15.2.5 Sustainable management of land for agriculture (educational outreach)

In 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) offered four free educational outreach programmes for local communities on the sustainable management of land for agriculture. In Khon Kaen Province, the ChiWaree project opened two drip-irrigation demonstration plots and gave out a practical handbook and banana seedlings so that farmers could keep dry-season land productive while saving water and protecting soil. In Nakhon Nayok Province, the College of Creative Agriculture for Society trained community members to produce vermicompost, reducing their reliance on chemical fertilisers. In Kanchanaburi Province, SWU students taught pupils and teachers at a Border Patrol Police school how to prepare soil, make compost, grow vegetables and observe insects in a school plot. In Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, SWU mentored villagers at a Khok Nong Na model household learning centre on managing small farms for water, food and income all year round. All activities in 2025 were offered free of charge, giving everyone free access.

Programmes at a glance

1. ChiWaree: Drip-Irrigation Demonstration Plots for Dry-Season Farming, Khon Kaen Province

1.1 About the programme

In 2025, the ChiWaree project of Srinakharinwirot University offered free educational outreach for local communities on the sustainable management of land for agriculture. "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 Srinakharinwirot University project led by Assistant Professor Chaiwat Promjittipong. It is funded by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) under the research programme "Innovation for Water Security: Research for Area Development and Integrated Water System Solutions", and works in the areas 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).

These areas suffer drought almost every year. From January to April, many farmers cannot grow anything because there is not enough water. The project therefore set out to teach the sustainable management of land for agriculture during the dry season. The programme was aimed at farmers and residents of the communities around all four reservoirs, as well as interested people from neighbouring areas. Every activity was open to all, free of charge.

1.2 Learning from real plots

The educational outreach centres on two demonstration plots of Hom Thong bananas grown under drip irrigation, which local people can visit and learn from at any time.

• Village headman’s plot, Tha Phra Subdistrict, Mueang Khon Kaen District. Residents of Tha Phra and nearby subdistricts regularly come here to collect seedlings and seeds, so every visit is also a chance to see how bananas are grown with drip irrigation.

• Ban Phai Learning Centre for Agricultural Production Efficiency, Nai Mueang Subdistrict, Ban Phai District. The centre already receives a steady stream of visitors interested in farming, which makes it an ideal place to share the technique.

Each plot covers 1 ngan (400 square metres) and is planted with 100 Hom Thong banana plants.

1.3 What learners take home

Every visitor receives a pocket handbook on growing Hom Thong bananas with drip irrigation. It covers:

• soil preparation and plant spacing;

• digging planting holes to suit each type of planting material;

• setting up the drip system, from the water tank and main supply pipe to the drip lines;

• how much to water at each stage of growth;

• mulching to control weeds, and fertilising according to plant age;

• thinning suckers, propping plants, removing the male bud and harvesting; and

• controlling pests and diseases with bio-based products instead of chemicals, such as Trichoderma, Bacillus subtilis, Beauveria and Metarhizium.

In December 2025, the handbook and banana seedlings were distributed free of charge to farmers and members of the local communities who came to learn at the demonstration plots.

1.4 How the knowledge supports the sustainable management of land for agriculture

• Idle land back in use. Land that used to lie empty in the dry season can be farmed again, because farmers now know how to grow a high-value crop with the limited water available.

• Much less water. Drip irrigation cuts water use by 50–70% compared with conventional watering. In a 1-ngan banana plot, it saves around 25–60 litres per plant per day, against the 50–90 litres per plant per day used before. Water reaches the base of each plant steadily, so the soil no longer swings between waterlogged and bone-dry and stays evenly moist. Fertiliser dissolves gradually with the water instead of being washed below the roots, so it is used more efficiently. Because the leaves stay dry, leaf spot disease is also reduced.

• Healthier soil. Lining planting holes with manure mixed with rice husks restores soil structure and adds organic matter. Combined with bio-based products in place of chemical pesticides, this keeps the soil fertile and productive over the long term.

Figure 1. Hom Thong banana demonstration plot under drip irrigation.

Figure 2. Drip lines deliver water directly to the base of each plant.

Figure 3. Young banana plants on prepared beds in the 1-ngan plot.

Figure 4. Close-up of the drip ring around a banana plant.

Figure 5. The research team and a local farmer during plot preparation.

Figure 6. Pump control unit that runs the drip-irrigation system.

