SPECIAL REPORT
SIAM PRANA
ORGANIC FARM
Natural Lifestyle Experienced
Thai-Style
words and photos Beyase Surachai Tantichot
Omkoi, located in the southernmost portion of
Thailand’s Chiang Mai province, is just a small
district, close to the popular destinations of Tak
and Mae Hong Son, but not quite as easy to get
to by road. Still, with an area of approximately
22 hectares, it’s a beautiful place away from city
lights – surrounded as it is by the Tuen River and
numerous rolling hills – and awaiting visitors is
an attraction known as the Siam Prana Organic
Farm, an oasis of peaceful living.
Mr. Kamnoonvit Vorapoo, the owner of the farm,
explained that his original intention was to use
the area as a learning center portraying the
lifestyles of 2 Karen tribes – the Pakracher and
the Pgazkoenyau, both of whom have been living
harmoniously with the Mother Nature since the
days of our ancestors. Gradually, as he blended
original farming methods with the wisdom of the
Pgazkoenyau, he began to harvest an abundance
of organic produce, all grown in a non-chemical
environment. His crops included lychees, chilies,
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black sesame, green beans, soybeans and some
species of highland rice, including Buekee (white
brown rice), Buesakoe (red brown rice), and
Buenotae (Japanese rice). To realize that all these
crops had once been harvested on this land is of