Kham Thale So Subdistrict Agricultural Technology Transfer Center

Open Days: Open Daily

Opening Hours: 08.30 – 16.30

 

Kham Thale So Subdistrict Agricultural Technology Transfer Center in Nakhon Ratchasima Province is a community-based agricultural learning site located at 92/1 Moo 5, Ban Khok Faek, Kham Thale So Subdistrict, Kham Thale So District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30280. The center is about 23 km from Nakhon Ratchasima city. From the Kham Thale So District Office, visitors turn right toward Wat Pa Issarikaram for about 3 km, continue to the subdistrict waterworks office, then turn left for another 500 m onto Suk Phatthana Road. The site presents a mixed farming system that includes rice fields, fruit trees, fish ponds, chickens raised over fish ponds, chickens, ducks, and other integrated agricultural activities. It is suitable for visitors who want to study real rural farming systems rather than only read about them in theory.

 

The center is valuable because it presents agriculture as a practical, living system. Visitors can see how rice fields, fruit trees, fish ponds, poultry areas, and farm spaces are connected in one working agricultural area. This kind of learning is different from classroom instruction. It allows visitors to observe land use, water management, crop selection, animal raising, and household-level food production in an actual rural setting. For international travelers, the center offers a concrete introduction to integrated Thai farming and the way rural households combine food, income, and resource management in one place.

 

The main highlight of the center is its mixed farming character. Instead of relying on one single crop, the area combines several productive activities. Rice fields provide the base of Thai food culture. Fruit trees create seasonal food and income while adding shade and ecological diversity. Fish ponds provide protein and support water management. Poultry raising adds another source of food and household income. When these elements are placed together, the farm becomes more resilient than a single-crop system. Visitors can understand why agricultural diversity is important for household security and long-term sustainability.

 

The rice field section is especially important because rice remains central to Thai rural life. Rice is not only a crop. It is food, culture, labor, memory, and a connection between families and seasons. Planting rice requires knowledge of soil, water, seed, timing, field preparation, maintenance, harvesting, and storage. Seeing rice fields as part of a mixed farm helps visitors understand that rice cultivation can be connected with other activities rather than separated from the wider farming system. Rice becomes one part of a larger cycle of food production, family livelihood, and local resource use.

 

Fruit trees add another layer of learning. They provide shade, food, seasonal income, and a cooler environment within the farm. A farming area with fruit trees has a different character from a flat open field. Trees help improve the microclimate, add organic matter through fallen leaves, and create habitats for insects and small animals. For visitors, this section shows how perennial plants can support both production and environmental health. Fruit trees also help diversify income because they can provide harvests at different times of the year.

 

The fish pond is one of the most important elements of the integrated farming system. It supports food production, water storage, and a more complete farm ecology. Fish can provide household protein and may also become an income source. When visitors see a fish pond beside rice fields, fruit trees, and poultry areas, they can understand how one agricultural activity can support another. The pond is not simply a water feature. It is part of the productive system and helps explain how water, food, animals, and land use are connected.

 

Raising chickens over fish ponds is a distinctive learning point. It demonstrates how farmers can use space efficiently and think in terms of relationships between farm activities. Poultry areas and fish ponds must be managed carefully, especially in terms of cleanliness and animal health, but the idea shows how traditional and applied farming knowledge can work together. Visitors can study how a farm can produce different types of food within the same area and how one section of the farm can be planned in relation to another.

 

Chickens and ducks are also important in rural Thai farming households. They are small livestock that provide eggs, meat, and supplementary income. They require less space than larger animals and can be managed within a family farm. When poultry is raised alongside crops and fish, it reflects a practical approach to household food security. A family does not have to rely on one harvest or one product. Instead, it can produce food from several sources throughout the year.

 

The center is useful for farmers who want to improve their own land. It shows that integrated farming does not require copying one fixed model. Each farm has different soil, water, labor, budget, and family needs. What matters is the principle: diversify production, reduce risk, use land efficiently, connect crops and animals, and build food security. Farmers visiting the center can adapt these ideas to their own land rather than simply imitate the layout exactly.

 

The word “technology” in the name of the center should be understood broadly. It does not refer only to machines or expensive equipment. In this context, agricultural technology includes practical methods, local techniques, land-use planning, water management, crop selection, animal raising systems, and ways to organize farm work. A simple but effective method learned from experience can be as valuable as a modern machine. The center helps make this type of knowledge visible and accessible to the community.

 

Ban Khok Faek in Kham Thale So Subdistrict provides an appropriate setting for this kind of agricultural learning. The area remains connected with rural life, farming landscapes, village roads, and community-based land use. Visitors do not learn agriculture in isolation from its social setting. They see the farm within the environment of a real village. This makes the learning experience more complete because farming is always connected with community, transportation, local services, water sources, and household life.

 

For students, the center functions as an outdoor classroom. It can support lessons in agriculture, environmental science, social studies, sufficiency economy, food systems, and community development. Students can learn how rice fields depend on water, how fruit trees improve land use, how fish ponds support household food, and how poultry raising can add another productive layer. Seeing these relationships in real life helps students understand integrated farming more clearly than reading a definition in a textbook.

