Thailand Student Blog

Jazmin M., Age 19, Mt. Scott

The social justice issue facing Surin is the industrial agriculture and the green revolution. The green revolution was a development plan by governments, international banks, and corporation that tried to help rice farmers grow rice faster and better. The farmers would buy fertilizer but would kill the soil and the farmers would have to keep on buying more and more fertilize as they go. Then later the cost of fertilizer was more then the income of selling rice. To make more rice, farmers would take out loans to get more fertilizer and that would lead to debt… Read more

Jenny E., Age 23, Portland YouthBuilders

The True Cost of a Meal
Recently The Pangaea Project / Thailand team has visited a small providence Udon Thani located in the N.E. part of Thailand. The Pangaea project had a special interest in this small community of 10,000 people threatened off there land due to a potash mining project. Potash is needed for fertilizer to grow rice and other global commodities… Read more

Carly Jo S., Age 17, Mt. Scott

There are many issues and tragedies that face countless communities throughout our world, which we remain completely oblivious to.  Is this any fault of our own? Definitely not, but it is our duty to keep updated on as much knowledge as we have available. When you do not keep open ears, an open voice and an open heart to such sufferings, dilemmas, or simple callings, then you do become a player in their one sided game. For me, I am here to inform you about the current situation that a small, loving community suffers in UdonThani, Thailand. I can call them small and loving because I have met these people first hand. I have stayed in their homes, ate their food, shared advice and stories, played with their kids, cooked dinner with them, and got the gift of staying under their care and shelter… Read more

Shelby H., Age 19, Mt. Scott

The community that we went to in Udon Thani is being bribed by a corporation called Italian Thai, to sell their land so that it can be mined for potash. Potash is used to make pesticides, and potash is 100 times saltier then table salt, and if anybody were to even lick potash, animal or human, they would die because it is too salty. The social justice issue that is facing this community is that their homes, and their water would be taken away, because if the company called Italian Thai mines in their community, then over 10,000 people would be displaced and have nowhere to move to. The human rights that are being threatened are that 10,000 people would have no homes, no way for their children to get an education, or any clean drinking water… Read more

Fransisco A., Age 18, Portland YouthBuilders

I believe that the issue these people are facing is more than one. The green revolution which leads to industrial agriculture and eventually the loss of culture. while we were there, we met the people that are fighting to protect their way of life their culture their land their people their family. we spoke with p'nok, who works for Surin's farmer support and they help low income farmers who chose to leave the green revolution by helping them sell their products internationally, locally and helps them get the international fair trade license… Read more

Tony Y., Age 19, Portland YouthBuilders

Last week we went to Surin for our home stays for two nights and three days. We went there to see how rice was getting process and being traded fairly. We learned that rice farming is harder than it sounds. They spend so much time and effort out of there day and they don’t even get paid that much. We also learned 99 percent of the rice coming from Thailand wasn’t organically grown or being traded fairly. It was affecting the community. It also was affecting other things like fish that they eat, the water they drink and the air they breathe. So we went to visit a rice community where rice was organically grown. One of the leader named P’ Nok from a group called S.P.S was trying to spread the news to the other communities and about the health issues and not letting the company’s buy them off. They were just too far in debt. Some wasn’t going to change there ways. Some family’s were separated cause the kids went to go work in the city to help pay off there familis debt… Read more