History

Thai Farmers National Museum

Thai Farmers National Museum was originally located on Prapanwasa Road, Tambon Tha Phi Liang, and then it has been moved to the area near the new Government Complex on Suphan Buri - Chai Nat Road (340) nowadays. The museum is a concrete building which is a mixed Thai house and Thai barn. There is not any display about arts and antiquities inside.Only paddy farming and related matters such as history and background of farming, tools used in farming, farmer’s customs and lifestyles and stories about rice in the old times are exhibited especially on the downstairs of the museum.

During B.E. 2528 (1985) to 2529 (1986), H.M. King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, at the time the Crown Prince of Thailand, went to Ban Laem SaKae, Dermbangnangbuat, Suphan Buri as the Guest of Honor to join organic fertilizer composing activity and soon afterwards to scatter rice seeds and composed fertilizer in a demonstration farm at Bueng Paikaek, Muang, Suphan Buri. When in harvest season, with the golden paddy field, Suphan Buri province again received the royal grace of H.R.H. the Crown Prince of Thailand in harvesting the rice planted by H.R.H. as auspicious inauguration. This beautiful proper behavior towards H.R.H. left the farmers and the people delighted. Therefore, all these events deserve to be recorded in Thailand’s history.

Thai Farmers National Museum provides an exhibition of important things such as the first 9 ears of paddy, harvested as auspicious inauguration by H.M. King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, at the time the Crown Prince of Thailand, a hook with golden handle, including the pictures recording the important events of farming and tools and equipment used in the historic events.

Furthermore, Thai Farmers National Museum demonstrates the relationship between the King of Thailand and the farmers, the clue of rice in the past, the evolution of farming in Thailand as well as customs and lifestyles of those praised as the ‘backbone of the country’. That is “Chao-naa” or rice farmers.

Thai Farmers National Museum is located on Prapanwasa Road, Tambon Tha Phi Liang, Muang, Suphan Buri which is in the same neighborhood as the City Hall of Suphan Buri. It covers 200 square wa (four square meters), and it has been founded as Thai Farmers National Museum by the Ministry of Education on 11 June B.E. 2533 (1990).

The background of establishing Thai Farmers National Museum (New building)

Suphan Buri founded Thai Farmers National Museum around the City Hall of Suphan Buri (old building) on Prapanwasa Road in remembrance of the important events which H.R.H. Crown Prince came to Suphan Buri 3 times as the Guest of Honor in organic fertilizer composing activity, farming demonstration and rice harvesting activity and the other as the Guest of Honor in the official opening ceremony of Thai Farmers National Museum on 27 August B.E. 2537 (1994).

However, as the City Hall has been moved to Government Complex of Suphan Buri on Suphan Buri - Chai Nat Road (Highway 340) Tambon Sanam Chai, Muang, Suphan Buri, and the old City Hall has been used as Muang Suphan Buri District Office, this made the landscape of the location of Thai Farmers National Museum not beautiful as it was.

Therefore, it is considered that in order to make Thai Farmers National Museum look appropriate, magnificent and prestigious, the Suphan Buri made a request for permission to move and build the new building of Thai Farmers National Museum. In addition, there was a consideration from Department of Fine Arts and a support from Suphan Buri in assistance of relocating the museum to the area of Government Complex of Suphan Buri. The museum is located next to the City Hall, in the south. Its area is very spacious, so the landscape can be organized to be more beautiful and prestigious.

The new building of Thai Farmers National Museum is about 4.5 kilometers far from the old one. The style of the building and its exhibition are designed and organized by Department of Fine Arts, Department of Local Administration and Suphan Buri province by adapting the format of the old building as the platform in brainstorming. The drawing of the museum was finalized to be a 2-story applied Thai-style building, with space under the building and overall utilize space covering 1,890 square meters.

The architectural characteristic of the building is adapted from a central Thai barn, decorated with paddy ear patterns. The building has ferro-concrete structure, is covered with cement roofing tiles and faces north.

The duration of designing and building the museum has been done around September B.E. 2551 (2008), and the exhibition organized in the museum proceeded by Suphanburi Provincial Administration Organization has been finished in September B.E. 2552 (2009). On 12 December B.E. 2552, the entire working and operating parts were moved to the new building.