Sahainan Permaculture Organic Farm is nestled in the mountains of Thung Chang district, roughly 80 km north of Nan city. Founded in late 2014 by Sandot Sukkaew, a member of the Lua (Lawa) hilltribe, and his partner Shen, the farm sits on 5.5 acres (14 rai) of land that was barren and waterless when they arrived. Over a decade of restoration work has transformed it into a thriving, biodiverse food forest with over 100 plant species and even restored spring-fed rivers created through reforestation.

The name carries dual meaning: “Sahai” (สหาย) means “companions”, reflecting the communal ethos, while “Nan” references both the province and water (สหายน้ำ, “companions of water”), honoring the spring-water restoration that brought the land back to life. The farm’s philosophy is rooted in permaculture’s three ethics; Care for the Earth, Care for the People, Fair Share, interwoven with traditional Lua farming knowledge passed down through generations.

Sahainan operates entirely off-grid: small solar panels provide electricity, spring water flows from the mountaintop, cooking is done over firewood, and structures are hand-built from bamboo, mud, and teak wood. The food forest produces cashew nuts, rambutan, avocado, banana, papaya, mango, jackfruit, durian, coffee, rice (sticky, black, and brown varieties), ginger, turmeric, cardamom, moringa, sacha inchi, passion fruit, cotton, and dozens of medicinal herbs and vegetables. Seed saving and community seed exchange are central practices.

Permaculture techniques in active use include agroforestry and food forest design, natural building, self-composting toilets, charcoal water filtration, biochar and wood vinegar production, effective microorganisms (EM), biogas systems, and grey/black water management. The farm also runs active reforestation and forest fire prevention projects in surrounding areas, successfully regenerating water sources for the broader Thung Chang community.

Education is core to Sahainan’s mission. The farm offers a 10-day Practical Permaculture Course, 80-day volunteering programs, carpentry internships, and free permaculture education for local village children and farmers. Hundreds of international volunteers have participated over the years, and the farm has been featured in HuffPost’s “This New World” series, a ThaiPBS documentary, and Gavroche magazine. Sandot has also served as an external permaculture consultant for Baan Doi children’s center in Chiang Rai, in collaboration with BASEhabitat (University of Arts Linz, Austria).

The family; Sandot, Shen, and their homeschooled children Jon Jon and Jai Jai, lives on-site year-round, embodying the philosophy that permaculture is a complete way of life rather than merely a farming method.