Buddhist Innovation For Developing Thailand: A Case Study Of The Cattle And Buffalo Bank For Farmers According To His Majesty The King Phumipol Adulyadej Innovative Projects By Tarvorn Chittatavaro-Vongmalai Foundation

Abstract

               Cows and buffalos are always closely related to the way of life of Thai people since the ancient time. They are only single factors and labors for rice production in every step, from tilling the land, fertilizing, harvesting to transportation. The use of buffalos’ labor was reduced when new technology and  machinery come to replace it. The new technology has adverse effects on environment and not only farmers but also farmers’ product consumers. They become aware of the effects and would like to bring back the old time way of life.  Again poor farmers, the backbones of the country, confronts with problems that buffalos are so expensive for them to afford. They do not have money to buy buffalos to replace the machines.  So a Buddhist monk by the name of Tavorn Chittavaro-Vongmalai undertook the King’s initiatives Project to establish the Cow and Buffalo Bank to collect cows and buffalos from various donors, and make controlling records, to distribute and loan buffalos to needy farmers to look after, to raise, to increase the populations of buffalos and use their labor for organic rise production. In return, farmers reduce and stop using chemical fertilizer and insecticide. They have better quality of life according to the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy. The King Bhumipol Adulyadej donated a modern rice mill to the community for rice  processing with the royal advice that the  paddy should be processed into only  brown rice, not polished rice. for good nutrition. This project has been beneficial directly to the poor farmers to  live in harmony with nature, to restore the endangered species, the buffalos, from varnishing. This project has been adopted by many agricultural projects in many provinces throughout  the country. This is the real Buddhist Innovation.