30 million seeds video guide

8/7/2019 30 Million Seeds Video Guide

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S O U T H E A S T A S I A N S T U D I E S O h i o U n i v e r s i t y

DOCUMENTARY PRODUCED BY REBAKAH DARO; EDITED BY NORA

RYE; PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIA VANWAGENEN

STUDY GUIDE WRITTEN BY REBAKAH DARO

Spring

09

30 MILLION SEEDS:KEEPING THE RICE BOWL OF THAILAND FULL


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30 Million Seeds: Keeping the Rice Bowl of Thailand Full

IN THE CLASSROOM..4

30 MILLION SEEDS: OVERVIEW6

30 MILLION SEEDS: INTRODUCTION.7

PLANTING AND INCOME SUPPLEMENTATION

KEY POINTS..10

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.10

SUGGESTED READINGS10

EXERCISES11

SMALL SEEDLINGS AND YOUTH MIGRATION

KEY POINTS..12



EXERCISES13

GREEN PADDIES AND CHEMICAL USE

KEY POINTS..14



EXERCISES15

HARVEST AND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

CONTENTS


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KEY POINTS.16



EXERCISES17

30 MILLION SEEDS: POST-VIEWING QUESTIONS.18

30 MILLION SEEDS: BIBLIOGRAPHY.19

30 MILLION SEEDS: BEHIND THE SCENES21

CONTENTS


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Welcome to 30 Million Seeds: Keeping the Rice Bowl of Thailand Full! This 30-minute documentary

follows the lives of one rice-farming family in the Central Plains of Thailand. Instructors in a wide range

of disciplines are encouraged to use this media in the classroom. This guide is intended to help

instructors in preparing to use the film and integrating key ideas and topics into classroom discussion

and activities. Instructors in the fields of political ecology, anthropology, economics, biology, and

geography may find the film easily integrated into their curriculum; however, topics related to other

disciplines may also be found within the film.

NOTES ON THE FILM______________________________________________________________________________________________

The film 30 Million Seeds: Keeping the Rice Bowl of Thailand Fullis divided into four main sections,

not including the introduction. The four sections closely follow the typical rice production cycle and use

this natural process to introduce four ideas or issues confronting the typical rice-farming family

currently. These issues are not confined to rice farmers, but are issues that farmers and rural families

around the globe are facing everyday. The films intent is to bring global issues into a local perspective

using the village of Mahachai and the lives of its residents.

The first section of the film looks at the process of planting and the methods employed by rural farmers

to finish this task. The section then explores the idea of income supplementation by farmers and their

family members, often made necessary by the very methods the farmers are using to plant, tend, and

harvest their rice.

The next section of the film explores the topic of youth migration in connection with the previous

topic of income supplementation. This section also follows the rice cycle through the application of

fertilizers to the young seedlings.

As the rice grows, farmers in the film begin to add chemical inputs for a number of reasons. These

issues of chemical use and their effects on the producers health and on the rice itself are discussed in the

third section of the film. Options for alternative methods of production are also briefly discussed.

Finally, the film follows the farmers as they begin to harvest their fields. This section concentrates

on the global to local connections occurring within the village. While many of the problems the farmers

IN THE CLASSROOM


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face in this Thai village are happening around the world, many rural communities are left on their own to

find the answers to their problems. Despite development initiatives happening within the country, these

farmers have found their own answers and as the film shows, probably will continue to in the future.

NOTES ON THE GUIDE______________________________________________________________________________________________

This instructors guide closely follows the format of the film, allowing instructors to show the

entire film or if short on time, a section that highlights the themes and issues that she would like to

discuss in the classroom.

Each section of the guide provides an introduction to the corresponding section of the film along

with key points that should be discussed in regards to the film. Discussion questions and exercises are

also provided to encourage full understanding by students of the issues that they have viewed in that

particular section of the film. Finally, additional readings are suggested for the instructor that would like

to make connections with already existing literature that discusses the same or similar themes. These

suggested readings are pulled from websites, journal articles and books from across disciplines.


