Linking the Organic Rice Chain
Experiences, Lessons Learnt,
Future Directions
Michael B. Commons
Green Net / Earth Net Foundation
Michael B. Commons
- B.A. Linguistics and Anthropology- UCLA
- 1995-97- Learned French in Paris as a United Airlines
Flight Attendant
- 2004 Joined Earth Net Foundation, Thailand
- 2005 to Present- Coordinator of Organic Fair Trade Rice
Chain Program
-Coordinated Training Programs in Thailand, India,
Indonesia, Philippines
-Consultant/ Speaker on O.A. and Fair trade in Mexico,
China, Honduras, Sri Lanka
-Practicing organic farming and wanakaset with wife &
family in Chacheongsao, Thailand
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Green Net
Motto- Live Fair, Live Organic
18 Years old
Supports organic conversion
and fair trade marketing with
small-scale farmers
About 1000 farming family
members, about 14 associate
farmers groups
Product sold in Thailand and
exported to Fair Trade
organizations
Key export products Rice and
Coconut milk.
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Rice Chain Project
 Early 2004 Regional Rice Chain
Workshop in Sri Lanka
 Recommended to organize capacity
building on Rice Chain
 ENF and Green Net initiated the
“Organic Fair Trade Rice Chain: Building
Grassroots Competency” Project in 2005
(HIVOS)
Rice Chain Project
 From 2005- 2012
 Involved organizations from S/ SE Asia:
India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan,
Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, China
(Yunnan)
 18 subjects in 4 areas (a) extension, (b)
guarantee system, (c) quality assurance,
(d) alternative marketing
Achievements
 A number of involved organizations have
better organized their rice chain and
become successful in linking their
farmers to the organic market
 A few of these organizations are now
also working to do capacity building in
rice chain in their own countries
Limitations
 Doing business with social objectives
(need a good conductor with business
acumen)
 Finding and putting the links together
 Many rice farmers don’t have any or
enough rice surplus to market
 Changing conditions (political, economic &
most prevalent being climatic change
New Direction
Climate Change Adaptation
and Planned Risk
Management
Rice Based Farming
Systems
2008 Dry Spell in Yasothorn during rainy season
Bigger
Problems in
other parts of
the world
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2011 Flooding
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2008 Dry Spell in Yasothorn during rainy season
Bigger
Problems in
other parts of
the world
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2011 Flooding
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Average Highest Temp by Decade
1951-1959
1980-1989
1960-1969
1990-1999
1970-1979
2000-2006
Yearly rainfall by year for Ubon Ratchathani
Number of Rain Days Ubon Ratchathani
information
Seminar &
Training
Support
Unit
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Pilot
Project
Collaborative Network
Climate
Change
Adaptation
Global Warming Workshop Yasothorn 2008
Conventional
Organic
Windmills
Community based research
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Crisis Food Bank
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Furrow Planting Rice (Land Prep)
Furrow Planting Rice (Growth)
Furrow Planting Rice (Weeding)
Furrow Planting Rice (Harvest)
Rice Based Farming Systems
 Critical for farmers with limited
land
 Growing more than rice
 Linking other products to market
 Adding value and benefit
 Processing and special knowledge
increases value-
2008 Dry Spell in Yasothorn during rainy season
Bigger
Problems in
other parts of
the world
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2011 Flooding
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Value/ Self-Reliance
The Yasothorn Organic Farmers’ Market
13 Families are earning 500-1,500 baht per week
Alternative local markets
Conclusion
 Organic Rice Chain Approach can
and does work to link farmers to
markets and add value
 No easy and need to have / develop
business skills and chain linkage
 Going beyond just rice opens the
opportunity and value to more
 Must prepare for adapt to CC now
2008 Dry Spell in Yasothorn during rainy season
Bigger
Problems in
other parts of
the world
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2011 Flooding
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michael@greennet.or.th
www.greennet.or.th
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New Methodology and Crops
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Tank Design and Integration
Tank (Excavation)
Tank Water Capture
Tank Water Use
Data Collection/Reseach
/
Toolmakers/ Researchers
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No one answer
Change is constant
But we can prepare and adapt
Share experiences and learning
Empower each other
Fair trade can help drive this process
But action goes beyond consumer choice
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Learnings from Thai Floods
• Disaster can stop production and flow of
goods (Pathum Thani/ Ayuthaya/ N. BKK)
• Centralized production high risk
• Can fail at production or transport
• Critical supplies lack/ expensive
• Fuel cost longterm risk/ limitation
• Need to produce food/ water locally from
local materials
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CC Adaptation and Organic
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Good soil receives and holds moisture
Healthy plants/ deep wide roots, resist
Biodiversity (not all eggs 1 basket)
Organic better in adverse conditions
Organic can sustain on farm and local res
Local production and distribution can
survive w/ high energy cost and disaster
• Benefits mitigation w. carbon
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sequestration and reduced GH gas prod