In 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) organised and supported five sets of events that promote the conservation and sustainable utilisation of land, focusing on soil and water conservation on agricultural land. Working with farming communities, government agencies, local administrative organisations and private-sector partners in Khon Kaen, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Nakhon Nayok provinces, SWU researchers and staff led participatory workshops, field visits, hands-on training and on-site learning activities. The events focused on bringing idle farmland back into productive use with less water, recycling organic waste into agricultural resources, restoring soil health, practising low-carbon rice farming, conserving forests, wild land and local biodiversity, and supporting the conservation of wildlife rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.

Events at a glance

1. ChiWaree: Participatory Workshops and Field Visit on Sustainable Farmland Use, Khon Kaen Province

1.1 Background and rationale

"ChiWaree: Smart Water Management Innovation for Tackling Flood and Drought through Community Engagement in Irrigation Reservoirs of the Chi River Basin, Khon Kaen Province" is a research project of Srinakharinwirot University. It is carried out under the research programme "Innovation for Water Security: Research for Area Development and Integrated Water System Solutions", funded by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT). In 2025, the project organised a series of events to promote the conservation and sustainable utilisation of land, particularly the farmland around four reservoirs in Khon Kaen Province: Huai Toei Reservoir (Mueang Khon Kaen District), Huai Sai Reservoir (Ban Phai District), Lalerng Wai Reservoir (Phon District) and Huai Yang Reservoir (Mancha Khiri District).

The events grew out of conversations with water user groups and officers of the Khon Kaen Irrigation Project. Drought strikes these areas almost every year. Between January and April, many farmers cannot grow crops at all, and farmland is left idle, especially upstream of the reservoirs and on higher ground where water is difficult to pump. Farmers who do keep planting are usually limited to low-value crops such as cassava, beans or green manure crops, so households earn little during the dry season.

1.2 Activity 1: "Water Future, Community Future" workshops (8–12 December 2025)

The workshop, organised by SWU, was held at all four reservoirs in December 2025 and brought together 280 participants in total, including members of water user groups, officers of the Khon Kaen Irrigation Project, and staff of subdistrict and district agricultural offices.

At each session, the research team first explained the social, technological, economic, environmental and political factors shaping the area. Participants then drew water maps of their own localities and worked together to decide how their land could be used in the dry season to earn an income without wasting water.

1.3 Activity 2: Field visit to a drip-irrigation demonstration plot (11 December 2025)

To complement the workshops, the research team took representatives of the water user groups and agricultural officers to a drip-irrigation demonstration plot at Huai Toei Reservoir, Tha Phra Subdistrict, Mueang Khon Kaen District. The visit let participants see for themselves how crops can be grown with very little water during the dry season while conserving both soil and water.

1.4 Outcomes for sustainable land use

• From idle land to productive land. Communities around the reservoirs are changing how they use their land in the dry season. Instead of leaving fields empty or planting low-return crops, farmers are moving to high-value crops grown with water-saving methods: water is delivered only to the base of each plant as it needs it, soil is improved with organic fertiliser, and bio-based products replace chemical pesticides. Together, these practices keep the soil moist and fertile over the long term.

• Community-led land-use decisions. Because villagers mapped and analysed their own areas, decisions about how land is used came from the community itself rather than being imposed from outside.

• Lasting places to learn. The two demonstration plots already handed over to the community will remain learning sites for farmers from neighbouring areas.

• Scaling up. Farmers have formed groups to extend the model plots to all four districts, so that farmland around the reservoirs can be used sustainably all year round.

  
  

Figure 1. Researchers present the factors affecting land and water use around the reservoirs.

Figure 2. Participants record ideas for dry-season land use.

Figure 3. A "Water Future, Community Future" session with water user groups.

Figure 4. Farmers and agricultural officers at a reservoir-side workshop.

Figure 5. Villagers mark land and water features on an aerial map of their area.

Figure 6. Group analysis of how land can earn an income without wasting water.