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During the summer of 2008, Julie Van Wagenen, a photojournalism major, and Nora Rye, a video

production major, accompanied me during my thesis research project in Thailand. While I conducted the

majority of the research, Nora and Julie concentrated on the taking of still photographs and film footage.

Throughout the course of the research, footage was shot for the production of this documentary focused

on the lives of the farmers of the village of Mahachai in the Central plains of Thailand. The goal for this

footage was the creation of a research-based video that explored the lives of the farmers in Mahachai and

the factors influencing their everyday decisions. This film draws examples of common problems

currently affecting rice farmers in Thailand from the lives of these research subjects. It explores the ideas

of agricultural chemical use, youth and urban migration, and income supplementation within theMahachai village through filmed interviews and footage of living conditions, social activities, and rice-

production methods. The hope for this film is to provide the viewer with a visual image of the farmers

lives and a clear link between growing global problems and local solutions.

The video, titled, 30 million seeds: Keeping the Rice Bowl of Thailand Full is a 30-minute

documentary, produced in part by Nora and myself. It explores the global problems confronting the local

community of Mahachai and the solutions that the community has found to these problems. Using the rice

cycle as the basis for the storyline, the narrative of the film highlights the Pitsawong family of Mahachai.

Na Ban, Na Nong, and Sam take the viewer through broadcasting, fertilizing, spraying and harvesting of

the rice and share the everyday situations that they face through farming. Na Ban takes the viewer with

her to the 3 am market in nearby Sai Ngam as she explores income supplementation activities in

response to the narrowing labor market in Mahachai. Na Bans son, Sam, shares with the audience his

frustration with farming and his struggle to obtain higher education in the nearby provincial capital of

Kampaeng Phet. Na Bans husband, Na Nong, contributes to the film by demonstrating the normal

processes of chemical use on his rice fields. Other extended family members join in to share their

experiences and how these relate to the events that the Pitsawong family experiences.

30 MILLION SEEDS: OVERVIEW


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Green paddies and chemical use: The third chapter explores the idea of a growing liberalized market

economy that encourages the production of high yields of low quality grains such as rice. The farmers are

encouraged by quick returns in the market to use a plethora of chemical additives on their rice fields.

They often ignore negative impacts on their health and the environment, but few alternatives are

available and little education is offered.

Harvest and community connections: Many of the problems, such as youth and urban migration, a

shrinking labor market, and increased chemical use are affecting rural communities around the world.

These problems are recognized by academics, scientists, and the even the farmers, but still the

connections between communities suffering from the same problems are rarely made. Communities are

often left on their own to find solutions to problems. In the case of Mahachai, kao deet is one such

problem. This issue is being researched by scientists, but the results are not being shared with the

community, leaving them unaware of a solution. Local communities are counteracting this problem but

doing as they have always done and finding their own localized solutions to problems both local and

global.

PRE-VIEWING QUESTIONS

y Quiz students as to what they already know about the country of Thailand. What are theirpreconceived notions about the country? The people? The sources of income? Exports and

products?

y What are some of the problems that farmers in the United States are facing currently? How mightthese problems compare to farmers in other parts of the world?

y Do students know of any development programs or non-governmental organizations that are atwork in Thailand? How do these interact with the local community?

y What do students think of the term globalization? What does this term mean to them? Whatimages does this term conjure up for the students? How do students think this term might apply to

a film about rice farmers in Thailand?

