สำนักงานราชบัณฑิตยสภา

วงจันทร์ วงศ์แก้ว 197 วารสารราชบัณฑิตยสภา ปีที่ ๔๐ ฉบับที่ ๑ ม.ค.-มี.ค. ๒๕๕๘ Abstract Innovation in the Production of Economic Crops will help Reduce Global Warming: Model from Sugar Cane Wongchan Wongkaew Associate Fellow of the Academy of Science, The Royal Society, Thailand Sugar cane ( Saccharum officinarum L.) has been an important economic crop of Thailand for many years. Since the implementation of integrated management system to the sugar industry involving all parties concerned, where profit is shared with farmers with 70% to 30% shared by the sugar mill, Thai sugar industry has enjoyed a growth of 4 folds in about 30 years period until she becomes number 2 sugar exporter of the world and has become the third sugar cane producer with annual production exceeding 100 million metric tons covering 10 million rai of land area. Yield per rai averages 10 metric tons. If the yield per unit area increases 2–10 times that of the present yield, Thailand can save much land for reforestation or other land uses that reduce carbon emission and global warming. Just take a very modest goal of 20 MT per rai or double the present yield, there will be about 5 million rai available. One rai of a full grown forest will store 19 tons of carbon or absorb 72 tons of carbon dioxide from the air, totaling 360 million tons removal of CO 2 for 5 million rai. If we can extend this goal to rice and cassava, additional 35 million rai from rice paddy and 3.5 million rai from cassava planting will be available for reforestation. All from doubling the yield of 3 crops, Thailand will have stored 826.5 MMT (million metric tons) of carbon which remove 3,132.00 MMT CO 2 from the air. If farmers of the world follow this sugar cane model put forward to Thai farmers who may set yield increase of more than 2 or even 10 folds, big reduction in CO 2 level and global warming is foreseeable worldwide, and a more livable and healthy planet for all can certainly be expected. This action will also help the globe meet the goal set by world scientists to reduce the global warming down by 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. For our homeland, farmers will have a better life from a more stable income and less risk due to the innovation of agricultural practices, integrated with marketing and management system, less dependent on uncontrolable factors and relatively immune to adverse conditions. Strengthening farmers’ capacity will strengthen Thailand economic