Figure 7. Community water mapping during the workshop.

2. Training on Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Organic Waste Recycling and Sustainable Land Management, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province

In 2025, SWU joined the Department of Climate Change and Environment of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the retail partners CP Axtra, Makro and Lotus’s, and local administrative organisations in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province to organise and support the training event "Training Programme on Promoting the Use of Protein Insects (BSF) to Reduce Animal Feed Costs and Manage Organic Waste". The training took place at a community learning centre in Uthai District and combined lectures with hands-on workshops on farm production costs, organic waste management and the conservation and sustainable utilisation of land.

Led by SWU faculty members with expertise in pharmacology and land management, the programme introduced Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae as a practical biological solution for recycling organic waste and managing agricultural resources sustainably. Participants learned how to turn organic waste into useful farm resources, rely less on conventional agricultural inputs and adopt circular farming practices. Each participant received the BSF Larvae Rearing Handbook for the Public, published by the Department of Climate Change and Environment, so that they could continue the practice at home.

By transferring knowledge and offering practical learning, the training built local capacity for environmentally responsible land management, made better use of resources and encouraged farming practices that are compatible with biodiversity conservation.

Figure 8. An SWU lecturer leads the BSF training session.

Figure 9. Participants, partners and local leaders at the training venue.

Figure 10. Information boards on the BSF life cycle and organic waste recycling.

Figure 11. A participant reads the BSF Larvae Rearing Handbook for the Public.

Figure 12. The community learning centre in Uthai District that hosted the training.

3. Land Stewardship Learning Events at the College of Creative Agriculture for Society, Nakhon Nayok Province

The College of Creative Agriculture for Society (CCAS), SWU, uses its land in Nakhon Nayok Province as a living classroom where students and local communities learn to use land sustainably. In 2025, the College organised two sets of events on its grounds to promote the conservation and sustainable utilisation of land.

3.1 Bodhivijjalaya College Social Academic Service Project

Through this socially oriented academic service project, the College opens its sites in Nakhon Nayok to students and nearby communities as learning hubs. In 2025, students and community participants took part in training sessions and field activities, including crop rotation to conserve soil fertility, compost making to improve soil, learning sessions on sustainable land use and low-carbon rice cultivation, and safe rice production.

3.2 Green Office "CCAS Go Green" and "Bodhi Green Team" Workshop

The College also used its grounds for the "Green Office CCAS Go Green" initiative and the "Bodhi Green Team" workshop. Together they model a safe and environmentally responsible way of running an office. Eco-conscious practice is built into every part of daily operations, from saving energy and managing workspaces to controlling PM2.5, separating waste, practising regenerative agriculture, improving soil health and purchasing environmentally friendly products, while also looking after the welfare and well-being of staff. The workshop encourages the conservation and sustainable utilisation of the College’s land. Executives, staff and students jointly set goals, plan activities and monitor each stage of the work to secure long-term social, environmental and health benefits for everyone involved.

Figure 13. Crop rotation plots that conserve soil fertility.

Figure 14. Participants learn compost making to improve soil.

Figure 15. Hands-on rice transplanting in a low-carbon rice learning session.

Figure 16. Low-carbon rice plot used for sustainable land-use learning.

Figure 17. Field monitoring in the low-carbon rice plots.

Figure 18. Rice grown under sustainable practices on College land.

Figure 19. Safe rice production in the College greenhouse.

4. Conserving Forests, Wild Land and Local Biodiversity: Community Learning Event, Nakhon Nayok Province

On 4 September 2025, SWU organised a community event to promote the conservation and sustainable utilisation of land, including forests and wild land, at the Ban Thung Kraprong community learning centre, Ban Na District, Nakhon Nayok Province. The event, "Conserve the Ecosystem and Local Biodiversity for Sustainable Development", was run by the University’s Educational Research Development and Demonstration Institute with academic staff and students from the Faculties of Social Sciences, Education and Physical Education. It was held under the "Ongkharak Model" of university–community engagement, in partnership with community leaders, local social entrepreneurs, residents and local administrative organisations.

