During
Unit Four we touched upon a topic that is so very familiar to all of us, The
Green Market. Although this topic has been touched upon a lot in regards to
Unit 1 on Agriculture this time it’s more about a movement that will help a
community of people regain a livelihood that was lost by the ever controversial
dam.
In our exchange with Rasi Sali village
there was one quote that stuck out to me specifically. “ The wetlands was like
a supermarket for us.” Imagine having all the Shaws, or any grocery shop that
you visit the most, just completely wiped away from your local area. Where
would you turn to your food to put on the table? How would you decide where now
is the best place to go to buy the things you were so used to seeing in one
place? That is like what the wetlands were for the villagers in Rasi Sali. All
of their main sources of food and natural resources could be found in those
areas thast they knew so well until the dam came.
Currently,
the majority of villagers practice conventional agriculture. Pesticides and
fertilizers are very accessible and are unfortunately now ingrained in farming
practice, as food that naturally grows from the wetlands is now no longer
available. P’Banya, a local NGO leader, is pushing with other villagers to
implement a Green Market in the community. According to a recent survey
conducted by CIEE students in Fall 2011, 94% of producers are interested in
learning how to make organic compost or fertilizer and 100% are interested in
selling at a green market. This interest is allowing for the community to come
together and create the “supermarket” that they had lost to the dam. It is
allowing for everyone participate like they used to in their wetlands and then
make an income out of it as well.
This
hope for the Green Market is allowing individuals from the community also
practice organic agriculture, which is a plus. While not everyone is completely
organic yet they are in the process of using their Learning Center as a place
for this type of organic, in both meanings of the word, education. Also as CIEE
students we are coming together to help the process of having Rasi Sali have a
Green Market. We will be able to contribute during our Final Project time.
While visiting both on Unit Four and during our Collaborative Commuity
Consultation we were able to speak to key players like P’Banya and Mae Si who
told us about what the people of the village wanted in regards to consulting
other producers, in Yasothon, about their Green Markets and the products they
create for them. Also being able to talk to the consumers who would be the
future people that would really make this Green Market really work. The
specifics for this process can be illustrated by the following.
The
community needs to decide on a place to hold the Green Market, which can be
done by surveying community members. Right now they are deciding between having
it at the adult school near Rasi Salai or in nearby Bueng Boon District.
Organizers would then need to get the necessary permits. The community must
also determine how the producers and consumers will get to the market, and what
materials would be needed for the Green Market to function successfully and
sustainably. Finally, the Green Market should be advertised in such a way that
it attracts both producers and consumers. The community must figure out how
they can utilize the media to get the information out and make the market a
success. Once the logistics of the Green Market are concretely decided, and the
community and other parties are on the same page, the Green Market can move
towards official establishment. Being able to bring the Green Market into the
village of Rasi Sali will and would allow for them
Brenna Kelly
Providence College
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