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If you have a heart for art, there is an organic rice field in Photharam district of Ratchaburi, around 100 kilometres west of Bangkok, that will, come July, surely pique your imagination.

Earlier this month local farmers joined Greenpeace supporters and volunteers in planting organic rice seedlings on a 10-rai plot. The seedlings, planted in a pattern that mimics farmers in straw hats with sickles, will be ripe for harvest in four months' time.

Touted as a new tourist attraction, the stated plot is not far from Wat Khao Rab in Photharam and just 10 minutes drive from the famous cave near Wat Khao Chong Pran that is home to millions of bats that take flight every evening.

The seedlings were of the green and purple variety, and the exercise was part of Greenpeace's efforts to encourage organic rice farming in the province. Already, farmers there produce fermented rice noodle from organic rice.

Joining the exercise were several volunteers who travelled to Photharam with their families from Bangkok, braving the strong afternoon sun to plant the seedlings. Assisting them were local farmers, while children too joined in the fun.

"This is my first time. I am worried that the seedlings may wither or die because I am not skilled at the job," said Chatchai, a civil servant, standing in the muddy field before bending down to plant the seeds. He wore shorts, a T-shirt and covered his face with a piece of cloth. To him, the job was backbreaking.

"Now I know how hard farmers work. From now on I will appreciate every grain of rice I eat," he said.

Thailand is the largest exporter of rice, accounting for 27 per cent of all rice traded on the world market.

Organic farming is the cornerstone of Greenpeace's campaign against GMO crops. Its goal is to make rice farming sustainable and maintain Thailand's lead in the long run.

Visit greenpeace.or.th for more information. source: Bangkok Post