Our Jungle Farm
Helping Jungle Life Camp to be more sustainable
Our camps are supported by a small farm, both by offering a range of activities for students to enjoy, and by providing a portion of the food that we eat each day.
Our farm helps us to run our activities more sustainably as we can grow renewable activity equipment right on our doorstep.
How does this work?
Many of our activities are designed to incorporate the spaces and resources that we find around our camp. For example, when we build shelters we use bamboo poles from our small forested area, rope made from fallen banana trees and palm leaves that our gardeners cut. We dry out the leaves so that they can each be used many times before they need replacing.
When we do art activities, we collect leaves and flowers from around the property to provide interesting shapes and colors – and then we grow more to use the next time.
When we cook, we collect ingredients (and even natural food coloring) from our farm – but only after we enjoy a tour of the various fruits and vegetables that we grow. The tour gives our students an opportunity to see, smell, touch and taste their way around the farm and learn about some of the challenges and solutions to growing crops without use of artificial pesticides.
Our local children often get their hands dirty by helping to plant and harvest the food that they eat during our weekend camps. They are able to watch their plants grow over time and learn how to take care of them.
We also make jam from our roselle plants. The jam is made from the calyx – a deep purple casing that protects the flowers before they bloom. It is sour and slightly crunchy when eaten raw, and makes delicious jam that we serve at breakfast.
Meet our Khao Sok
Organic Farm Staff
Tar
Tar is a highly skilled vegetable farmer from Nong Khai, in the north of Thailand, but has been living in Khao Sok for over ten years. She is our longest-standing employee and always brings a smile to everyone she meets.
Sompan
Sompan moved to Khao Sok from the north of Thailand. He comes with a great attitude and likes to challenge himself with new projects and experiences. With Tar’s experience, Num’s strength, and Sompan’s modern knowledge, the farmers make a great team.
Num
When he was younger, Num’s favourite thing was football. Before coming to Jungle Life Camp, he was working two jobs in order to send his kids through school. He is happy to now have a more secure job, closer to home.