Chiang Mai City Municipality, Thailand continues to develop its landfill-turned-urban-farm as a solution to manage organic waste and strengthen food security.

The Chiang Mai Urban Farm was a project initiated in 2020 during the COVID-19 outbreak by Jaibaan Studio, a local community architecture studio, with support from various groups of local nongovernment organizations, civic groups, and a network of urban poor communities. The Chiang Mai City Municipality Government has also supported this project since 2020.

The urban farm was established to address food insecurity, especially among urban poor communities, by converting a state-owned piece of land into a community vegetable garden. More than 20 years ago, this area in the heart of Chiang Mai was built as an open landfill. After that, this area could not be used for any activities and was left vacant. To create planting beds in the area, the land was cleared and covered with a mixture of compost and donated Biochar, or organic charcoal made by burning corncobs or rice straw. 

Today, the Chiang Mai City Municipality Government continues to support the development of the Chiang Mai Urban Farm, which now also includes a used materials management station and a fertilizer and organic agriculture learning center.

The production of compost and fertilizer at the Chiang Mai Urban Garden is a way to convert organic waste, such as leaves and branches, into agricultural products. Leaves and branches account for up to one percent of the 20-30 tons waste generated each day. 

Compost produced from the urban farm is distributed to about 100 local communities and is used in the gardens of municipal schools and municipal public parks. Compost production in Chiang Mai is also supported by technology and methodologies from the local Maejo University.

As a learning center, the Chiang Mai Urban Farm has welcomed several groups for educational tours, activities, and knowledge exchange to promote urban farming and food security. The Chiang Mai City Municipality Government intends to establish a learning center for local students, while a recent collaboration with the Language Institute of Chiang Mai University will open the urban farm as a learning center for international students as well.

The Chiang Mai City Municipality Government has committed to boosting initiatives and policies for food security and sustainable food systems as part of its Chiang Mai Smart and Innovation City Project. In 2022, the Chiang Mai local government, through its Mayor, Assanee Buranupakorn, signed the Food Security Policy Project (Milan Urban Food Policy Pact).

The Chiang Mai Urban Garden is an example of how public policies and innovative initiatives achieved through the collaboration of the local government, experts, civil society organizations, and local communities, can be holistic solutions that address multiple, inter-related issues. 

The Chiang Mai City Municipality Government is a member of ICLEI Southeast Asia.

(Story from and photos submitted by Trinnawat Suwanprik, City Coordinator for Chiang Mai Smart and Innovation City Project.)