Rice and Peanut Farming

At SAE LAO, we strive to plant our own rice. Every grain you eat as a volunteer or as a guest in our restaurant, was grown in nearby fields.

Rice seeds are planted from May to August after we form mud walls for the paddies and till the wet soil. The rice is pulled and replanted a second time during rainy season, before it is fully grown and can be harvested in November and December. During the off season we grow peanuts in the rice fields to amend the soil and make use of the land.

If you volunteer during rice planting or harvesting season, you will get to join local farmers in the field practicing this traditional method of growing the most essential food to Laos culture.

We plant peanuts as a rotation crop in place of rice, after the rice is harvested. The legume nourishes and aerates the soil and fixes the nitrogen. The shells make great compost.

We now sell our own peanut butter. We have an amazing recipe that is a huge hit with the volunteers, staff and kids!If you join us for volunteering, you can make your own peanut butter and see for yourself the work and love that goes into every batch made. You will never look at a jar of peanut butter the same way again.