Bangon

Bangon is a 48-year-old woman who lives in a rural community in Surin province, Thailand. She lives with her husband, elderly father, older brother, and two adult children. Her family makes a living through various agricultural activities.

Bangon primarily grows cassava, while her husband, older brother, and children cultivate jasmine rice. They also provide labour services to earn additional income.

In 1997, Bangon inherited a cassava farm from her parents, along with the skills and knowledge of planting and harvesting that they had passed down to her. Since then, she has relied on this plantation as her main source of livelihood. Bangon plants cassava and harvests it during the season, typically generating income once a year, much like rice farming. Although the earnings are seasonal, the combined income from both cassava and rice farming has been sufficient to support her family’s needs. She usually sells her cassava to local buyers, including factories, restaurants, and vegetable vendors.

However, Bangon still faces ongoing challenges with the high cost of inputs and the need to properly prepare her land for planting. To maintain good yields and improve the quality of her harvest, she needs healthy cassava stems, adequate fertilisers, and other essential supplies. She also requires tractor services to plough and prepare the soil before planting.

She applied for a loan to purchase cassava stems for planting, 15 bags of organic fertiliser, plant hormones, as well as pay for tractor services for ploughing, soil preparation, and ridging.