(LAOS) A time to bring in the corn, harvest the rice, and prepare for the harvest celebrations. Two dozen farmers will have a double portion of harvest joy this year: they planted beans in their cornfields and will get two crops from the same land. The team I work with has been promoting green manure cover crops for several years, and we’re now seeing the results.

A time to bring in the corn, harvest the rice, and prepare for the harvest celebrations. Two dozen farmers will have a double portion of harvest joy this year: they planted beans in their cornfields and will get two crops from the same land. The team I work with has been promoting green manure cover crops for several years, and we’re now seeing the results.

Last year a handful of farmers planted beans in corn fields, and their crop this year was taller and greener than last year’s. That convinced their neighbors to try beans this year. They’ve seen that the beans improve the quality of the next crop of corn and are also glad to have some beans to eat or sell.

If these experiments spread, it could mean that these mountain villages will be viable for generations to come.

In October, I accompanied a small group of farmers and agriculture promoters to northern Thailand to learn about sustainable upland farming. This study tour was funded by the Foods Resource Bank (FRB). We visited three villages: one that has been growing beans, corn, and rice on the same land for over thirty years; another where a farmer was cultivating a “wild” agroforest of useful and delicious plants like rattan, palms, and tea; and a third village with many grafted persimmon, peach, and plum trees. The farmers learned that legumes help maintain soil fertility, but they were most excited about planting their own agroforest plots so that they could have easy access to valuable delicacies for eating or selling to market.

We see these small successes as glimpses of renewal in these mountain villages. Farmers appreciate the increased income from a healthy corn crop and look forward to a second income from the beans once the market develops. They also plan to continue planting fruit trees and agroforest plots. Some of them see it as a way of preserving the land for their grandchildren, both by renewing the soil fertility and also by producing enough food and income on less land. They won’t have to rotate to a new plot of land every year or two in order to keep feeding their family. If these experiments spread, it could mean that these mountain villages will be viable for generations to come.

In other news, Sarah and I visited the US in August for her brother Scott’s wedding to Hannah; and we celebrated our fifth anniversary in early November. Sarah has continued teaching three grade school students with wisdom and love. We are blessed and grateful for our work, family, and friends.

James Zwier

Program Advisor 
World Renew Laos