Bamrung Kayotha

Bamrung Khayotha has created an association of small producers that allows the farmers who work together to gain control of the full cycle of their activities: production, processing, and marketing. By forming a strong community and working together, these farmers can better protect their interests and become increasingly self-reliant.

Bamrung Khayotha has brought together groups of rural producers–initially pig farmers–and is teaching them to understand and confront the economic issues of their business in particular and market trends more generally. He helps the groups learn how to solve problems such as the falling prices of their primary products, and then guides them in development initiatives in the production, processing and marketing of their commodities.Bamrung envisions that these strong community groups eventually will be able to address additional development issues in their area and participate in policy-making processes that concern them. In fact, the associations are already beginning to confront the major food-processing and marketing companies by helping to change some of the policies that have helped the larger companies succeed in the marketplace at the expense of the producers.Underlying his program is Bamrung's commitment to pushing further forward the frontier of Thailand's democracy by giving his neighbors and fellow farmers the confidence, skills and organization that they need to be able to determine their own futures.

Traditionally, small farmers have operated independently. Few groups or coalitions have been formed to help them leverage their individual resources. Working as isolated individuals, they have had little ability to bargain for better prices for their products or to develop their position within the economy.

Small farmers have had control only over the production aspect of their activities. Processing and marketing activities have been left to other individuals and companies, with their own vested interests. This situation has dramatically reduced the proportion of retail revenues that goes to the farmers. Food processing and marketing companies have more capital, networks and other resources to leverage and maintain their economic position, usually at the expense of producers.

Bamrung has already organized more than 100 farmers' groups and has trained them in organizing skills, animal husbandry techniques and animal feed production. These groups have then negotiated for everything from steady and low-cost feed to higher prices for their products. For example, Bamrung has encouraged the farmers' associations to produce pig feed from low-priced grains. This activity not only gives them access to a low-priced feed for their own pigs but also provides additional income when farmers sell the feed on the open market.

Joining together in a federation, the groups have undertaken campaigns around larger issues that affect their work. For example, they campaigned effectively against resettlement projects that would have displaced a great number of farmers in the northeast provinces and deprived them of their livelihood.

Bamrung was born into a farming family and has worked for more than twenty years with farmers. He made his living raising and selling pigs after receiving training at the Chore Kaen Technical College. Bamrung has long been a leader in his rural area, establishing one of the first rural food banks to help overcome hunger and malnutrition during times of poor harvest.