This was Jon (pronounced Joan) Jandai, the owner of the 8-acre organic farm and the host of a week-long adobe building workshop that had drawn over 30 western and Thai apprentices. Derek and I joined this workshop and quickly learned much about the methods and benefits of adobe building. But as the days passed, we began to realize that we were learning the most simply by watching and listening to Jon Jandai.
He was always barefoot, always smiling, and was almost reckless with the way he experimented to find easier methods of building.
"The roof will hold, no problem," he told us, even though he was using half the amount of recommended clay. It held, but took too long. The next day he told me, "I decided I don't like clay floors. Too much work. Maybe I'll use bamboo instead." As Jon saw it, there was always room for improvement.
"Laziness is the true way to be an environmentalist, to live sustainably." - Jon Jandai, organic farmer and adobe housing innovator, Thailand
"People call me a crazy man because everything I do is not usual," he told me with a grin. "But why do what it says in the book? That way has already been tried."
One of the first to use alternative building methods in Thailand, Jon has hosted numerous alternative building workshops around the country and is continually experimenting to find better and easier ways to build. Additionally, he uses absolutely no chemical fertilizers or pesticides on his farm, and is the chair of the Ban Sri Than group of organic farmers. Recently, he was even featured in the Bangkok Post.
A hunger for independence
Jon's unconventional choices are a result of his philosophy on the best way to live. "It isn't necessarily natural building that I'm interested in," he said. "It's self-reliance, and shelter is one of our four basic needs. If we cannot rely on ourselves, we have no freedom. I like to be free."
Jon's interest in self-reliance runs deep and stems largely from past experiences.
When he was 15 years old, Jon left the family farm. Like many others, he was lured away by promises of a richer life. "I'd watched too many movies that showed nice houses, cars, the sea - and my biggest wish back then was to be able to lead a life of luxury."
Having little money, Jon joined the monkhood so that he could continue his studies. Three years later, he left and began taking classes in a law school in Bangkok. Because he had little money, however, he spent most of his time working at odd jobs in restaurants and hotels, rather than studying.
“There was no life for me there," he said. "I felt like a robot. I had to work all the time and had no time to enjoy the beauty of life." After seven years, Jon chose to return to the farm and the way of life that he had left.
But he decision wasn't easy. "A lot of people teased me and looked down on me because I had spent a long time in Bangkok and didn't have a good job," he said.
On top of that, he was deciding to give up on even trying to attain a high paying job. "I chose to come back and not have an income for myself," he said. "Many people want more money."
Jon continued to make unconventional choices while back at the farm. He began experimenting with alternative building methods so that he wouldn't have to pay others for labor and materials. Adobe is the cheapest and easiest that he has found so far.
Additionally, instead of buying chemical fertilizers, he uses manure and compost, although he asserts that often using less fertilizer will make stronger plants. He also uses a fermented mixture of plants and "anything sweet." This adds nutrients to the soil, as well as keeping pests away. Jon explained that this recipe was first sold to Thai farmers by a company. Farmers such as Jon have now learned the secret, however, and are able to use fermentation for free. Jon also uses native strains of crops and saves the seeds each year so that he doesn't have to buy them.
"People call me a crazy man because everything I do is not usual--But why do what it says in the book? That way has already been tried."
By using these methods, Jon is able to manage his farm without investing a large amount of capital. He keeps a year-round garden and fishpond to feed he and his 5-member family, and grows rice from June to October, during the rainy season.
"It's easier to be organic," he explained. "With conventional farming you make a lot of money, but you also have a lot of expense." Jon manages to pay almost nothing, while making 30,000 baht a year, mostly by exporting rice to Europe through a set up called Green Net. This is less than $1,000 U.S. but it is plenty for a family living in Thailand where the price of living is extremely low. Besides, they are only working half the year.