 

For families, the center helps children understand where food comes from. Many children know rice, eggs, fish, chicken, duck, and fruit as products in markets or supermarkets, but they may not have seen how these foods are produced. A visit to the center shows that food requires land, water, care, knowledge, time, and labor. This kind of experience helps children respect farmers and natural resources. It also builds awareness that food production is part of everyday community life.

 

For cultural and agricultural travelers, this site is best experienced slowly. Visitors should not treat it as a quick photo stop. They should observe the rice fields, fruit trees, fish ponds, poultry areas, farm paths, and the way different sections are arranged. They can ask how the land is managed, how crops and animals support one another, how water is used, and how the system reduces risk for the household. These questions turn a simple visit into meaningful learning.

 

Water management is central to the farm system. Rice fields need water according to seasonal conditions. Fish ponds require suitable water quality. Fruit trees need moisture and long-term care. Poultry also need clean water. This means that water connects almost every part of the farm. Visitors who study the center carefully will see that agriculture begins not only with crops or animals, but also with understanding and managing water in a practical way.

 

The center also demonstrates principles associated with sufficiency economy at household level. Moderation appears in the way land is used according to available resources. Reasonableness appears in the combination of crops, fish, and poultry that can support each other. Resilience appears in the diversity of production. If one product faces a problem, other products may still provide food or income. The center therefore gives visitors a practical picture of how sufficiency-based thinking can become real agricultural practice.

 

From a community development perspective, the center is important because it turns individual farming experience into shared knowledge. Mr. Charoen Chansungnoen serves as a contact person for visitors who want to study the site. By opening the farm for learning, practical knowledge does not remain limited to one household. It can be shared with farmers, students, community groups, and visitors from other areas. This is the core value of a technology transfer center: knowledge is preserved by being used and passed on.

 

International visitors can use this site to understand rural Thai integrated farming in a clear way. Thailand is often associated with rice fields, fruit orchards, and rural scenery, but this center shows the system behind that scenery. Rice, fruit trees, fish ponds, chickens, and ducks all appear in one farming area. This demonstrates that rural Thai agriculture can be both simple in appearance and complex in practice. It is based on family labor, local knowledge, natural resources, and long experience of living with land and seasons.

 

Getting There is most convenient by private car. From Nakhon Ratchasima city, travel toward Kham Thale So District, about 23 km away. From the Kham Thale So District Office, turn right toward Wat Pa Issarikaram for about 3 km. When you reach the subdistrict waterworks office, turn left for about 500 m onto Suk Phatthana Road. Since the center is located in a rural village area, visitors should use a map application together with advance contact for the most convenient trip.

 

The center can be included in a one-day agricultural and community route. Visitors may begin at the agricultural technology transfer center in the morning, then continue to Wat Pa Issarikaram, Ban Suan Palmsuk, Suan Thung Lung Pee Resort, or nearby community areas in Kham Thale So. In the afternoon, travelers may return to Nakhon Ratchasima city for Thao Suranari Monument, Korat Museum, or the Petrified Wood Museum. This route is suitable for travelers who want to see Khorat beyond the usual city landmarks.

 

Visitors should follow proper etiquette because this is a real agricultural site. They should contact the caretaker before visiting, avoid entering crop plots or livestock areas without permission, avoid feeding animals by themselves, avoid picking produce, avoid littering, and follow the instructions of the caretaker. A working farm contains fish ponds, animals, tools, paths, and planting areas that need care. Respectful behavior helps protect both visitors and the learning site.

 

In summary, Kham Thale So Subdistrict Agricultural Technology Transfer Center is a valuable agricultural learning destination in Nakhon Ratchasima. Its strength lies in its real mixed farming system: rice fields, fruit trees, fish ponds, chickens over fish ponds, chickens, ducks, and integrated land use. It is suitable for farmers, students, families, community groups, cultural travelers, and foreign visitors interested in rural Thai agriculture. The center is open daily from 08.30 to 16.30, and group visitors should contact Mr. Charoen Chansungnoen in advance for a well-organized study visit.

 

 

A: It is located at 92/1 Moo 5, Ban Khok Faek, Kham Thale So Subdistrict, Kham Thale So District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30280, about 23 km from Nakhon Ratchasima city.

 

A: The center is open daily from 08.30 to 16.30. Group visitors should contact the caretaker in advance.

 

A: Visitors can see rice fields, fruit trees, fish ponds, chickens raised over fish ponds, chickens, ducks, and a mixed farming system used for agricultural learning.

 

A: Visitors can contact Mr. Charoen Chansungnoen at 044-333-049 for study visits and site information.

 

A: It is suitable for farmers, students, families, study groups, community organizations, and travelers interested in integrated farming, sufficiency-based agriculture, and rural Thai agriculture.

 

A: Visitors should allow at least 1 to 1.5 hours to observe the rice fields, fruit trees, fish ponds, poultry areas, and integrated farming system without rushing.

 

A: From Nakhon Ratchasima city, travel to Kham Thale So District. From the district office, turn right toward Wat Pa Issarikaram for about 3 km, then turn left at the subdistrict waterworks office for about 500 m onto Suk Phatthana Road.

 

A: Nearby places include Wat Pa Issarikaram, Ban Suan Palmsuk, Suan Thung Lung Pee Resort, Hat Neramit at Huai Takhro Reservoir, Thao Suranari Monument, Korat Museum, and the Petrified Wood Museum.