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Up until chemical fertilizers and pesticides were introduced, all teas were organic. However, increased plant yield made possible by the use of man-made fertilizers and easier garden maintenance through the use of chemical pesticides quickly made the continued use of organic practices a thing of the past for tea garden owners. Since then, many older tea estates have over-used these modern tools which has depleted the soil and weakened the tea plantations.
Our tea gardens at Doi Tung Mountain have had a different fate. |
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In the 1980's, as the Princess Mother,
mother of His Majesty The King of Thailand
neared her 90th year, Her Royal Highness
expressed a wish to assist His Majesty
The King in his reforestation efforts and
the improvement of watershed areas. The
government presented a piece of land in
the mountains of Chiang Rai province, and
the people donated their time and effort
to reforest 9,900 rai or 1,584 hectares
of denuded hills. Doi Tung Mountain in
Chiang Rai Province became home to The
Doi Tung Royal Villa, the first residence
of Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindara,
The Princess Mother. The "Villa on
Doi Tung" served as a base from which
HRH The Princess Mother untiringly pursued
environmental and development work on the
Doi Tung Development Project, along with
many other initiatives to improve the well-being
of the local populace.
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HRH The Princess
Mother recognised that in order to address
both the social and environmental problems
of Doi Tung Mountain , an effective reforestation
and development programme was needed. It
was also important that reforestation efforts
replicate conditions as they exist naturally.
HRH The Princess Mother believed that
it was possible for people and forests
to co-exist in harmony with the people
preserving the forests around them, and
the forests supporting the livelihood of
the people. Under the guidance of HRH the
Princess Mother, the peoples who have settled
in the northern hills have embraced a new-found
respect for their surroundings. They co-habit
with nature which includes sustainable
development practices such as using only
organic fertilizers and natural pesticides
to farm agricultural soils on Doi Tung
Mountain . Hence, no chemical or hazardous
substances are used in the Doi Tung Development
Project or surroundings. |
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Beyond the fact that our tea planters have never used chemical fertilizers or pesticides at the tea gardens located on Doi Tung Mountain and that soil contamination from neighbors is not a concern considering our location, our High Mountain Oolong teas are also certified organic by Organic Agriculture Certification Thailand (ACT) which is a registered accredited member of IFOAM. ACT was accredited in 2001 and was the first certification body based in Asia to become IFOAM Accredited. ACT was established in 1995 arising out of the Alternative Agriculture Network, a Thailand national network of 85 NGOs working on sustainable agriculture. |
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