BAAC promotes youth engagement in agriculture to replace the aging farming population, aiming to upgrade farming from subsistence to "commercial agriculture." It provides students with comprehensive modern agricultural skills and knowledge, including both theoretical and practical training, financial management, business planning, marketing, and managing demonstration agricultural plots. The produce is sold to generate income, helping youth recognize farming as a stable career. A visit was made to Ban Mueang Kao Sri Indrathit School in Sukhothai Province, which serves as the pilot site for the "Thanakorn Agriculture School" project.
Mr. Chatchai Sirilai, Manager of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), along with Ms. Promkhorn Promkhattikaew and Mr. Thara Srihamat, BAAC Assistant Managers, visited the Thanakorn Agriculture School project at Ban Mueang Kao Sri Indrathit School, Mueang Kao Subdistrict, Mueang Sukhothai District, Sukhothai Province. BAAC launched this project to prepare children and youth to confidently enter the agricultural sector, replacing elderly farmers. The initiative promotes knowledge and activities in theory and practice to build experience in financial management, saving, investing, distribution, marketing, and understanding "commercial agriculture," helping youth become leading farmers or agricultural entrepreneurs in the future. Ban Mueang Kao Sri Indrathit School has over 140 students from grades 4 to 9 participating since 1 September 2025, funded by BAAC. The funds support infrastructure improvements suitable for agriculture, including constructing and renovating greenhouses, vegetable plots growing basil, Chinese kale, and morning glory, mushroom beds, and raised bed vegetable gardens. Working capital is used to purchase inputs such as seeds, fertilizer, and animal feed. The school also developed areas for raising laying hens, frogs, and composting plant waste and leaves. Agricultural produce is used for student lunches, with surplus sold in nearby community markets to generate additional income, which is then reinvested in the school's agricultural activities and saved through BAAC’s school banking program. This approach equips students with agricultural skills and financial management habits, fostering disciplined saving and goal-oriented spending, reducing the risk of future unnecessary debt.
The Thanakorn Agriculture School project by BAAC supports schools in four key areas: 1. Funding, divided into infrastructure development and working capital; 2. Knowledge promotion in various agricultural fields provided by BAAC staff and through social media on the "Facebook: Thanakorn Agriculture School" page; 3. Development of a savings system following BAAC’s School Banking program; and 4. Marketing and distribution channels, such as selling project products at BAAC Outlets across branches nationwide and at the BAAC Farmer Market at headquarters. In the 2025 fiscal year, BAAC piloted the project in 27 schools—18 Thanakorn Agriculture Schools and 9 Demonstration Thanakorn Agriculture Schools—covering over 7,795 youth who gained direct knowledge and experience. BAAC plans to evaluate and improve the project’s effectiveness for youth and prepare to expand it to every province. The project also invites interested parties to contribute to the Thanakorn Agriculture School Fund to support youth development in agriculture, a foundational sector critical to the country’s food security and overall development across multiple dimensions.
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