Rice was one of the first agriculturalcrops studied at Chitralada Villa to find thebest cultivation methods to recommend tofarming communities. In preparation, HisMajesty requested that different strains of seed be gathered from all over Thailand for testing.Each May, prior to the rainy season, thebest strains are used in the Royal PloughingCeremony which is a Brahman ritualoriginating in the Sukhothai Era (1238-1438)when it was believed the ceremony guaranteeda plentiful harvest. It was discontinued inthe early part of the 20th century andrevived by His Majesty in 1960 at a timewhen more than eighty percent of thepopulation worked in Thailand’s agriculturalsector