2. Knowledge Transfer on Vermicompost Production for Sustainable Agriculture, Nakhon Nayok Province

2.1 About the programme

In 2025, the College of Creative Agriculture for Society (CCAS), SWU, offered a free educational programme for local communities on the sustainable management of land for agriculture. Run as part of the University’s academic service mission, the "Community Academic Service Project for Knowledge Transfer and Promotion of Vermicompost Production for Sustainable Agriculture" taught farmers and residents of Nakhon Nayok Province how to produce vermicompost (earthworm-cast compost) and use it to keep their farmland healthy.

• Venue: Nakhon Nayok Province

• Target group: Farmers, households and other members of local communities in Nakhon Nayok Province who wish to make their own organic fertiliser, cut farm costs and rely less on chemical fertilisers.

• Access: Free of charge. The programme offered free access to all participants, with no registration or training fee.

2.2 What participants learned

The training combined a lecture with hands-on practice, so that participants could set up and run vermicompost production at home or on their farms. It covered:

• preparing worm bedding from locally available materials such as cow manure, rice straw, dry leaves and coconut coir;

• choosing a suitable earthworm species for compost production, such as the African nightcrawler (Eudrilus eugeniae), and setting up worm bins or tubs;

• feeding the worms with kitchen scraps and crop residues, and managing moisture, shade and temperature;

• harvesting and sieving the worm castings, and collecting worm tea (liquid fertiliser);

• applying vermicompost to farmland to improve soil structure, organic matter and fertility, in place of chemical fertilisers; and

• using vermicompost as a growing medium, including for microgreen production.

The College also trained participants to grow microgreens in a locally sourced growing medium made from vermicompost and enriched with photosynthetic microorganisms, showing how vermicompost can support sustainable agriculture within the community.

2.3 How the knowledge supports the sustainable management of land for agriculture

When residents can make their own fertiliser, they spend less on production and use less chemical fertiliser. Regular use of vermicompost returns organic matter to the soil, improves its structure and water-holding capacity, and supports soil life, so farmland stays productive over the long term. The programme also opens up new sources of income, puts community waste materials to good use and helps farmers become more self-reliant. It supports national development strategies that prioritise eco-friendly agriculture, efficient use of resources and grassroots economic development alongside the conservation of natural resources.

Figure 7. A CCAS lecturer introduces vermicompost production to community members.

Figure 8. Demonstration of microgreens grown in a vermicompost-based medium.

Figure 9. Participants prepare vermicompost growing media.

Figure 10. Hands-on practice sowing microgreens in vermicompost.

3. Learning by Doing: Sustainable Farming for a Rural Border Community, Kanchanaburi Province

3.1 About the programme

From 22 to 24 May 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) offered free educational outreach for local communities on the sustainable management of land for agriculture in a remote border area of Kanchanaburi Province. Students of the Bodhivijjalaya College Student Club ran the "Bodhicitta Volunteer Development Project for Children" at Wichit Wittayakhan Border Patrol Police School, working alongside the Border Patrol Police and local community leaders to bring practical farming knowledge to children and teachers who have few opportunities to learn it.

• Date: 22–24 May 2025

• Venue: Wichit Wittayakhan Border Patrol Police School, Pilok Subdistrict, Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi Province

• Organiser: SWU, through the Student Club of Bodhivijjalaya College, with the Border Patrol Police and local community leaders

• Target group: Pupils and teachers of the school and members of the surrounding local community, a rural border community with limited access to agricultural education

• Access: Free of charge. SWU provided all equipment, tools, learning materials and planting supplies, giving every participant free access to the programme.

3.2 What participants learned and did

The educational programme was built around learning by doing. Over three days, SWU students guided the children and their teachers through each stage of looking after a small school vegetable plot:

• Preparing the soil. Participants prepared the planting area themselves and learned why healthy, living soil rich in organic matter is the foundation of sustainable farming.

• Making compost. Children learned to turn leaves, plant scraps and other organic waste into compost, and saw how compost returns nutrients to the soil in place of chemical fertilisers.

• Planting vegetables. Working side by side with SWU students, the children sowed and planted vegetables in the school plot and in pots, and learned how to water and care for them.

• Observing insects in the plot. Children looked closely at the insects living among the crops and learned to tell beneficial insects, such as pollinators and the natural enemies of pests, apart from crop pests. They discussed why chemical pesticides also harm the insects that keep a plot healthy.

