“Life is easy. Why do we make it so hard?” This is the question that drives Jon Jandai, Thailand’s self-proclaimed “happiness farmer.” In a country where more than 50 percent of the population now lives in cities and farmers face rising input costs, falling crop prices, and mounting debt, Jandai offers an alternative that has attracted more than 10,000 students: a life of self-reliance that consists of building earthen homes, learning to farm indigenous Thai fruits and vegetables, and growing more than enough food for yourself in a few hours…
