From Tearfund comes a fascinating interview with a “crazy little family” in northern Thailand. 14 years ago Tui, Da and their daughter Leklek set themselves a goal that is hard to beat:
Our desire as a family is to glorify God by caring for his creation in a way that allows us to eat healthily, make a living and bless other people.
…We set ourselves a simple goal: to grow all our own food and eat healthily.
As with many others in many different parts of the world, their effort seeks to integrate all of the different parts of God’s creation:
We began with activities such as land preparation, construction of the chicken house, planting trees and digging fishponds. We read many articles and books and visited other people’s farms to learn from them. We looked for market opportunities and started to harvest eggs, vegetables, fish, chicken and rice.
‘Our farm of three hectares is now carefully planned for integrated farming. One third is for rice and the rest is for fish ponds, chickens, ducks, fruit trees, bamboo for construction, corn, beans, herbs, medicinal plants and vegetables. We raise bees in the fruit orchard for organic honey, pest control and pollination.
‘We use farming practices that work with nature, not against it. We use compost and animal manure to fertilise the land. Pests and diseases are kept under control by insects and birds that are attracted to our farm by the trees, ponds and permanent vegetation.
In the intervening years, they have influenced their neighbors and the larger Christian community around them. Read more here.