Throughout the activities, the students showed how soil, insects, plants and the wider farm ecosystem depend on one another, and why using fewer chemical inputs protects biodiversity on agricultural land.

3.3 How the knowledge supports the sustainable management of land for agriculture

• Healthier soil. Compost and organic matter improve soil fertility and structure without chemical fertilisers.

• Fewer chemicals, more biodiversity. Knowing which insects help and which harm crops encourages the community to protect beneficial insects and rely less on pesticides.

• Knowledge that travels home. These simple, low-cost practices can be carried from the school plot to home gardens and family farms in the community, so that the knowledge keeps spreading after the programme.

Figure 11. Project banner of the Bodhicitta Volunteer Development Project for Children, 22–24 May 2025, at Wichit Wittayakhan Border Patrol Police School.

Figure 12. SWU students introduce the learning activities to pupils and teachers.

Figure 13. SWU students and pupils plant vegetables and care for the school plot together.

Figure 14. Pupils tend the potted vegetables they planted during the programme.

In August and October 2025, SWU offered free educational outreach for local communities on the sustainable management of land for agriculture in Uthai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. Run under the Reinventing University project "Social Development and Community Economic Promotion through the Creative Economy for Holistic Area-Based Development", the programme took SWU faculty members, villagers and local farmers to learning centres run by model households under the "Khok Nong Na Model", a national programme led by the Community Development Department that helps families manage small plots of land sustainably.

• Dates: 19 and 21 August 2025

• Venues: Khok Nong Na Community Development Learning Centre at household level (Household Lab Model for Quality of Life, HLM), Ban Luang, Village No. 1, Pho Sao Han Subdistrict; and the learning centre for agricultural production efficiency, Ban Chang Subdistrict; both in Uthai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province

• Partners: Pho Sao Han Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, Uthai District Community Development Office and the Community Development Department

• Target group: Villagers, farmers and aspiring entrepreneurs of the local community

• Access: Free of charge, with free access for all participants

4.2 What participants learned

Participants learned on working farms, directly from the households that manage them, with SWU faculty members giving advice along the way:

• Planning land for water, food and income. At the HLM learning centre, the owner of the model household explained how a small plot is divided into a pond that stores water, areas for rice and mixed crops, trees and space for the home, so that the land produces food and income all year round and copes better with drought and flood.

• Integrated crops and livestock. Participants saw how ducks and egg-laying hens are raised alongside the pond and fields, and how animal manure and farm residues are returned to the soil instead of being wasted.

• Improving farm productivity. SWU faculty members and local experts discussed ways to raise the efficiency of agricultural production while lowering costs and the use of chemical inputs.

• Processing farm produce. At the Ban Chang learning centre, participants learned how processing and preserving produce, such as duck eggs, adds value and reduces losses, so that farming the land sustainably also pays.

4.3 How the knowledge supports the sustainable management of land for agriculture

The Khok Nong Na approach shows farmers how to use a small area of land in a balanced way: water is kept on the farm, soil is fed with organic matter from the farm itself, and a mix of crops and animals spreads risk and income across the year. By learning from model households in their own district, villagers can apply the same land management on their own plots. SWU returned to the same learning centres on 16–17 October 2025 for a follow-up visit, where SWU staff and villagers visited a model Wolffia (watermeal) farm and attended a lecture on using products from black soldier fly (BSF) larvae, continuing the educational outreach for local communities in the area.

Figure 15. SWU faculty and staff with the owner of the Khok Nong Na model household (HLM) learning centre, Ban Luang, Pho Sao Han Subdistrict, Uthai District.

Figure 16. The owner of the model household explains how she manages her farm while preparing duck eggs for processing.

Figure 17. Learning about egg-laying hens raised on the farm.

Figure 18. Poultry raised alongside the pond and rice fields of the model household farm.

Contribution to SDG 15: Life on Land

In 2025, all four educational outreach programmes gave local communities free access to practical knowledge on the sustainable management of land for agriculture. Together, the programmes gave farmers, families and schoolchildren practical, low-cost ways to look after their land: using water sparingly, rebuilding soil organic matter, and replacing chemical inputs with biological ones. Because the demonstration plots, handbooks, seedlings and training were offered free of charge, the knowledge reached people who would not otherwise have access to it, and it continues to spread from farmer to farmer.