@THAILAND
Community fines have failed to deter farmers from giving up the use of chemicals, write Rarinthorn Petcharoen and Naowarat Suksamran in Nan
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| A farmer puts chemical fertiliser into the soil to promote corn growth. Photos by NAOWARAT SUKSAMRAN |
Chemical fertiliser is commonly used on farms. |
A farmer, without protection gear, sprays herbicide over his farm in preparation for laying corn. |
Farmers in Nan are fighting a losing battle in their attempts to break off from the vicious cycle of chemical use as they find the lure of higher farm yields and better crop prices irresistible.
The sad irony is that the farmers are also aware of the fact that the more they rely on chemicals, the shorter their lifespan will be.
Wiang Sa district, the origin of the Nan river, one of the four main tributaries of the Chao Phraya river, is paying the price for its heavy use of pesticide and chemical fertiliser.
"In the old days, villagers could catch fish in the clean canals. They had a healthy life when they grew chemical-free vegetables," he said.
"Today, villagers are afraid to go near these waterways because of concern chemicals may have contaminated the streams," said Bampen Boriboon, chairwoman of the tambon Khueng administration organisation.
Tambon Khueng, which once was a pristine catchment area with a healthy population of about 4,000, is bearing the brunt of the chemical invasion.
The 48-year-old local community leader said companies have encouraged villagers to buy chemicals from them to increase yields. The chemicals include herbicides and substances for coating seeds, which the companies buy back from them for export.
These chemicals are being washed into streams, Mrs Bampen said.
"The farmers are exposed to the danger and they know it. But they can't avoid using them because they want bigger harvests and a bigger income," she said.
"Many have fallen ill with itchy rashes and sores on their fingers and toes. Some have even died of liver cancer," Mrs Bampen said.
Sri Ruangmuang, a farmer and village headman, said farmers were growing increasingly dependent on chemicals.
Mr Sri lives in Tambon Sanian encompassing 16 hilltribe villages, where all the farms, bordering water catchment areas, are heavily sprayed.
As the strong herbicides kill the weeds down to their roots, within days after the spraying rice or corn seeds are sowed.
Anucha Thanapaet, deputy head of a local network of experts, said about 2,000 families in the 16 villages of Tambon Sanian are farming nearly 5,000 rai of land, or 80% of areas in the tambon.
The spraying of herbicide, or "silent killer", is done quite frequently.
Blood samples taken by the Office of the National Health Commission and the College of Public Health, Chulalongkorn University, from farmers in Wiang Sa district have found that 80% of the 80 people who had their blood tested for toxins above the permissible level in Ta Kaeo village of Tambon Chaiyasathan tested positive.
The results were shown to 100 villagers in Tambon Thuem Tong. This year the race for higher yields from the lure of high rice prices has encouraged many farmers to double the use of chemical fertiliser. Nan farmers mainly grow rice, corn, peanuts and Chinese cabbage. Although all rely on chemicals, few know how to use them safely.
Some farmers have also been treated for skin burns due to direct contact with the toxic substances.
Some farmers have also admitted blowing the clogged nozzles of their chemical spraying equipment with their mouth. They also smoke, eat and drink water, and sometimes alcohol, while spraying chemicals, rarely putting on their masks.
The dire situation has prompted authorities to organise a "safe farming" campaign in Lapmuen Phruannua village of Tambon Jomjan in Wiang Sa district.
They are now learning to protect themselves from harm.
Some villagers in the tambon have agreed that should any members of their communities refuse to give up the use of herbicides, they would be fined between 1,000-5,000 baht. But the fine has not deterred the farmers from completely giving up the use of chemicals.
Staporn Somsak, secretary to a conservation network in Nan, said villagers in general simply ignore the warnings as they were more interested in making money than anything else.
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