districts 53 sub districts 493 villages.


The reasons for propose the Nong sung district as the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) based on GIAHS criteria:

1. Food and livelihood security

• The Nong sung district is subdivided into 6 sub districts with 44 villages and 5 Tambon administrative organizations

• Nong sung district is an agricultural area.

• Major source of income is agricultural products.

• The total areasis about 410.4 km2.

• Total population is 20800 with the density as 50.68 / km2.

• The people are mainly Phuthai race (95%).


Food and livelihood security (continue) The principle occupation is rice cultivation, natural dyeing and textile weaving for silk, cotton and silk combined with cotton.

The Nung Sung people are skilled in the process of yarn dyeing using natural materials that come from local plants and mud.

These traditional techniques have been passed down through the generations and are an inspirational example of the conservation of knowledge and heritage values.


Food and livelihood security (continue)

A productive collaboration has been setup between the Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture and the Nong Sung community by establishing a Local Wisdom Knowledge Centre.

The objectives of the Centre are community management, transfer of local knowledge and skill in dyeing, natural plant selection for the production of dyes, and the regeneration of plant stocks.



• This initiative has not only benefited the local community by providing a sustainable occupation, but it has also galvanised the people in their social infrastructure by promoting harmonisation and sharing the plants that they have cultivated.

• The Nong sung community chair by Mrs. Narintip Singhata was awarded the Princess Ngarmchit Foundation on the best practice of well-known handicraft building.


Food and livelihood security (continue) The followings are detail in general of main occupations.

1. Rice Paddy field covers an areas of 6080 hectares which consists of varieties of rice such as

Glutinous rice กข.6 var. with an area of about 5000 hectare Khao Dok Mali 105 var. with an areas of 1200 hectare and Rice berry var. which covers an areas of 100 hectare.

2. Cassava covers 544 hectare with an average of 600kg/hectare variety Rayong 5

3. Sugar cane 100 hectare with the average of 1600kg/hectare


Food and livelihood security (continue) 4. Animal Husbandry native and hybrid cows 4% of the farmers’: livestock 70% and piggery 10% 5. Fisheries 20% 6. Para rubber plantation with an area 1200 hectares with a yield of 40 kg/hectare 7. Sericulture: Mukdahan province, there are only 375 households who work on silk rearing with mulberry planting in an areas of 176 hectares. This silk is clustered in 27 groups.


Food and livelihood security (continue) For Nong sung district, the sericulture areas cover Bann Non yang, Nong Tae, Nong-O and nearby.

There are 97 households who work on sericulture.

Some of them possess area for mulberry planting about 400 m2 and plants Buriram 60 var.

The silk rearing uses the Thai native varieties.

They rear silk 4-5 times a year and all silk yarn production was kept for using within the family. The income from silk rearing is about 15,000-20,000 baht/household.



Apart from Thai native silk variety rearing, some farmers are also rear the hybrid silk variety obtained from the company. These groups will possess the area for mulberry cultivation about 4800 m2 They rear silk 4-5 times a year by using silk egg 1-3 boxes per time of rearing and get the cocoon productions about 40-50 kg/one box. The price of cocoon is 195-210 baht/kg. Hence, the income about 30000-50000 baht/year for rearing hybrid variety





II. Biodiversity and ecosystem function • The topography of Nong sung district is plateau mainly are mountainous

and covers with deciduous forests. The areas cover as much as 16,000 hectare of mountain and forest. The agricultural area is as 24,500 hectare. The soil is sandy loam mostly in rain fed area.

• There are various wild animals that live in the National preserved forests

• There are local diverse such as wild bamboo, mushrooms, and native vegetables.

• There are a number of orchards.

• There are a large number of herbal diversity plants which are good medicinal purposes- health.


III. Knowledge systems and adapted technologies

Nong sung communities have maintained ingenious and invaluable of local wisdom

knowledge systems such as on:

o native food cooking,

o ingenious massage,

o traditional doctor, traditional using herbal plants,

o handicrafts,

o silk rearing, silk reeling, silk yarn dyeing and textile weaving.


III. Knowledge systems and adapted technologies (continue)

Local wisdom conservation on silk weaving group

The Nong sung district has the 35 silk weaving groups.

