Farmers’ management practices in organic farming
Soil preparation Farmers plough the soil and keep the soil dried for 7 days before growing
vegetables as preconditioning for improving soil environment and enhancing vegetable growth,
such as weed control, crop residue management, soil aeration, conservation of manures and other
fertilizers, hardpan reduction, and soil sanitation to destroy pest and disease habitat.
Seed management Most of farmers buy the seed from outside (the wholesale or retail markets).
Some farmers get the seed from government support (extension officers, researchers) especially for
the areas that the extension officers or researchers visited. Saraphi and Mae Taeng district used the
local seed varieties that kept from last season. The seeds were sun-dried, and kept in a cool, dry
place for the next season planting. Farmer management of vegetable seeds for self-reliance was
commonly practiced in pumpkin, bitter-gourd.
Water management The important water resources for vegetable cultivation in the studied
areas were from irrigation and tube wells. The general practice is that farmers apply twice a day.
Soil nutrient management Organic farmers incorporate green manure crops into the soil for
the purposes of soil improvement, especially in Sanpatong district. The famers grow leguminous
cover crop (Arachis pintoi), to provide nitrogen, and apply composts to make soil more productive.
Pest management Organic farming relies heavily on populations of natural enemies i.e.
predators, parasites and pathogens, to help manage pest problems. Examples of beneficial insects
include Geocoris spp. Farmers in Mueang, San Pa Tong and Saraphi district use yellow traps
and bio-pesticide extract solution for pest control. Farmers in Mae Taeng district also apply these
methods and spray water to get rid of insects. Moreover, the farmers would not grow the same
vegetable crop in the same place as it was planted before. Instead, farmers use crop rotation as pest
and disease management practices. The system has helped prevent build-up of soil diseases.
Weed control Farmers control weeds by hand weeding. However, in the beginning of transformation
process, farmers use herbicides in the heavily weed infested fields, where hand weeding
was not effective but the group monitoring systems stimulated farmers to reduce and stop using
herbicide and apply hand weeding for organic management. Some case (Saraphi district) promoted
weed suppression, rather than weed elimination. The farmers in San Pa Tong district used organic
materials and plastic films as mulching method to prevent weed emergence.