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On 30 June 2026, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siwaret Arikit, Director of the Rice Science Center, and Mrs. Rungrattana Chamsing, Acting Deputy Director of the Kamphaeng Saen Extension and Training Office, and Mr. Thanyapong Jaikham, Chairman of the Chiang Rai High-Nutrition Rice Network and owner of the “Na Maew” art on the paddy at Kiew Tawan Thanya Farm, Chiang Rai Province, called on Mr. Wiboon Waewbandit, Governor of Mae Hong Son Province, together with Mae Hong Son Province's executives, to explain and discuss approaches to implementing the project “Regenerative Burn-Free Rice for Clean Air and High-Value Markets (Clean Air Rice)”, which is being driven in northern Thailand, especially Mae Hong Son Province, one of the key areas for solving fine particulate PM2.5 from the agricultural sector.
Representatives of related agencies attended this meeting to exchange views and suggestions on driving the project at the area level. The aim was to build understanding of the concept and goals of the Clean Air Rice project, which promotes rice production by regenerative agriculture and reduces burning of agricultural residues in paddy fields, an important cause of fine particulates and air pollution in the north, together with raising produce quality in line with consumers who value the environment, health and sustainability.
The Rice Science Center working group presented approaches to developing a network of Clean Air Rice farmers, managing straw and stubble without burning, increasing soil organic matter, reducing production costs, and developing a traceability system and links to high-value markets, to create stable and fair income for farmers.
Views were also exchanged with Mae Hong Son Province's executives on integrating cooperation in academic work, research and agricultural extension, to concretely expand the project to farmers in Mae Hong Son Province, leading to reduced burning in agriculture, restoration of soil resources and ecosystems, and building a new image for Thai rice as an environmentally friendly product that answers the quality market of the future.
After meeting the Governor of Mae Hong Son, the project executives went to visit the “Rainbow Rice” growing plot near the Khokuso Bamboo Bridge in Pai District, Mae Hong Son Province, where the Clean Air Rice project has worked with community farmers to develop rice growing into more than farmland, designing patterns from the colors of Rainbow Rice varieties to form striking and beautiful “art on the paddy”, which has attracted both Thai and foreign tourists and has become one of Pai District's important tourist attractions.
The development of this Rainbow Rice plot reflects the concept of linking agriculture, environmental conservation and creative tourism, adding value to rice produce, creating supplementary income for farmers and communities, and serving as a model of using agricultural resources to drive the grassroots economy while sustainably protecting the environment.
This cooperation is another important step in driving Thai agriculture toward sustainability, relying on cooperation among government agencies, academia, the private sector and farmer networks, to jointly create clean air, reduce smog, raise the value of Thai rice, and create a development model that combines agricultural innovation with community tourism, so it can compete in markets that value socially and environmentally responsible production, sustainably.
Source: Facebook Rice Science Center