SUGGESTED READINGS

y Bryant, J. and Gray, R. (2005, Sept.) Rural Population Ageing and Farm Structure in Thailand. RomeFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations


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y Coclanis, P. (1993, Oct.) Distant Thunder: The Creation of a World Market in Rice and theTransformations It Wrought, The American Historical Review, Vol. 98, No. 4, pp1050-1078

y McMichael, P. (2008) The Globalization Project in Practice. Development and Social Change: AGlobal Perspective. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press

y Rosset, P. (2009, July/Aug.) Fixing our Global Food System: Food Sovereignty and RedistributiveLand Reform, Monthly Review, vol. 61, no. 3, pp114-128


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KEYPOINTS

y The Green Revolution ushered in a new era of rice farming. One such change was the switch fromtraditional methods of transplanting rice seedlings to broadcasting the germinated rice seeds.

y Farmers in many areas now prefer the broadcasting method as it is quicker and easier. Many alsoclaim that there are no longer enough farmers in the area to transplant the seedlings. However, as

broadcasting requires fewer farmers in the planting of the fields, this method conversely cuts the

labor market exponentially.

y As the labor market shrinks in many rural areas, many members of rural farming families areforced to look for income supplementation activities off of the farm.

y While some rural laborers will find work close to home, others are forced to large urban areas tofind work.

y The latter solution often separates families, leaving children at home in rural areas with theirgrandparents while their parents send money home when they can.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

y It has been suggested by some scholars that women are disproportionately affected by shrinkinglabor markets. How might the situation in Mahachai affect women? How is this different from

what the men in rural communities might face?

y As the rural labor market continues to shrink, what are some other options for families toconsider?

y How might families counteract a shrinking labor marketwithoutleaving the farm or thecommunity?

y What are other consequences of an urban migration for employment that the film might not havediscussed? How does this affect the rural communities?

SUGGESTED READINGS

PLANTING AND INCOME SUPPLEMENTATION


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y Kabeer, N. a. (2002) Leaving the Rice Fields, but Not the Countryside, In S. Razavi, ShiftingBurdens: Gender and Agrarian Change under Neoliberalism, Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press, Inc.,

pp109-150

y Shiva, V. (2006) Saying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development, In N. Haenn and R.R. Wilk, TheEnvironment in Anthropology: A Reader in Ecology, Culture, and Sustainable Living,New York: New

York University Press, pp183-190

y Sen, A. (1990, Dec. 20) More Than 100 Million Women Are Missing, The New York ReviewEXCERCISES

y Thoroughly explain to students the difference between a broadcast system of planting rice and thetraditional method of transplanting. In small groups, have students discuss and chart the possible

benefits and drawbacks of each system including economics, labor, and distribution of income.

y Have students read through the article Agriculture and Beyond: Finding Womens Place inThailands Rural Farm Economy, which is a research paper based on the same data as this film.

Have students discuss the reading in connection to the film. The paper is located at the following

web address:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AdlNXvm88IFVZGdydHh2OF8yMjhkNGo3djJjeg&hl=en


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KEYPOINTS

y As more outside income becomes available to families, more and more children are being sent tofurther their education in larger urban areas.

y While often an economic strain on families, higher education for children is highly prized as apossible escape from the life of a farmer.

y Some fear that as more children are leaving the rural areas for education, fewer and fewer willstay on to take up the life of rice farming, thereby depriving a country of their largest group of food

producers.

y Others claim that not enough children of farming families are getting the educationalopportunities they deserve.


y The film expresses the idea that while some youth are sent to larger urban areas for furthereducation, others stay in the community to live a life very similar to their parents. What are the

benefits and drawbacks of each of these situations?

y In the film, Luang Lat mentions the possibility of a future when his generation is gone and no oneknows how to farm rice anymore. Is this a viable future for Thailand?

y In a country where such a large part of the national income originates in agriculture, what mightbe the governments role in the education of rural youth?

y How might female and male children be affected by the trend towards youth education?

SUGGESTEDR

EADINGSy Bouis, H.E. (1991, May). Rice in Asia: Is It Becoming a Commercial Good?, American Journal of

Agricultural Economics , Vol. 73, No. 2, pp522-527

y Jokisch, B.D. (2002, Dec.). Migration and Agricultural Change: The Case of Smallholder Agriculturein Highland Ecuador,Human Ecology, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp523-550

SMALL SEEDLINGS AND YOUTH MIGRATION


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y (Would like at least one more herestill looking. I have the least amount of resources for thistopic.)

