Thailand's Rice God: Finding the Right Seed Is the Future!

‘Seed is the first! ’ Mr. Daycha, who comes from Thailand and founded the Rice God Foundation, pointed out clearly.

On 10/11 I went to attend the Taiwan Community Supported Agriculture Workshop held at the Hakka Culture Studies Institute of Chiao Tung University in Zhubei, and the first session was led by Mr. Daycha, known in Thailand as the Rice God. (Thanks to Jian-Tai and Yan-Lin for planning and executing it without pay.)

The organic rice produced under the guidance of the Rice God yields 20% more than that from transnational seeds, while the cultivation cost is 1/3 less.

Daycha said that in Thailand, most farmers use transnational seeds (high-yield seeds developed through foreign laboratories, usually led by the United States) for planting, and therefore must use conventional farming methods. The soil quality must first be changed, and then chemical fertilizers and pesticides must be added, so that the entire environment accommodates the demands of transnational seeds. This is simply cutting the foot to fit the shoe (he really did say cut the feed to match the shoe… so he truly is a Thai with Chinese ancestry XD).

Transnational rice focuses only on yield, with no regard for taste. Not only that, but Thailand is rice-based in its diet, and Daycha heard some consumers who are relatively sensitive about food say they hoped to eat "the taste of the rice they ate as children."

In fact, as long as you find the "right seed," there is no need to change the soil and no need to use chemical fertilizers or pesticides; the seed can adapt to the soil on its own and grow smoothly. "High-yield seeds all come from distant laboratories, and foreign seeds are the root of all problems."

During the question period after the talk ended, I could not help raising a question, namely that at present most farmers in Taiwan who take the organic path still have a hard time; farmers who insist on using no pesticides at all are often affected by the conventional farmland around them, or otherwise some of the produce cultivated through organic farming is at a disadvantage in appearance. "Is it possible, on the premise of not harming human health, to use pesticides within safe limits and provide minimal protection?"

Daycha very firmly rejected this proposal. He believes that it is best not to use pesticides or chemical fertilizers at all; no matter what, pesticides and chemical fertilizers are unnatural external forces that poison Mother Earth. Finding the right seed, he believes, is the correct solution.

If that is the case, where can Taiwan's organic farmers find various native Taiwanese seeds? Can they follow the same model to select them? Can the price be adjusted to roughly the same level as ordinary conventional agricultural products? Can the cost be lower than conventional farming? Are farmers willing to share seeds and organic cultivation techniques with one another? … A whole series of questions seems to come crashing in like a tidal wave….