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Farmers are reluctant to stop using toxic weed killers


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Farmers are reluctant to stop using toxic weed killers

 

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The government’s plan to phase out three chemical weed killers, paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, which are widely used by Thai farmers, may be easier said than done as most farmers oppose the ban because the chemicals enable higher crop yields.

 

A recent field survey, of farmers in the northern province of Phrae by Thai PBS reporters, shows that many of them are unlikely to give up the use of the weed killers while an effective alternative is not available.

 

The farmers said that, because of their large farms and shortage of labour, they need to use the weed killers both before and after cultivation to ensure they get large enough harvests to generate the incomes they need.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/farmers-are-reluctant-to-stop-using-toxic-weed-killers/

 

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-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-08-17

 

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4 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

Hey guys, take another look at the "jungle" those men are standing in. Now please add some more of your experience and wisedom and suggest just how they could clear 10 or 20 Rai of farm land covered in that stuff to plant their crops.

Round-up !

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5 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

Hey guys, take another look at the "jungle" those men are standing in. Now please add some more of your experience and wisedom and suggest just how they could clear 10 or 20 Rai of farm land covered in that stuff to plant their crops.

How did they build the pyramids, Stonehenge...

they burn everything anyway

they also have weed cutters with metal blades, and machete s. 

 

Edited by Redline
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They don’t care because there are no sanctions for causing illness to their workers and they can make more profit. 

 

That’s what Governments are for, to protect the workers from business people like these, but here they are on the same side against the workers.

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3 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

I still haven't heard one viable alternative for the farmers to use. Tabloid Experts telling us about governments and business people versus workers has little to do with a subsistence rice farmer whose concern is keeping the weeds out of his once a year income source. His labour source has dried up, he is on average over 50 years old and is accumulating debt. 

It is a serious concern, I would ask those who are not or have not been involved directly in farming to please show some restraint.

 

What a lot of people don't understand is that glysophate kills by destroying the plants ability to produce chlorophyll.... It doesn't actually poison anything let of alone soil.  Look it up.  It is not selective.  NOBODY  sprays it on food you want eat.  IT WOULD KILL THE PLANT....  NO FOOD PRODUCED.!!!!! 

A lot of what the uninformed  don't understand is the typical bait and switch trick.  Same as the  reason made with Freon .  As the patent time ran out,  the scare stories about the hole in the ozone layer surfaced and we all had to use another,  patented gas. Made by DuPont the manufacturers of Freon. 

Look up the glysophate resistant seeds and the farmers being prosecuted for it because some drifted into their land and they hadn't paid for it and cannot kill it. 

 Can't remember the name of the company... Bayer maybe possibly Do Pont.. One of the multinational not give a shit about people companies. 

You're being taken for suckers folks,  but unfortunately the inner city zombies have a lot of political clout. 

Edited by emptypockets
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19 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

What a lot of people don't understand is that glysophate kills by destroying the plants ability to produce chlorophyll.... It doesn't actually poison anything let of alone soil.  Look it up.  It is not selective.  NOBODY  sprays it on food you want eat.  IT WOULD KILL THE PLANT....  NO FOOD PRODUCED.!!!!! 

Nonsense...you don't know what you are talking about. Food is being GMO'd to resist it. Plants get heavily sprayed and food portion survives. Try looking up Monsanto, Soybeans, Roundup, GMO.

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9 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

They don’t care because there are no sanctions for causing illness to their workers and they can make more profit. 

 

That’s what Governments are for, to protect the workers from business people like these, but here they are on the same side against the workers.

and consumers

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8 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

I still haven't heard one viable alternative for the farmers to use. Tabloid Experts telling us about governments and business people versus workers has little to do with a subsistence rice farmer whose concern is keeping the weeds out of his once a year income source. His labour source has dried up, he is on average over 50 years old and is accumulating debt. 

It is a serious concern, I would ask those who are not or have not been involved directly in farming to please show some restraint.

 

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/rice-does-not-need-water-10108

 

I will test this technique on a smale scale soon. 

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6 hours ago, wisperone said:

Nonsense...you don't know what you are talking about. Food is being GMO'd to resist it. Plants get heavily sprayed and food portion survives. Try looking up Monsanto, Soybeans, Roundup, GMO.

There are no GMO'S in Thailand as far as i'm aware.

I think a lot of people get confused by this.

Roundup in Thailand should be used 10-14 days prior to seeding a crop,then it usually takes 110-120 days for the crop to mature.

By getting rid of this product farmers will be forced to spray Later with more selective herbicides at extra cost and closer to crop maturity making the situation worse than it already is.

The alternate to not using chemicals could take a minimum of 5 years or more of little or no production to establish and i doubt the government will subsidise this period.

If people don't like the use of roundup i suggest there is the Tom and Barbara way(the good life)for there vegetable intake.

As there is more than humans to feed in this world. 

 

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22 hours ago, rooster59 said:

"...while an effective alternative is not available."

Key statement.  There are alternatives, just maybe not in Thailand yet.  I'm in the US right now and using herbicidal soaps, biodegradable, organic program compatible.  I have yet to try D-limonene herbicide products, but they are popular here. There is a tremendous amount of R & D going on in biopesticides, and new less toxic products coming out all the time. 

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3 hours ago, Tayaout said:

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/rice-does-not-need-water-10108

 

I will test this technique on a smale scale soon. 

SRI system is well tested and documented. A friend of mine, former member here, now in Cambodia, had an organic research and teaching farm in Chiang Mai. He had side by side comparisons and I think he posted here about it. PM me if you want to pursue a contact. 

Edited by drtreelove
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Dr TL wouldn't it be nice if there were enough people still available to do this. But today the tractor fills the need of those who can afford to buy or contract its services. For most, lets hope your suggested alternatives turn up soon, as the normal affordable sequence for rice here is to spray herbicide then plough in broadcast seed. Following up with a pre-emergent helps, but most farms have a weed seed load that lasts five odd years, and in years where rain fails and the paddies aren't flooded, most weeds germinate and compete with the rice. Another month and many will be grazing their crop.

 

Tayaout, I have seen that video of cover cropping you posted and was impressed with the results from the low rainfall areas of the USA. There are topics of this thread covering parts of the process (such as drilling seeds) and many attempts to find a system suitable for a climate where there is no rain for six months, poor water holding and permeation rates in the soil. The monoculture cropping of rice and "usual" flooding of paddies make a stable soil web very difficult to maintain. Cover crops are the answer for improving the soil without doubt. If those same covers can contribute to farm income as well they will be adopted much quicker. One issue of difference here is tractor and implement weight, trying to drill through thick residues with small gear doesn't work.

 

We are working on it. 

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