Thai farmers tap into sustainable rubber industry

By the light of a head torch, Wanida Hityim deftly strips bark from a rubber tree, collecting the milky latex as she explains why she’s among a small number of Thai farmers trying to work more sustainably.

As the world’s largest producer of natural rubber -- supplying more than a third of global stocks in 2021 -- Thailand’s policies have stimulated massive deforestation, plummeting biodiversity and soaring soil erosion.

The vast majority of the kingdom’s plantations are still worked conventionally, but a few farmers like Wanida are abandoning pesticides to try and lessen their impact on the environment.

And while money is her bottom line, Wanida also sees the small-scale benefits of turning to greener methods.

“This place even has worms in the soil,” she said of her 1.5-hectare (3.7-acre) plot in the southern province of Surat Thani, home to about 500 trees.

“Plantations that use pesticides wouldn’t have nature like this because the chemicals they use would just ruin the soil,” the 41-year-old told AFP.

Wanida is one of a few Thai farmers to have received the international non-profit Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate, which encourages the sustainable use of forests.

FSC is not without its critics. Grant Rosoman, a senior advisor to Greenpeace International, warned it is vulnerable to industry pressure and manipulation.