EXCERCISES

y In the film during this section of the video, students are introduced to the character of Sam.Divide students into small groups and discuss questions that they would like to ask Sam if they

were to have the chance to interview him about the topic of youth migration and education. Have

the students draft the answers they think Sam might give. Once students have finished, bring the

class back together for a classroom discussion and analysis of Sams answers opening up the

class for analysis of other groups answers. Encourage open discussion of answers and any other

groups possible disagreements with these.

y In groups, have students explore the financial side of youth education. For example, how mightyouth education cost a rural farming family and how might it benefit them, both in the short and

long run.


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KEYPOINTS

y Despite the commonality of many of the problems that the farmers of Mahachai face, there are fewconnections being made between global research or development schemes and the local

communities needs.

y Few educational opportunities are offered to farmers and many are illiterate or read with basiccompetence.

y Problems such as kao deet are being researched by scholars and scientists around the world, butthe research is rarely disseminated throughout rural communities and the farmers that need the

information the most.

y Many rural communities are left on their own to find solutions to both local and global problemsthat they face everyday, although connections would be easy to make.


y If the trend of finding local solutions to global problems on their own continues as it has been,what solutions might the Mahachai community find to the other problems presented in the film,

such as a shrinking labor market, youth and urban migration, and expanding chemical use?

y How might local communities go about making globalized connections with others in similarsituations in order to share and disseminate useful information?

y What is the role of multi-national organizations in situations such as the one found in the film?SUGGESTED READINGS

HARVEST AND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS


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y Bebbington, A. (2000) Reencountering Development: Livelihood Transitions and PlaceTransformations in the Andes,Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 90, no. 3,

pp495-520

y Fisher, W.F. (1997) Doing Good? The Politics and Antipolitics of NGO Practices,Annual Review ofAnthropology,vol. 26, pp439-64

y McMichael, P. (2008, April and July) Peasants Make Their Own History, But Not Just as TheyPlease,Journal of Agrarian Change,vol. 8, nos. 2 and 3, pp205-228

y Reed, D. (2002) Poverty and the Environment: Can Sustainable Development SurviveGlobalization? Natural Resources Forum26,pp176-184

y Shepherd, C.J. (2005) Agriculture Development NGOs, Anthropology, and the Encounter withCultural Knowledge, Culture and Agriculture, vol. 27, no. 1, pp35-44

EXCERCISES

y Prior to viewing the film, have students prepare for the class by locating at least one developmentproject or development organization at work within Thailand. After watching the film, have

students present their findings to the class and discuss how their project or organization might

pertain to the rural population of Thailand. After all students have presented, have students

discuss how these projects or organizations pertain to the information presented in this section of

the film. How might the Mahachai community benefit from some of the projects or organizations?What issues might these global organizations or projects have overlooked when implementing

their work locally?

y Have students read through the article Perspectives and Situations: Local Responses to thePolitical Ecology of a Thai Village, which is a research paper based on the same data as this film.

Have students discuss the reading in connection to the film. The paper is located at the following

web address:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AdlNXvm88IFVZGdydHh2OF8yMjZjazJ3NXNkbg&hl=en


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After viewing the film, students should be encouraged to discuss their reactions to the themes,

issues, and characters in relation to their ideas on the topics before viewing the film.

y How have their ideas changed? What information caused this change?y What ideas have stayed the same and why?y Are there any ideas presented in the film that students in the class disagree with and why?y What is Thailands role in the world economy in the coming years?y What are the possible futures for Thailands rice market? Rice farming communities?