The participants were primary school pupils of SWU Demonstration School Ongkharak, together with parents, villagers and members of the local community. The event was open to all free of charge.

4.1 Event activities

• Community-led talks. Community leaders shared how villagers manage local natural resources and why the conservation of land, water, plants and animals matters for the whole community.

• Local-wisdom workshop. Pupils, parents and villagers worked together at activity stations led by community members, learning traditional ways of using natural materials such as soil sustainably.

• Outdoor ecological exploration. Participants explored the natural areas around the community to observe native plants and wildlife, and learned why forests and wild land must be protected.

• Permanent forest ecology study plots. Pupils carried out independent research projects and helped establish permanent forest ecology study plots, creating a lasting site for learning about and monitoring forest land.

4.2 Outcomes for the conservation of land

The event helped pupils, families and villagers understand how human activities affect biodiversity and gave them practical ways to care for the land around them. By involving community leaders and local organisations, it strengthened shared responsibility for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of land, and the permanent study plots will keep the community engaged with its forests and wild land in the years ahead.

Figure 20. A community leader shares local knowledge of natural resources at the Ban Thung Kraprong community learning centre.

Figure 21. Community members lead a hands-on local-wisdom workshop using natural materials.

Figure 22. Pupils work together at a community-led activity station.

Figure 23. SWU staff guide pupils through a hands-on learning activity.

5. Supporting Wildlife Conservation: Volunteer Events at Wildlife Rescue Centre 1, Nakhon Nayok Province

On 24 May and 26 July 2025, SWU organised and supported events to promote the conservation of wild land and the wildlife that depends on it, at Wildlife Rescue Centre 1, Nakhon Nayok Province, a centre that cares for wild animals rescued or confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade. The events were run by the University’s Asok Model project, under its "Social and Environmental Well-being" activities, in partnership with the Mon Asa volunteer group.

The participants were SWU students and volunteers from the Mon Asa volunteer group, who joined from outside the University. Participation was free of charge.

5.1 Event activities

• Talks by centre staff. Staff of the rescue centre explained how the illegal wildlife trade threatens wild species and why the conservation of wild animals and their natural habitats, including forests and wild land, matters.

• Hands-on care for rescued wildlife. Participants prepared fresh food for each species and cleaned the enclosures of rescued tigers and Asian black bears under staff supervision.

• Learning from threatened species. Participants observed tigers, Asian black bears and otters at close range and learned how each species lives in the wild.

5.2 Outcomes for conservation

The events supported the work of a public wildlife rescue centre and helped participants understand the link between wildlife and the conservation and sustainable utilisation of land: wild animals can only survive where forests and wild land are protected, and the illegal wildlife trade removes them from those ecosystems.

Figure 24. Rescue centre staff give a talk on wild animals and conservation, 26 July 2025.

Figure 25. Participants prepare fresh food for the rescued animals, 24 May 2025.

Figure 26. Cleaning an animal enclosure under staff supervision.

Figure 27. A rescued tiger at Wildlife Rescue Centre 1, Nakhon Nayok Province.

Contribution to SDG 15: Life on Land

Across these events, SWU brought academic expertise directly to the people who manage land every day: farmers, water user groups, local officials, students and staff. The events helped return idle farmland to productive use with less water, turned organic waste into resources for agriculture, restored soil health and showed how rice can be grown with a lower carbon footprint. Each event was designed with partners from government, the private sector and the community, so that the knowledge stays in the area and keeps protecting land ecosystems after the event has ended. By helping farmers make better use of land that is already under cultivation, these events also reduce the pressure to clear forests and wild land for new farmland. The Ban Thung Kraprong event extended this work beyond farmland, helping pupils, families and villagers learn to conserve the forests, wild land and biodiversity around their community. The volunteer events at Wildlife Rescue Centre 1 also connected participants with the conservation of wildlife and the wild land it needs.