Freelance journalist Caroline Stocks joined 11 other journalists from around the world to take an in-depth look at agriculture in Thailand as part of the IFAJ’s latest Exposure-4-Development (E-4-D) tour.
The 10-day programme featured visits to fish farms, where the group learned about the the challenges and opportunities facing Thailand’s aquaculture sector, as well as the US Soybean Export Council’s role in promoting sustainable seafood production across the country.
The group also an enjoyed learning about the country’s rice sector thanks to a visit to the International Rice Research Institute and meetings with experts and growers to learn about the projects being adopted to reduce rice’s methane emissions.
During the tour, which stretched from Bangkok to the very northern regions of Chang Mai and Chang Rai, the journalists also visited specialty and traditional coffee farmers, an organic egg cooperative, and vegetable seed producer East-West Seed.
The busy tour was rounded off with a visit to the Thai-Danish dairy cooperative, an initiative established by the Danish government in the 1960s to introduce more efficient dairy cattle to Thailand’s hot and humid climate.
One of the highlights of the trip was a roundtable event with members of the Agricultural Mass Media Association of Thailand (AMMAT), where delegates — including IFAJ President Steve Werblow and journalists from Canada, Belgium, Australia, Slovenia and Japan — discussed global trends in agricultural media, and swapped ideas for creating content and engaging with readers.
“It was so interesting to speak to journalists in Thailand, as well as the other IFAJ members on the tour, and learn about the challenges they face in making sure their readers are properly informed about the developments in agriculture,” said Caroline.
“Despite the distance between Thailand and Europe, the issues BGAJ and AMMAT members deal with are incredibly similar.”
Caroline said she was also struck by the similarities in the challenges Thai farmers are working to overcome, despite the differences in climate, crops and production systems compared to the UK.
“I’m always fascinated whenever I visit farms around the world to hear the similarities in the challenges they face: the struggle to find labour, rising costs of production and the need to produce food more sustainably,” she explained.
“We were taught the Thai saying ‘same same, but different’ during the tour, and when it comes to global agriculture it really holds true.”
In northern Thailand the group also witnessed the very serious impacts of climate change: This year’s monsoon rains had been heavy and longer than usual, with flood destroying roads and rural infrastructure.
“I’d read about the floods before the trip, but seeing first-hand the impact the changing weather is having on farm businesses, the majority of which are small-scale, family operations, left a lasting mark,” said Caroline.
“It was really interesting to learn about what different sectors of Thailand’s farming industry are doing to try and mitigate the impacts of climate change, and I’m really looking forward to writing some articles about their efforts.”
While the E-4-D tour was jam-packed with farm trips and meetings, the group managed to squeeze in some cultural trips, including visits to temples, floating markets, an elephant sanctuary, and an outdoor Thai cooking experience.
“We’ve seen some incredible things and tried some fantastic food — though eating uncooked bamboo worms was something I don’t ever plan to do again.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have been given such a unique view of this incredible country,” Caroline added. “I can definitely recommend Guild members apply for future E-4-D trips.”
The E-4-D tour was made possible by sponsorship by the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and CropLife International. Caroline paid for her own flights and contributed €400 towards costs.