30 MILLION SEEDS: POST-VIEWING DISCUSSION


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Bebbington, A. (2000) Reencountering Development: Livelihood Transitions and Place

Transformations in the Andes,Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 90, no. 3,

pp495-520

Bouis, H.E. (1991, May). Rice in Asia: Is It Becoming a Commercial Good?, American Journal of

Agricultural Economics , Vol. 73, No. 2, pp522-527

Bryant, J. and Gray, R. (2005, Sept.) Rural Population Ageing and Farm Structure in Thailand. Rome:

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Coclanis, P. (1993, Oct.) Distant Thunder: The Creation of a World Market in Rice and the

Transformations It Wrought, The American Historical Review, Vol. 98, No. 4, pp1050-1078

Fisher, W.F. (1997) Doing Good? The Politics and Antipolitics of NGO Practices,Annual Review of

Anthropology,vol. 26, pp439-64

Jokisch, B.D. (2002, Dec.). Migration and Agricultural Change: The Case of Smallholder Agriculture in

Highland Ecuador,Human Ecology, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp523-550

Kabeer, N. a. (2002) Leaving the Rice Fields, but Not the Countryside, In S. Razavi, Shifting Burdens:

Gender and Agrarian Change under Neoliberalism, Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press, Inc., pp109-150

McMichael, P. (2008) The Globalization Project in Practice. Development and Social Change: A Global

Perspective. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press

McMichael, P. (2008, April and July) Peasants Make Their Own History, But Not Just as They Please,

Journal of Agrarian Change,vol. 8, nos. 2 and 3, pp205-228

30 MILLION SEEDS: BIBLIOGRAPHY


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Pimentel, D. (1996) Green Revolution Agriculture and Chemical Hazards, The Science of the Total

Environment188 Suppl. 1, S86-S98

Pollan, M. (2006, May/June) No Bar Code, Mother Jones,pp38-45

Raynolds, L. (2000) Re-embedding Global Agriculture: The International Organic and Fair Trade

Movements,Journal of Agriculture and Human Values, vol 17, pp297-309

Reed, D. (2002) Poverty and the Environment: Can Sustainable Development Survive Globalization?

Natural Resources Forum26,pp176-184

Rigg, J.D. (1985) The Role of the Environment in Limiting the Adoption of New Rice Technology in

Northeastern Thailand, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, New Series, Vol. 10, No. 4,

pp481-494

Rosset, P. (2009, July/Aug.) Fixing our Global Food System: Food Sovereignty and Redistributive

Land Reform, Monthly Review, vol. 61, no. 3, pp114-128

Sen, A. (1990, Dec. 20) More Than 100 Million Women Are Missing, The New York Review

Shepherd, C.J. (2005) Agriculture Development NGOs, Anthropology, and the Encounter with Cultural

Knowledge, Culture and Agriculture, vol. 27, no. 1, pp35-44

Shiva, V. (2006) Saying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development, In N. Haenn and R.R. Wilk, The

Environment in Anthropology: A Reader in Ecology, Culture, and Sustainable Living,New York: New

York University Press, pp183-190


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Our thanks goes out to Gene Ammarell, Ann Brown, Haley Duschinski, Roger Good, Frederick Lewis,

Christina Paolucci, and Pete Souza. The never-ending support and guidance of these individuals allowed

us to successfully conduct the research necessary for this project as well as the creation of a large

database of film footage and still images required for a film project such as this.

The researchers would also like to thank the Provost Undergraduate Research Fund, the Honors

Tutorial College Deans Discretionary Fund, the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, the Center for

Southeast Asian Studies, the Founders Vision Award, and the Luce Fund at Ohio University. The

generosity in part by these groups helped make this film a reality.

This project would not have been possible without the successful collaboration between three

individuals working within separate but very understanding departments. Without the understanding

and cooperation of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Honors Tutorial College, and the Visual

Communications Department this project would never have even happened. We appreciate their

understanding and encouragement of this unique collaboration and sincerely hope they continue to

encourage future students to pursue such projects.

Finally, we would like to thank the village of Mahachai for their understanding and cooperation

during the course of this research. They took such interest and pride in this project, continuously offering

their time and suggestions for the research. All of their hard work in making this project a success is

much appreciated and we hope they feel that this film does justice to the tenacious lives they lead.

30 MILLION SEEDS: BEHIND THE SCENES

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