The root of the matter

THE DENIZENS of upmarket Soi Thonglor are no strangers to the opening of new establishments on their street, having watched hundreds of restaurants, bars and nightlife venues come and go over the years. The latest kid on the block, however, falls into none of those categories. The Root Garden, as it is called, is in fact an organic farm and home to plots of vegetables and plants, a chicken coop, a goat pen and a fishpond.

Open since January, Root Garden is located next to the Pridi Banomyong Institute on Thonglor Soi 3 and aims to promote sustainable agriculture to the urban masses. Local kids already love it and seem to enjoy learning that their food comes from the land and not a motorbike-riding delivery boy.

The fruit of a collaboration between international NGO Oxfam and various people volunteer networks that have worked on human rights for more than a decade, the project is also promoting the land reform campaign and showcases how abandoned land can be transformed into a multipurpose space, open to everyone in the community to enjoy. 

“We’ve worked on community rights, arable land rights and maritime law in Thailand for a decade and we’ve learned that a great deal of land is bought purely for speculative purposes. That’s why so much of it is unused. By setting up the farm, we are demonstrating efficient land use for the public interest,” says Jacques-Chai Chomthongdi, Oxfam’s programme campaign and advocacy coordinator. 

“We want to communicate with urbanites about land reforms for the poor. Land is not just property but also a valuable food source.

“The plot, which belongs to the Jayavana Foundation, housed a restaurant and pub before being abandoned. It’s an ideal location to publicise our cause and we are grateful to the foundation for giving us a rent-free lease for a year.”

The farm is spread over about 300 square metres and is already educating people about the benefits of organic farming and fair trade. 

“Everything in this farm is eco-friendly, clean, safe and fair,” Jacques-Chai says. “Nobody on the team is trained in organic agriculture. We’ve learn the basics from specialists with local networks like Thai City Farm.” 

Root Garden is laid out to look like a backyard plot and is planted with seasonal vegetables and herbs usually seen in Thai kitchens including cabbage, Chinese morning glory, green and red oak lettuce, coriander, lemon, pumpkin, banana, corn, chilli and beans.

Members of the community are more than welcome to plant their own mini plots and there’s always a staff member on stand-by to provide some handy tips.

It’s also home to a mushroom farm, a mini rice field and a fishpond and the eggs laid by the resident chickens cost just Bt5 each.

Unsurprisingly the most popular part of the farm with the kids is the goat pen and at any time of day, the youngsters can be seen queuing up to feed fresh grass to the hungry beasts. Parents can leave their offspring to it and take a break at the Root Garden Cafe. 

A simple wooden structure, it offers strong java juice made from the shade-grown coffee beans from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Black, fruit and lemon teas are also on offer along with fresh milk and chocolate. Prices are surprisingly low, ranging from Bt50 to Bt85. 

The desserts are to die for and include cheesecake with blueberry, strawberry and lemon sauce, carrot cake, coconut cake, New York cheesecake and classic brownies that can be paired with drinking yoghurt or mangosteen juice.

And there’s some good organic stuff to take home too including hand-woven pha khao ma, handmade bags, brown sugar, snacks, brown rice, fresh milk and herbal drinks. 

“We follow the sustainable agricultural theory and use waste from the goats and chicken and water from the fishpond. Goats are great for absorbing leftovers too. Everything on a farm has a role and responsibility,” says Jacques-Chai, adding that while all the activities are free – Root Garden doesn’t even charge for drinking water and ice – the venture is not a charity.

“Customers are invited to make a donation to help us develop the garden infrastructure.” 

On weekends, the farm plays host to the Fisher Folk fresh market, which is run by fishing communities in Prachuap Khiri Khan and Nakhon Si Thammarat, staunch supporters of the sufficiency economy philosophy. It’s a great place to buy fresh seafood and ready-to-eat dishes.

“Fisher Folk is a community enterprise. They focus on preserving local fishing practices and caring for the marine ecology. Their seafood is fresh, clean and safe.” Jacques-Chai adds.

The Root Market is held every second and fourth Sunday and brings together a range of green products and fresh vegetables from various community farms.

Other spin-off activities include Root Music featuring both young and veteran artists and the Root Talk where many experts share ideas about land plots, green food and the environment. 

“Just by visiting our market, shoppers will understand how efficient consumption helps communities and low-income people. It provides a new perspective on environmental management,” Jacques-Chai says. 

“We’ve received good feedback since we opened and we are creating more activities.”

 

HOME ON THE RANGE

Root Garden at the mouth of Thong Lor Soi 3. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 8pm. Admission is free. 

For more information, visit the Root Garden at Thong Lor page on Facebook.