Songkhla Fights Back Against a Boiling World: A Path Forward for Farmers in the Age of Extreme Weather

Extreme weather events are intensifying and occurring with greater frequency, inflicting severe damage on agricultural areas worldwide — including Thailand, one of the world's major producers of agricultural goods and food.

Songkhla Province is a significant agricultural hub, encompassing farming, freshwater fisheries, and cage fish farming. Yet farmers there face an unavoidable cycle of alternating drought and flooding — particularly in the Sathing Phra Peninsula, a key production area that continually grapples with water management challenges during both the monsoon season and the dry season. Agricultural land along the shores of Songkhla Lake faces additional pressure from saltwater intrusion, driven by rising sea levels and declining rainfall, directly affecting farmland — especially rice paddies, which are the area's primary economic crop.

Adaptation Approaches for Farmers in Songkhla Province

Fisheries

• Select fish species suited to local water conditions, such as sea bass, which tolerates brackish water well and is well suited to Songkhla Lake.
• Aerate ponds using paddle wheels or air pumps to ensure fish can breathe comfortably and remain stress-free.
• Provide shade over fish ponds — such as partial tarpaulin covering — to help lower water temperature.
• Feed fish in appropriate amounts; overfeeding causes leftover food to decompose, leading to poor water quality and disease.
• Clean ponds or cages regularly to remove sediment and food waste, reducing disease and parasites.
• Reduce fish density in cages, as overcrowding causes stress and increases susceptibility to illness.

Farming

Rice Cultivation

• Practice alternate wetting and drying (AWD), a method in which water is introduced to the paddy field periodically rather than kept flooded continuously, allowing the soil to dry between cycles. This strengthens rice plants and reduces water consumption, and works particularly well in irrigated areas.
• Select salt-tolerant rice varieties such as RD55 and Hom Rajinee.

Rubber Plantations

• Intercrop rubber plantations with plants such as bananas, chilies, or vegetables during periods when tapping is not possible, to generate supplementary income.
• Manage rubber plantations for wind resistance by digging deep planting holes, compacting the soil firmly around plants, and creating drainage channels to prevent waterlogging.
• Control plant diseases by applying nitrogen fertilizer toward the end of the rainy season to promote faster new leaf growth, and avoid tapping during periods of heavy disease outbreak to prevent damage to the tapping panel and limit the spread of pathogens.

Oil Palm Plantations

• Supplement palm irrigation correctly: in areas with prolonged dry seasons, installing drip irrigation or mini-sprinkler systems to deliver 150–200 liters per tree per day will improve yields and maintain optimal soil moisture levels for root systems.
• Increase soil organic matter by applying empty fruit bunches or compost to palm plots, enhancing the soil's moisture retention capacity while simultaneously improving soil health.
• Utilize agricultural technology such as agricultural drones equipped with sensors to measure temperature, humidity, and soil quality; plan cultivation schedules; and prepare for natural disasters by studying data through agricultural applications.

Source: Project on Strengthening Local Capacity for Climate Change Adaptation in the Agricultural Sector and Food Security in Southern and Northeastern Thailand — British Embassy Bangkok, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Department of Climate Change and Environment.

Source: Department of Climate Change and Environment