Settling in
Trip Start
Nov 15, 2010
1
17
49
Trip End
Ongoing
Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The organic NGO Farm (www.NEED-Burma.org) I am volunteering on just leased about 5 acres of additional land. Shortly thereafter, their old motorcycle up and died. Been fixed one too many times.
So the markets are 17 kilometers away, we will have tons of high dollar ripe organic produce in late March, and without a motorcycle no means to get them to market. Selling the produce is the primary means of keeping the school afloat--they run a school for young Burmese farmers.
The Burmese government shut down schools in Burma a few years ago, so the only means to an education for Burmese youth is out of the country. Most are too poor to afford this. The NEED-Burma school provides food, lodging, and teachers at no cost to the students, and trains them in Sustainable Agriculture, sending them back to Burma to train other Burmese in country.
I emailed friends and family asking them to hold a Burma Party--we have webcam and high speed internet at the school and will conference in-- to help us raise the $$$ (about $1000 US) for a decent used motorcycle. If I didn't email you and you are interested in helping, contact me through this site.
Another oddity--Neem oil is, in my opinion, the only organic fungicide that works. Neem trees are tropical and grow here. You can't buy Neem oil in SE Asia (to my knowledge--Buddha knows I have tried). But you can buy it at Lowe's Hardware in Carbondale--stamped Made in India on the container.
We have Neem trees on the NEED farm--will make our own Neem oil when the seed pods set. Here are some farm pics.
