A closer look at a royal study centre
Afull year has passed but millions of Thais still mourn the loss of beloved monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej who had dedicated much of his seven-decade reign to improving the living conditions of Thai people across the country through almost 4,000 projects.
With the royal cremation set to take place today, let’s take a look at one of such projects that he initiated and provided guidance, the Khao Hin Sorn Royal Development Study Centre.
Begun in 1980, this study centre in Chachoengsao province was the first of six of its kind, which scatter across all regions of the Kingdom. It provides knowledge on agriculture, skill training as well as inspiration to farmers, students, and families who visit this special place.
Why special? Uninformed people may ask or even criticise. But visitors who have done some homework and know the history of the area would be wowed.
More than three decades ago, as a combined result of deforestation and commercial farming with heavy use of chemical fertiliser and pesticides, the land in this part was severely barren. The soil was so bad that even cassava, which is a hardy crop, could hardly grow. As you can see in the old black and white photo accompanying this article, back then the currently verdant area resembled a desert. To me, as someone who never manages to grow even a potted plant, that’s a miracle.
Months before the study centre took shape, King Bhumibol visited Tambon Khao Hin Son on Aug 8, 1979, to preside over the opening ceremony of a shrine dedicated to Somdej Phra Pinklao, the second king during the reign of King Rama IV. Seven locals offered to give him their arid land so he could build a palace there, hoping that his royal presence would bring roads and other development to the area. But King Bhumibol obviously had a different kind of development in mind and asked the donors for their consent to let him use the land for an agricultural study centre instead. That’s how it all started.
To return fertility to the area, several measures were taken. First of all, a number of reservoirs were dug to store water from a nearby stream so that supply will also be available outside the rainy season. Fast-growing trees were planted on the higher ground to create forest cover. On slopes and lower ground, vetiver grass, which has long roots that can extend over 2m into the ground were used to draw moisture to the surface and prevent erosion of the topsoil. Within 15 years, the centre was successful in retaining the area’s natural balance. The land was turned into demonstration plots where people can come to learn about organic and self-sufficiency farming.
When visiting the study centre, which covers almost 2,000 rai (about 3km²), you can either join in a guided tour or explore it on your own on a bicycle.
Apart from rice paddies and various types of plantations and orchards, you can ride to the livestock zone where you can learn about raising chicken, ducks, fish, frogs and other animals. The herb garden, which comes with a study trail boasts more than 900 species of plants with medicinal qualities. And don’t miss the Phlab Phla Phra Ram, the wooden office that the local people built for King Bhumibol, and the Phra Tamnak Samchua, a wooden house that the king designed himself.
There is much more that you can appreciate and learn at Khao Hin Sorn Royal Development Study Centre, which over the decades has changed for the better, not just the land it is located in but also the lives of farmers who have visited the place and make use of the knowledge they learned from this project of King Bhumibol.
And don’t forget that this is just one of the 4,000 or so royally initiated projects across the Kingdom that continue to bear fruits. No doubt, the love and respect that Thais have for this exceptional monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej or King Rama IX, will never fade no matter how many years shall pass.
Well, see you here again next Thursday. Until then, if you have questions, news or biking insights you wish to share, please feel free to send an email to pongpetm@bangkokpost.co.th or go to Freewheel Bangkok community page on Facebook.
Pongpet Mekloy is the BangkokPost’s travel editor and a mountain bike freak.