While most dream of escaping the countryside for the big city, Lalana chose to go back to her roots, literally. Growing up on her family’s farm in rural Sisaket, she witnessed firsthand the struggles farmers face, in spite of their hard work and significant contribution to the economy. After successfully launching organic home delivery programme CSA Munching Box in Bangkok, she and husband Bryan Hugill, a South African ecologist, turned her family farm into Raitong Organics Farm in 2007. The European Union certified social enterprise not only produces rice, it also aims to empower farmers making the transition from conventional to organic through training, technology and sustainable development. By connecting farmers with customers, she has helped 200 farmers to date. Her network of farmers have been instrumental in Bangkok’s nascent move to sustainably-minded dining. In 2017, the farm became an innovation hub, hosting the first International Development Design Summit in Southeast Asia. Supported by MIT, it was a two-week study of sustainable rural development. They also partnered with other companies to establish F.Lab, an informal collective for the promotion of the DIYbiology movement in Thailand. Their first project is to design lab equipment that can undertake PCR assays on rice.