Naturally does it

BEARING FRUIT: Prapat Panyachatriraksa (left) watches as his workers load the chemical-free oranges onto a truck. -- Pictures by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK

AGRICULTURE: An orange farmer in Lampang has found an alternative to chemical pesticides that that doesn't bug him or his workers

NILUBOL PORNPITAGPAN

When Prapat Panyachatriraksa started an orange farm in Lampang nine years ago, he didn't think he would ever dare to consume the fruits from his own orchard.

Orange trees are vulnerable to attack by various diseases and insects throughout their growth cycle, so Prapat, like many orange farmers before him, sprayed pesticides heavily all year round in a bid to save his crop.

"We could hardly breathe, even in here," Prapat recalled at his office which is located 100 metres from the orchard. "The chemicals gave off such a strong and toxic smell that you could not hide from it. The chickens, ducks and other animals died because of the hazardous residues left on the ground which washed into the ponds that they drank from."

The chemicals also posed a threat to the human inhabitants of Petch Lanna farm. "I got terrible headaches. My family and some workers were allergic to it. We couldn't stay at our farm and my relatives could not visit us. Workers refused to work in my orchard."

The final blow came later when, after three years of patiently tending the trees, he and his family dared not eat the first crop of oranges produced by their own farm.

Prapat, who graduated with a forestry degree from Kasetsart University, knew then that he was following the wrong path. The cost of pesticides was high, and the hazards to human and animal life as well as the environment were life-threatening. So he stopped using pesticides. "

It might not be a wise decision to put the whole farm at risk. But we thought that if we couldn't live happily with farming, we'd better look for another job. There should be an alternative way to manage an orange farm," he said.

He and his brother, Pradit, started studying the effects of the pesticides and decided to reduce the use of them drastically. First the most dangerous ones, then those that have been reported to possibly cause cancer.

"There were studies showing that the residues of the pesticides could stay on the fruit for up to 21 days. They're harmful to our health.

"Did you know that one of our country's major imports is pesticides? We can't produce them ourselves. Many of them have been banned in the exporting countries, but these dangerous chemicals are on sale here without much control," Prapat explained.

After banning the use of toxic substances on Petch Lanna farm, however, all did not go smoothly.

"We were terrified by the huge number of various kinds of pests," recalled Prapat. His oranges were covered in brown flecks caused by rustsetting mites which attack the fruit during the early stages of development when no pesticides are used to control them.

"We thought consumers would be happy to buy our chemical-free oranges and we proudly promoted our fruit. But the blotchy skin turned buyers away. We had to give our harvest out for free.

"Thai people still judge things by the surface," he lamented. "It was the most difficult time for us. We suffered a great loss and were caught up in a dilemma as to whether we should go back to using pesticides. But we decided we couldn't."

He first tried biological control methods by fermenting the seeds of the neem tree, a member of the mahogany family. The resulting liquid substance was sprayed on the orange trees and did get rid of some of the pests. Then traps were set up throughout his 300-rai farm to catch various insects at night and during the day. Sulphur dust was also used to control rustsetting mites and some diseases.

The cessation of pesticide use allowed the two brothers to take a closer look at the pests which were getting free meals at their orchard. For two years, armed with cameras, they photographed all kinds of insects found on the farm. It opened up a new dimension to the world of parasites and predators.

"We've found that the insects that attack oranges have their natural enemies. But these were all destroyed with the use of pesticides," said Prapat.

Many of them were caught in the act, eating or sucking the nutrient out of other insects: syrphid flies were eating citrus black aphids; stink bugs were devouring papillio pupa; and another kind of stink bug was attacking worms.

They soon found that the traps they had put up were also harming the natural predators. So they gave up using the traps. "In our universities we don't study predators and parasites. We are taught which pesticide will control which pest," added Prapat.

He found books to read on the subject and consulted Assoc Prof Kosol Charoensol of Kasetsart University, a rare expert in this field. They surveyed the whole farm to document as many species as they could.

Then Prapat took a few insect predators and parasites for closer study and came up with the idea to reproduce them and release them back onto the farm at the right time in order to control the pests that were attacking his oranges.

He cultivated ladybird beetles which are the natural predators of aphids, a big problem in the orchard. He bred stink bugs, another predator, to control caterpillars.

He also cultivated parasites, the type which start their destructive process by laying their eggs on the eggs of other insects, as well as the larva-eating type.

At Petch Lanna farm, the workers have not been spraying pesticides for about four years. Instead, they explore the farm and check which pests are making their presence felt and release the right predators and parasites at the right time.

"There are hundreds of natural controlling pests. And there are more that still need to be studied," said Prapat. "Some people didn't think my method would work, but we think we are on the right track. After four years of no pesticides the harvests have been good."

His success has brought farmers from other provinces to visit his farm and learn his biological pest control methods. Some were inspired by his technique and started experimenting on their own. They meet now and then to discuss their progress and the problems they face.

"It doesn't cost much to produce predators and parasites. In the end it saves farmers a great deal on the cost of pesticides," said Prapat. As he was dealing with the pests, Prapat and his brother also carried out studies on the quality of the soil and fertilisers used, a key to producing good oranges.

"Commercial fertilisers are not the answer for every kind of soil. Oranges are sensitive to soil nutrients and an imbalance will result in problems. It will be a waste of money if farmers do not study the nature of their soil," said Prapat.

Chemical fertilisers also cause a drastic change in the pH levels of the soil. Petch Lanna farm has now switched to manure for this reason.

Prapat, a native of Yala, was the first farmer to grow oranges in Lampang. After graduating from Kasetsart University, he worked for the Department of Forestry in Lampang for five years before he started his farm at Mae Suk in Chae Hom district. He brought the original stalks of the Shogun orange variety from Yala province.

Due to the dry land in the area, however, water would be a serious problem. "It made us have to think harder," said Prapat.

They dug a number of reservoirs and mulched to improve the soil and protect the roots of the plants.

The workers seem happy with the changes. "I'm glad to work in a more friendly environment. Now I don't suffer from headaches," said one. "After work I can pick some vegetables under the orange trees for my dinner and know they're chemical-free.

" Prapat said he learned a valuable lesson from his efforts.

"I've seen the recovery of the ecology on my farm. It's taught me an invaluable lesson. If we destroy the ecology, nature strikes back hard."

A visitor from Kamphaeng Phet showed up at Prapat's farm unannounced.

"I would like to try some oranges on my plantation. Do you think I can grow them in Kamphaeng Phet?" the visitor was heard consulting Prapat as the Outlook team were preparing to leave.

These days it seems Prapat spends more time talking to visitors about his environmentally-friendly methods than he does actually farming.

But he is content.

"We hope we can be a small candle to sparkle many more others."