Each group comprises 25-30 members.

Hence, there are about 875-1,050 farmers who work on silk weaving.

The degummed silk yarn is dyed with natural materials (plants and mud) and process of dyeing and weaving are much elaborated.

The silk weaving group has been set up since 1983 and is supported by the Bureau of the Royal House. The pattern design is unique and associated with the origin reflecting the traditional and culture of Mukdahan people.


III. Knowledge systems and adapted technologies (continue) • Silk yarn dyeing with natural dyed

• The Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture and the people at Nong

sung communities have collaborated on establishing Local wisdom knowledge Learning Center. The activities of the center are community management, transferring the local wisdom technique of natural dyeing, natural plants for dyeing collection and replanting. At present, the community live in harmony by sharing and using the plants which they have cultivated.



Dyeing naturally fermented mud process

• After dyeing with the natural plants, the dyed silk yarn will be naturally fermented with original mud from Nong sung place after which the texture and the colour will turn soft and bright.

• The silk fabric has soft texture and absorbs sweat.

Flock wisdom on weaving textile

• Nong sung community is the major center for silk weaving of the Mukdahan province.

• The pattern designs particularly, Mud Mee silk, are very identical.

• This fabric is woven with native looms and each pattern design reflects idiosyncrasy in its meaning.

• These are Mud Mee lai Kaew (blue yellow pink white), Lai Sai Nam (stream flow), Lai Nak Noi, Lai Dok chang Nou, and Lai Tum etc.



Nong sung Agricultural Tradition

• Silk cluster weaving group including silk rearing and dyeing

• In 1992 The Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture cooperated with former silk weaving cluster and set up the Natural silk yarn dyeing learning center where they focused on giving practical training interested people in gaining skills and techniques of silk dyeing. Such initiative is to promote conservation of local knowledge on dyeing technology for sustainability.

• It also consists of a farmers’ school where they teach techniques on soil improvement, bio fertilizer, green manure, bio pesticide etc. to reducing the chemical pesticides and to produce good quality of rice.



• Besides, it also has a Tree Bank for teaching the younger generation on conservation of the forest.

• Set up the learning center on various aspects:

Base 1 House-hold accounting: Reducing house-hold expenses by planting their own vegetables and selling the surplusม to make their own dishwashing liquid, including avoiding from drug and alcohol.

Base 2 Income increases: Every house hold has supplementary occupation such as Thai rice noodle making group, silk weaving group, cotton weaving group, bio fertilizer granular group and organic farming group.



Base 3 Savings: The people in the community have savings with the village bank

Base 4 Learning center: For transfer knowledge from the older to the younger generations.

Base 5 Natural resources and environment conservation: The community is active in the conservation of the environment and natural resources.

Base 6 Generosity: Social safety net through various self-help group such as helping each other in times of need.


IV. Cultures, value systems and social organization

• Nong sung heritage culture has been preserved and passed down from generation to generation.

• Sufficiency Economy philosophy management

• Phu Thai Heritage culture and morality management and culture conservation

• Home ,Temple, and School management

Home: Nong sung community is managed by an administrative body in each village.

Temple: The temple is also a place for training and coaching both young and old people in the community in line with the Buddhist philosophy.

School: is a place for training younger generation on conserving cultural heritage and morality


V. Threats and challenges

• Way of life at Nong sung is changing due to modernization and globalization.

• The people who work on agricultural occupations are declining.

• Rural urban migration (People move from villages to cities).

• Modern parents send their children get higher education with hope to get high incomes and lead better lives as compared to hard work and low incomes in the agriculture sector.


V. Threats and challenges (continue) • The new generation believes in consumerism and they do not value culture.

• Birth rate declines because of the government policy causing a big gap between the older and the younger generations which leads to reduce interest in agriculture sector.

• The current agricultural processes do not complete the supply chain which is required for its sustainability.

• Shortage of irrigation water for agriculture and consumption.

• Lack of conservation of plant and animal varieties causing reliance on the good quality stock from the company.

• Health hazards due to toxic chemical substances in polluted agricultural products.

• Lack of clear zoning between the agricultural area and preserved forests.


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กรมหมอ่น Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System ...Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) based on GIAHS criteria: 1. Food and livelihood