  |
||||||
|
|
Silk Farmers Survive GlobalizationThai Villagers Adapt their Traditions to the Modern Commercial World
A network of Thai silk producers is fighting back against the cheap imports that threaten to destroy their traditional livelihoods.
For many years the traditional, village-based silk industry in Thailand’s northeastern region has been in decline, undermined both by an unstoppable tide of cheap imports from China and the lure of better paying jobs in Bangkok’s factories. Can the remaining producers survive? A local community shows how it can be done. Traditional Village HandicraftIn the village of Sa Luang in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Mrs Pin Pasuk sits beside a small charcoal fire reeling silk yarn from 30 yellow silk cocoons floating in a pot of boiling water, assisted by her daughter Ann. In a house nearby Boonsom Chainok is re-winding a skein of yarn ready for dyeing. Another neighbour, Jintana Tinnang, is weaving a tie-dyed ‘ikat’ pattern into a stunningly beautiful piece of shimmering blue fabric. These are three of the 90 households in the village for whom silk provides the main source of income. Each family can make a living from silk products that matches their likely earnings in local towns and Bangkok, yet without having to pay for accommodation, travel and other costs and without suffering the traffic jams and poor air and water quality they would face in the capital. Boonsom returned from her factory job and says she is happier and better off as a result. Networking for SuccessThough in many ways a typical northeastern village, three years ago Sa Luang joined ‘Silk Net,’ a network of 40 silk-producing communities that has been instrumental in raising standards and linking with demanding but well-paying international markets. Silk Net has been running successfully for six years, the sustainable remnant of an international rural development project. Its main driving force has been Mrs Tidarat Tiyajamorn. “In the past, people tried to help the villagers by improving the technical aspects of their production,” says Tidarat. “But building strong community organisations was our starting point. Then we could help the farmers reorganise their production and focus on their strong points, which vary from village to village.” Modern Design for Traditional SkillsCrucially, Tidarat was able to enlist the help of a skilled Belgian textile designer, Mia Geysens, who has a keen eye for trends in international fashion markets and understands both the potential and the limitations of the villagers. “Once the foundation was laid we realised that better product design, quality and consistency were the keys to survival,” Tidarat explains. “We could not rely only on efficiency and price differences. With good, modern designs that were not too demanding for the farmers, we could approach buyers who appreciate and will pay for good quality products.” Together with the villagers, Tidarat and Mia worked on simple patterns with fewer and more muted colours compared to the fabrics more typical of the region. And they made creative use of the varying textures resulting from different reeling techniques, which found uses for yarn that would otherwise have been wasted. Links with International BuyersThe villagers were not always convinced that these new ideas would work. “At first we saw the new designs as strange and we did not believe we could sell them,” says Oraphin Phiewphai, marketing coordinator of the Sa Luang group. “We only agreed to try them because Silk Net committed their money.” “Our connections with reliable buyers, mostly international, who place regular orders and will pay fair prices have made a huge difference,” says Tidarat. “I have often been surprised at the farmers’ willingness and ability to adjust and improve their methods, and to work hard, once they are confident they can sell their products.” Even so, establishing these links is not enough to guarantee continuing success. For each of Silk Net’s groups there are many others that rode an early wave of enthusiasm, often inspired by non-government organisations or international donors, then faded once their special support ended, lacking the contacts, communications and marketing skills required for long-term survival. The Keys for Success“We cannot continue selling the same products,” says Tidarat. “We try to keep up with market trends, and stay ahead of imitators, by producing ‘collections’ based on a limited set of designs that are attractive but simple. We market each collection for about six months before introducing the next line in collaboration with our buyers.” The strategy seems to be working. Better organisation, better design and, ironically, better links with the modern, developed world are keeping alive the best of Thailand’s traditional village life and culture.
The copyright of the article Silk Farmers Survive Globalization in Poverty/World Development is owned by Paul Lightfoot. Permission to republish Silk Farmers Survive Globalization in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|||||
|
|
||||||
