Training programme of Vanakaset

Vankasept describes about three factors what are interconnected in a triangle.



Those are-

1 Recognize Needs
2 Recognize Resources
3 Recognize Knowledge.

To have a self sufficiency economy the man must have to understand
what are the real needs. Then if he has enough knowledge to identify the suitable resources as well as the process to convert the resources for consuming goods he can feel the proud of self sufficiency life.
So, The training programs conduct in Vanakaset are mainly focus on improving these skills. They distribute the appropriate knowledge among their members to access the resources which is available around them.

They describe about five major things have to fulfill the self sufficiency life.

1 Food
2 Medicines
3 Fertilizers
4 House hold goods
5 The productions which are based on Rice.



Practical sessions,Field visits as well as lectures are included in the training program.

Field visits give the participants to see how the concept is replicating. The new farmers who's following the concept show their farm land and give lectures about the practices well.







In the practical sessions the participants are divided in to five groups accordingly those and they lean by doing practically at least around five productions of each category within one day. On end of the day they exhibit it and explain each others the process and raw material.
Me too participated the training once. I have lernd to make house hold goods, using available resources. We made

• Soap – coconut oil, Palm oil, mangusteen powder and tow cheimical
• Shampoo – kaffir lime
• Mouth wash – Coya wood, Menthol, Eucalyptus oil and sodium hydroxide.
• Facial was – Tamarind


I had to visit other groups too while learning in my group. I learnt how to make
• Banana chips - Banana
• Jack chips - Jackfruit
• Tamarind candy – Tamarind, chilly powder and sugar.
• Bio fertilizer – Coconut, Banana, Banana leaf, and juggry.
As well as virgin coconut oil.
I was being asked to explain about one product by the participant then I described how to make facial wash and one of a member of our group voluntarily appeared as an interpreter. He was quite good interpreter he explained some thing before I said. The audience was full of laughing when some one said about that from staff. It was another energizer of the program.

In addition to that training program they conduct a meeting of members on last week end the month. Members come from different area and discuss about their life. One of a special person is also invited to improve the knowledge of members. Two persons whose came from out side were there to give the knowledge on the week end when I was there. One of them discussed about various pest repellant methods and bio fertilizer while other one sawing how to make a medicine from herble. It’s like a brain sharing activity.
They do financial thing too in these two days. They have crated a revolving fund for them. They can burrow money from the fund, repayments as well as savings. The entire trance actions are reported well by two officers comes from farming group as well as volunteers of Vankasept.
Food and accommodations arranged by Vanakasept in these two days either they cook themselves or go out side together. It’s reminds a picnic lunch. They enjoy the life well by chatting, Kidding, Joking, Laughing and so on.
For the money of expenditure of these activity is funded by their revolving fund. The interest as the called service charge is used for this. As I think by these two days they are energized for the rest of month. It helps to start a new month with a grate pleasure.
Once I had chat with a person who’s having knowledge about herbs. According to him, the traditional knowledge they get updated in vanakasept can be case to save even a life. Because they have no enough medical facilities in his area and there isn’t a hospital too. To reach a hospital they have to have travel more than one hour. So, whenever they get emergency risk just like snake bytes they have no times to get hospital. The knowledge of herbal medicine gives the real solution.

Towards self sufficiancy economy

I went twice a place which is practicing aggro forestry. It’s still not become as an organization but it's being converted. They called it Agroforestry for social foundation. It’s a good example of the ability of self sufficient economy even in the globalization environment.
The well known name of the place is Vankaset. Vankaset is a creation of a man whose got attitudinal changed.
There is a good story behind the Vankaset. The owner/creator of vanakaset is called Mr.Vibhun who is a son of a traditional doctor (Herbalist). But he didn’t care about his fathers teaches neither natural forest nor herbs. He decided to cultivated commercial products for better income. He cleared around 50 hectares and cultivated commercial crops. To do this he had wanted a lot of inputs. He borrowed money and inputs on credits hoping to recover after selling his crop. But he couldn’t able to recover his money and his credits outstanding balance was gradually increased. Finely he realized that he can’t get rich nor make better income doing conventional farming. Then he sold some plots of lands and repayed all the credits.

He understood the father’s teaches and started cultivate crops which are need for self consumption. First he cultivated foods and then herbs, Timber so on. He neither expended money on chemical no seeds. He cultivated free of out side inputs. The yield he got from that time was totally profitable. He invested only his labor and simple utensils. His yield gradually increased and he could sell the surplus and money. After around 20 years he could able to make a wooden house by his own timber which was cultivated by him self. The concept is being appreciated in the country now.
Mr. Vibhoon is a well known man and he was awarded by the government behalf of the concept. Various People from various institutes,organizations and university students also come to visit Vanakaset to study and feel the forest based environment. Any one can visit the place for study but for entertainment not much appreciated.