From Chiang Dao’s Rice Fields to Rooftop Farms in Bangkok: Rocket Pathanachart Boon-Long, A Teen Entrepreneur Turning Profit into Progress

From the rice fields of Chiang Dao to rooftop farms in the heart of Bangkok, Rocket is redefining social entrepreneurship in Thailand by blending environmental innovation with community empowerment. His mission goes beyond success in numbers; it’s about transforming profit into real, lasting progress for people and the planet.

Rocket’s journey began with a simple question: How can we turn waste into opportunity? From that question, two flagship projects were born, Boon Rice and Top Root.

Boon Rice is a low-carbon rice enterprise operating in Chiang Dao, northern Thailand. Working closely with 100 ethnic Palaung hill-tribe farmers, the project introduces Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation, reducing methane emissions by up to 50%, conserving 80,000 cubic meters of water annually, and increasing farmers’ income by 25–30%. Boon Rice empowers smallholders, particularly women, to transition into sustainable, climate-smart agriculture while transforming ethical farming into a viable business model. With the help of EcoVenture, the youth social innovation network that he co-founded with his friend Petch Poosanakhom, its products are now available in the Villa Supermarket, Thailand’s leading premium supermarket chain.

Meanwhile, Top Root brings sustainability to the city through zero-waste rooftop farming. The initiative transforms food waste from Bangkok’s restaurants into compost, grows herbs and vegetables on rooftops, and uses the harvest for community kitchens and charity dinners. Top Root also serves as an urban sustainability classroom, training youth, students, and even the homeless in green innovation and circular economy practices.

Beyond business, Rocket’s impact extends deeply into social innovation and public policy. As a Youth Leader at Yunus Center Thailand, he advances Professor Muhammad Yunus’ “Three Zeros” vision, zero poverty, zero unemployment, and zero carbon emissions, through youth-led initiatives. One of his current projects, in collaboration with Thammasat University, is developing an anti-scamming board game to educate Thai seniors about Call-center fraud: Bridging intergenerational learning with social protection.
 

Rocket’s passion for justice also led him to an internship at Thailand’s Ministry of Justice, where he worked under Ms. Nareeluc Pairchaiyapoom, Director of International Human Rights. The experience shaped his vision of becoming a policy entrepreneur, someone who drives systemic change through innovation, data, and empathy.

As President of the Catalyst Society at Winchester College, one of the UK’s most prestigious schools, Rocket promotes social entrepreneurship among young people globally, organizing innovation challenges and sustainability forums. Outside the classroom, he represents Winchester in its First Football Team, balancing athletic discipline with a strong sense of civic duty.

Rocket’s leadership philosophy is simple yet profound: “Justice through innovation.” Whether empowering farmers, supporting the elderly, or transforming waste into opportunity, his work embodies empathy in action, proving that purpose-driven entrepreneurship can indeed reshape the future.

“Business shouldn’t just make profit, it should make progress,” Rocket said. 

“Real change happens when innovation serves people, not the other way around.”