In 2012, a Demonstration Center in Thailand was developed by the Horticulture Innovation Lab in collaboration with Kasetstart University; it was then referred to as the "Horticulture CRSP Regional Center of Innovation at Kasetsart University."

After the close of phase two of the Horticulture Innovation Lab portfolio in 2019, the Demonstration Center ceased activities. While no longer in operation, it once connected researchers, extension workers and members of the private sector as a repository for horticultural technologies and knowledge. The Demonstration Center provided training programs, facilitated the evaluation and adaption of horticultural technologies, and developed mechanisms for sharing ideas within and across borders.

For years, the Demonstration Center served Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal and Cambodia by providing:

• Training for farmers and horticultural professionals
• Technical assistance and innovative technologies
• Curricula and material development
• Information dissemination

The Demonstration Center brought together key regional players to improve livelihoods of poor farmers and small businesses in Asia.

The Demonstration Center at Kasetsart University spanned the entire university, involving faculty members from diverse departments, including food science, agronomy, horticulture, and agricultural engineering. Dr. Poonpipope "Poon" Kasemsap, of the Horticulture department, was the director of the center.

Technologies at the Demonstration Center

The Demonstration Center included adaptations and demonstrations of horticultural technologies. These were some of the technologies demonstrated at this Demonstration Center, with links to basic fact sheets:

• Pest-exclusion nets
• Drying beads
• CoolBot for cool rooms
• Chimney solar dryer
• Solar pump for irrigation
• Zero-energy cooling chamber (ZECC)

Inauguration and events

An opening ceremony for this center was held Feb. 8, 2012 (at which time it was called the "Horticulture CRSP Regional Center of Innovation at Kasetsart University"). The opening ceremony was also part of the program's annual meeting.

USAID GLEE on Scaling Agricultural Technologies: In January 2014, the center helped host a tour of technologies for USAID's Global Learning and Evidence Exchange (GLEE) on Scaling Agricultural Technologies. Faculty members from Kasetsart University provided explanations and displays related to several horticultural technologies, including a solar chimney dryer, CoolBot-equipped cold room, and a solar pump system. Read more about the event from this CRSP Digest article, "Innovation Labs participate in Feed the Future's GLEE on Scaling Agricultural Technologies".

International Vegetable Training Course: Each year, the Horticulture Innovation Lab collaborated with the World Vegetable Center and Kasetsart University in support of the International Vegetable Training Course. This annual 3-month training course brought together participants from throughout the world to learn about various aspects of vegetable production, postharvest handling and marketing, and agricultural extension. Mark Bell of the Horticulture Innovation Lab was one of the trainers for a module on agricultural extension, focused on how to best provide farmers with information they needed and in forms they could readily understand and act on.

Fact sheets and more info

See also the Demonstration Center at Kasetsart University fact sheet (PDF) for more details.

Find out more about the Horticulture Innovation Lab's work in Asia (pdf) and about Horticulture Innovation Lab partners in Asia.

More about the Demonstration Centers

The Demonstration Center at Kasetsart University was the first of such centers opened by the Horticulture Innovation Lab. Find out more about our Demonstration Centers.