Learnings and insights from the Chiang Mai project

The CADIS project in collaboration with the Research and Training Center for Religio-Cultural Community (RTRC) "Strengthening indigenous leadership and community capacity of the hill tribes of Northern Thailand towards social inclusion and sustainable development" has concluded.

Started in 2018, the main objective was to strengthen indigenous leadership and build the capacity of tribal communities in Northern Thailand towards social inclusion and sustainable development. The project assisted communities affected by climate change and, above all, protected the fundamental rights of small indigenous farmers by training and developing the capacities of young potential community leaders.

Last November, from the 9th to the 11th, the CADIS International team carried out an evaluation visit to Chiang Mai to discuss the project results with the RTRC group and other stakeholders, such as the directly involved tribal chiefs. They visited Phayao, one of the project districts, and met with the beneficiaries.

The farmers are satisfied with the positive impact of the project on their lives. The main goal is to create a network of farmers to share knowledge and sustainable practices of organic farming. One of the members was appointed as a representative of the provincial agricultural council, who will also represent them at the national level.

In addition to the increase in personal income that contributes to their sustainability, the greatest success of the project is the awareness gained for a better future through the practice of organic farming.

Some lessons and insights from the CADIS visit are as follows:

- The need to build networks of farmers' associations and to establish partnerships with public and private entities for mutual assistance.
- Awareness, promotion, and integration of deep ecological and spiritual consciousness and the need to persevere among tribal communities.
- The practice of community farming strengthens customary sharing practices, contributing to the modern community structure.
- The project supports and assists children's education, which keeps young people and adults away from the influence of drug addiction.
- Local awareness of self-sufficiency and food security has increased.
- Local seed production has become an essential part of the groups' activities.

The project was effectively implemented in three key areas:

1) Engagement. The process of engaging farmers in the project encouraged them to participate and commit to addressing their problems. They learned about changing situations, available resources, and the environment.
One good example is the training for developing organic fertilizer production capacity in Phayao. The participating farmers learned together to produce their own organic fertilizers with the raw materials brought for the training, shared the organic fertilizers produced with others, planned together how to apply them, and evaluated the use of organic fertilizers. Many volunteers were identified: soil experts, farmer trainers, youth and women's groups.

2) Capacity building is one of the key objectives of the project. The goal was to raise farmers' awareness of food security for their families and communities and to reduce the costs of agricultural inputs by moving from monoculture to organic farming. This helped farmers to be more self-sufficient and economical. Many of the farmer leaders have become reference people for other community-based organizations (CBOs) and agricultural universities. They learned to work by preserving and improving the environment and local resources, such as forests and water.

3) Networking. The project included several networking activities. It was an opportunity for farmers to meet, learn, and share experiences that helped them change their way of farming. Through networking, they were able to share their successes and difficulties. A good example is networking with local government authorities - forest rangers and national park authorities. Their meeting helped them understand the problem of food scarcity and the need for villagers to access the forest and national parks for natural food or home farming. This led to an agreement between the farmers and the national park authorities that grants farmers permission to access part of the national park for home farming and animal husbandry.

The RTRC project with indigenous communities in northern Thailand is funded by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), in collaboration with CADIS. The program's activities with the Karen and Lawa ethnic groups have enhanced and strengthened the merit rice network and the culture of agriculture. The Merit Rice Network (solidarity action) involves more than 500 communities as members. For the Akha, Lahu, and Laos peoples, the implementation of the project has strengthened the trust of the network of spiritual leaders and the district levels of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in many communities. They are now equipped with knowledge to face the problems and obstacles that emerge today. In addition to hunting wild boars, they have started to raise them at home.

RTRC is following the planning made by ethnic leaders and is sharing their experiences on analyzing changes in the environment and society and how to move forward. The plan for the future is to continue training biological intellectual leaders, especially involving the younger generations, in line with the core values of Laudato Si'.

And now see what Mrs. Sangthad Yudee, a member of the Mae Sai district Organic Agriculture Network, project beneficiary and part of the network working group, shared with us.