Excessive soil alkalinity decreases crop productivity, reducing farmers’ incomes from their harvests. In 2008, SCG and two government agencies (the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and the Land Development Department) formed a project to tackle alkaline soil problems in northeastern Thailand. They researched rice varieties and cash crops that can grow well on alkaline soils. Local farmers were advised to plant bamboo, eucalyptus, Manila tamarind and Siamese neem trees, for example, and were introduced to the benefits of using soil organic matter and perennial plants. As a result, soil quality improved in more than 42,000 rai in 72 villages that used to suffer from alkaline soils. The farmers were able to increase their rice productivity dramatically from less than 200 kg to between 400 and 1,000 kg per rai. The farmers in these areas created networks for knowledge-sharing to disseminate knowledge about alkaline soil and how to cope with it. Since then, in cooperation with “guru groups”, 59 farmer education centers have been established in 17 provinces across the Northeast, with members from over 4,000 households.
About the project
Witnessing the water pollution in many regions of the country, His Majesty the King alleviates such problem by using an oxygen-enhancing device. Initially natural methods have been applied, but the problem became more severe. Therefore, the King ordered that a low-cost locally built water aeration device be developed, and that is the origin of a waste water treatment device known as the “Chaipattana aerator”.
Project administration
The Chaipattana aerator treats polluted water by enhancing the amount of oxygen to boost the function of bacterium in decomposing any organic matters in the water, clearing away the cause of deterioration. The aerator has been designed to allow the water to have some contact with the air. Each of its spraying paddles plunges into the water and lets it seep through the holes as the paddles rotate upwards into the air. Such rotation helps add the amount of oxygen and thus purify the water.
Social benefits
The citizens of Thai owe a great deal to this royal invention, as the procedure effectively alleviates the problem making the water became clearer, less foul and higher in oxygen amount. Likewise, aquatic animals, for example turtles, soft-shelled turtles and fish can survive when the water quality meets the standard. The capacity of the aerator to treat water pollution with practical and cost-effective technology has been widely accepted, both nationally and internationally. This royal invention is greatly and utterly beneficial to mankind and the environment.