people from Doi Tung where is their home, they
will say with pride they are from Doi Tung, and
that one day they will return to their roots. But
first they want to venture out and experience the
wider world. One Akha girl has become a sushi
chef. This year, we organised the ‘Colours of Doi
Tung' Festival, and she returned to make sushi
for sale. Do the people who have left us suffer?
Not at all! Their home is still here, so sooner or
later they will return, and when they come back
they will be proud of what they have learned and
encourage the younger generations to expand
their horizons.”
There are also “Virtuous Youth Camps”
for students from two different worlds to come
and learn together about the forests. “Children
from Bangkok join our camps; we let them learn
alongside the hill-tribe children at Doi Tung. We
let children from the two worlds meet and study
together. Children will learn why we must grow
trees, why they are so important.”
Expanding on the Fruits of Success in and
outside Thailand
At present, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation
has accumulated considerable experience in
working with local people according to the Princess
Mother’s initiatives, and has developed a
valuable body of knowledge that can be applied
to any area, whether in or outside Thailand. In Nan
province, under the pilot integrated development
and problem-alleviating project based on Royal
Initiative, several state agencies work together to
develop 21 villages in Ta Wang Pha, Song Kwae,
and Chalermphrakiat Districts.
Khunying Puangroi explained, “The Mae Fah
Luang Foundation has been working with the
Royal Initiative Discovery Foundation (Pid Thong
Lang Phra) and other agencies in carrying out
His Majesty’s royal initiatives. We are in charge
of poverty alleviation. In Nan, the villagers razed
the forests on entire hills to grow corn, applying
one litre of chemical herbicide per rai and 2 to 3
times per year. They know it is dangerous, but
they don’t have much to eat and have no other
options, so they have to do it. These chemicals
are in the soil and when it rains, get flushed
down into the streams and rivers. Many local
people are sick from the pesticides. The hills
used to be covered by dense forest, and were
used years ago by the communist insurgents as
their hideouts. But now the forests are gone, so
whenever it rains there are severe floods and
landslides, killing many people; while in the dry
season, there is no water as there are no trees
to absorb and store the moisture. Because the
Mae Fah Luang Foundation has experience
conducting research and coordinating with local
communities, we started by communicating with
the local people and let them see examples from
Doi Tung. We brought them to Doi Tung to give
them inspiration, to show them what is possible.
Our motto is ‘It can be done.’ We believe there
is nothing we cannot do. There must be a way
to do it, whether quickly or slowly.”
This project in Nan has solved problems of
irrigation, improved soil quality and introduced
terraced rice fields that increase productivity and