On 28 August 2014, Phonh organized a short workshop to share about making bean sprouts with HEPA students and staff members. The workshop consisted of 2 parts: first sharing the idea and the method and after that the practice.

Phonh learned this method for making bean sprouts in Thailand from ‘Organic Way’ city farm in Bangkok and was very impressed by it. There are many ways to do it and when choosing the method, one should consider which materials are easily available and the amount of bean sprouts that is needed. There are traditional methods in Vietnam using ceramic pots and some types of leafs. The objective of this workshop was to introduce one new method and see if it’s suitable to use in HEPA and other (student) communities.
 
Phonh’s method includes a system with two buckets and a small tap: one bucket with water to continuously provide water to the other bucket with the green bean seeds. The bean seeds are divided in two layers and separated by filters in which the roots can grow. The bean seed are kept wet (but not soaked, so using just a very small flow of water) continuously during 3 days, for the beans to sprout.

The result of the trial was about 1 kg of clean and delicious bean sprouts from ± 200 gram of green bean seed. All participants mentioned that they thought the method was interesting and easy to use. They thought that for most rural communities, local methods and materials to make bean sprouts may be more suitable and easier available, but this new method is suitable for HEPA and also especially for urban areas. Phonh is planning to introduce this method in his own community in Laos and may also share it in the SPERI office in Hanoi.
 
Phonh brought the materials for the trial from Thailand, but they can be bought locally or made from recycled materials as well. A detailed description of the method and the materials will be posted on this website soon.

Written by: Miriam van Muijlwijk