Chaba means hibiscus flower in Thai. "Chaba Home" is the name of Gkai Itming's restaurant on Koh Yao Noi, a Muslim-majority island in the south of Thailand, in which he treats visitors to dishes made from the salads, kale, papayas, mangoes, coconuts, and other produce grown on his little permaculture-inspired farm, tucked away behind coconut palm trees on a calm plot of land. The soil is sandy and not ideal for farming, but Gkai came up with creative and natural techniques of top soil and fertilizer production and created a bountiful paradise, providing for him and his family. The effectiveness of his innovative techniques caught the eye of local government officials, who subsequently asked him to consult the other farmers in the region on how to sustainably farm while protecting the ecosystem of their beautiful island.
