Day Out At The Organic Cotton Farms

Even at seven in the morning the sun was hot as we waited in the car park for our guide. I felt elated at the prospect of what the day was to bring.

It had been a quirk of fate that had led to this moment. I just happened to be staying in a hotel in Northern Thailand. Business and family had brought me here. As I walked through the lobby for breakfast I saw people bustling around tables covered with immaculate white cloths. Displayed on the tables were rolls of beautiful fabrics, exquisite bags hanging on racks, brightly coloured bowls of full of fascinating flowers and leaves. My attention was drawn to the smartly dressed people gathered in the foyer of all different nationalities. This was my first introduction to the world of organic fabric.

Our invitation had come from a representative at the EU-Thailand Economic Small Projects Facility who worked at Chiangmai University. A chance to see the first truly organic cotton plantation in Thailand was not to be missed! Hence here we were gathered together in the car park waiting in anticipation for our guide for the day. The mini-bus was on time and so we set off for our adventure.

Our mini-bus wound its way through the bustling streets of Chiangmai full of commuters going to work. Practically the whole population seem to travelling at full speed on bikes and scooters. Eventually we were speeding along the dual carriageway and out into the countryside. After several hours our vehicle turned off the main road and we seem to be heading into the centre of Northern Thailand through scattered small villages with typically elegant Thai style houses made from beautiful quality timbers. Gardens were packed with all kinds of vegetables and flowers where chickens pecked busily amongst the plants. Beautiful hibiscus adorned the walls of the houses. After a final turn and short journey along a winding lane we had arrived!

We stepped out of our air-conditioned mini-bus and the full heat of the midday sun hit us. The centre itself seem to be a sprawl of small buildings set amongst trees. Our smiling host gave us refreshing cold drinks and we were then ushered back onto the mini-bus and off we sped again. Our guide explained that we were being taken to the cotton fields. As we had arrived at the fields at lunch time most of the workers had left the fields and had gone for lunch and would not return until the piercing sun had subsided.

An elderly lady gestured to me to sit on the straw mat beside her and before I knew it she showed me how to spin the soft balls of cotton. Not a task I found easy it has to be said! In fact I broke more threads than I spun. A fact she seemed to find very funny. Her lined brown face was wreathed in smiles and she told our guide that it would take a year to train me to spin! Next we were off to look at the looms. Shuttle machines that again seem to look so simple to use. My technique again was met with great bursts of laughter from my elderly tutor.

Feeling rather like a child back at school I was then propelled by my mentor out into the field. She placed a large coolie-style hat on my head, hung a wicker basket on my shoulder and instructed me to pick cotton. This I thought I could manage! The sun seemed to be getting stronger and the heat shone down relentlessly. The air was still and I felt quite exhausted but obediently followed my tutor. She seemed totally unaffected by the heat and strode on darting into bushes and plucking the soft balls of cotton and placing them in my basket. Her face peered at mine and she jabbed at the centre of one of the cotton balls. In the centre there was a small red beetle. This was apparently good for the cotton and helped to keep other pests away. All around each bush were a variety of vegetables growing. These also helped attract pests away from the cotton bushes. Eventually it was time to go. It had been an unforgettable experience and I will always remember our good natured host. Her expertise and skill were matched by her gentle humour. We said our goodbyes and climbed back onto our mini-bus and we sped back to the Centre.

Here we were again offered cold drinks by our smiling hosts. This was followed by a tour of the Centre. The process of producing small cotton wool balls into bolts of soft textured organic cotton was fascinating. In one room there were barrels full of various plants soaking. I was given a glimpse of the most brilliant colour blue which was being produced from the indigo plant. Another bucket was full of a rich yellow mass being produced from turmeric. The process of producing vegetable dyes is another fascinating story.

Our trip to the Centre had come to an end. As we wound our way back to the city of Chiangmai I felt I had been incredibly lucky to have been allowed a glimpse of the work of these wonderful people. Since my visit to this place we have tried wherever possible to introduce natural fabrics into our childrens collections. We are very proud of our newest addition which is the Bamboo collection. My next wish is that I may some day be able to see bamboo pulp being produced to make cloth.