Thailand’s Unique Royal Projects
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
His Majesty King Bhumibhol Adulyadej and members of Thailand’s Royal Family have set up numerous village-based community development projects nationwide which are now open for small-scale tourism. They provide unique insights into the King’s concept of a sufficiency economy and are models of alternative economic development.
================
The Doi Tung Development Project (Mae Fah Luang Foundation)
Under the patronage of the late Princess Mother, Princess Srinagarindra, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation was founded to carry out development activities so that the quality of life of Thailand’s ethnic minorities in the Doi Tung area could be raised. These activities took the form of livelihood development, which encompassed the reforestation of watershed areas and the development of various social enterprises to benefit local people.
The Doi Tung Development Project is a holistic and integrated sustainable alternative livelihood development (SALD) initiative. It is the culmination of the Princess Mother’s lifelong dedication to development work.
The Princess Mother recognized that narcotic crop cultivation is a symptom of poverty and a lack of opportunity, which can drive people to break the law — she believed that no one wants to do bad things inherently. Once people’s health is taken care of, Her Royal Highness believed that development should help people to help themselves, by creating viable and sustainable livelihood options. Afterward, education will lay a foundation for long-term development.
“For development to work, basic needs must be tackled first. Without adequate income, people have no choice but to deforest land through illegal logging, and engage in other illegal activities such as opium cultivation and prostitution.” This was part of the address made by the late Princess Mother in 1988 when the handicraft training centre was launched alongside the reforestation project, as an alternative enterprise for people in the locality.
The Princess Mother’s philosophy was to help people help themselves. She said “to improve livelihoods, you must provide vocational training that is up to par and ensure that there are no financial losses incurred.”
She also said “don’t let people buy our products out of pity.” As a result, the Doi Tung Development Project arranged for local people to work in handicraft training centres that allowed for cost savings from economies of scale and quality control. Building the skills and talents of the local people, the Project helped them maximize their potential by hiring Thai and foreign experts to help with designs that appeal to premium markets, and provide them with skill training in dyeing and weaving techniques that complemented local traditional skills.
Economic Development
Recognising that the well-being of nature depends on human stability, the Doi Tung Development Project has business units in Food, Horticulture, Tourism, and Handicrafts. The Project went from being a crop substitution initiative, to provide various livelihood options with the end goal of empowering locals to become business savvy, able to cope with global market forces. As an example, the Project itself has been financially self-sustaining since 2002. The social enterprises are a balance of maximizing social returns on investment verses a financial one. Today, locals are being trained in everything from landscape design to coffee roasting. They are encouraged to set up their own enterprises. In less than 10 years, the ownership of some of the business units in Doi Tung will be transferred to the local community.
1990:
• The first Doi Tung Lifestyle Store was opened on Doi Tung;
1992:
• The Vetiver Grass Development Project in Doi Tung Project was launched;
• The first coffee crop was harvested at Doi Tung;
• The Mae Fah Luang Garden was opened to tourists;
• The Pha Mee Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre was opened to provide a 1,000 day treatment and rehabilitation course to all of the drug addicts in the Doi Tung vicinity. As part of the programme, ex-addicts were offered continuing vocational training to give them the opportunity to rejoin society as active and productive citizens;
1993:
• The Mae Fah Luang Garden was named winner of the PATA Gold Award for Tourist Site Development.
1995:
• The first macadamia crop was harvested in Doi Tung;
• The Macadamia Processing Facility was opened on a hill at Navuti Site 1;
• The first Doi Tung Coffee shop was opened on Doi Tung;
• HRH the Princess Mother passed away.
1999:
• The Doi Tung Coffee shop was opened at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, Bangkok.
2006:
• The Belgian Government and Mae Fah Luang Foundation signed a contract whereby the working approach of Doi Tung Development Project would be adopted in Doi Tung III — A4 Sheep Bank Project for the Province of Balkh in Afghanistan;
• The Mae Fah Luang’s Centre for Social Entrepreneurship (CSE) was established as the centre for cooperation with countries that require assistance;
• A delegation from Naggroe Aceh Darussalam, Republic of Indonesia, paid a study visit to Doi Tung Development Project after the Secretary General of Mae Fah Luang Foundation was invited to Indonesia upon the invitation of the UNODC and the Government of Indonesia, in order to assist Aceh province in the study of its development approach;
• Doi Tung IV began operation in Aceh, Indonesia;
2011:
• The Doi Tung Development Project was chosen as a Creative City for its creative development model to eradicate poverty and improve the quality of life of the people in the Doi Tung area, based on the community’s local wisdom. It was honoured as a model for Sustainable Alternative Livelihood Development to build balance between the economic, social, and environmental dimensions.
Thailand’s Unique Royal Projects
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
His Majesty King Bhumibhol Adulyadej and members of Thailand’s Royal Family have set up numerous village-based community development projects nationwide which are now open for small-scale tourism. They provide unique insights into the King’s concept of a sufficiency economy and are models of alternative economic development.
================
The Doi Tung Development Project (Mae Fah Luang Foundation)
Under the patronage of the late Princess Mother, Princess Srinagarindra, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation was founded to carry out development activities so that the quality of life of Thailand’s ethnic minorities in the Doi Tung area could be raised. These activities took the form of livelihood development, which encompassed the reforestation of watershed areas and the development of various social enterprises to benefit local people.
The Doi Tung Development Project is a holistic and integrated sustainable alternative livelihood development (SALD) initiative. It is the culmination of the Princess Mother’s lifelong dedication to development work.
The Princess Mother recognized that narcotic crop cultivation is a symptom of poverty and a lack of opportunity, which can drive people to break the law — she believed that no one wants to do bad things inherently. Once people’s health is taken care of, Her Royal Highness believed that development should help people to help themselves, by creating viable and sustainable livelihood options. Afterward, education will lay a foundation for long-term development.
“For development to work, basic needs must be tackled first. Without adequate income, people have no choice but to deforest land through illegal logging, and engage in other illegal activities such as opium cultivation and prostitution.” This was part of the address made by the late Princess Mother in 1988 when the handicraft training centre was launched alongside the reforestation project, as an alternative enterprise for people in the locality.
The Princess Mother’s philosophy was to help people help themselves. She said “to improve livelihoods, you must provide vocational training that is up to par and ensure that there are no financial losses incurred.”
She also said “don’t let people buy our products out of pity.” As a result, the Doi Tung Development Project arranged for local people to work in handicraft training centres that allowed for cost savings from economies of scale and quality control. Building the skills and talents of the local people, the Project helped them maximize their potential by hiring Thai and foreign experts to help with designs that appeal to premium markets, and provide them with skill training in dyeing and weaving techniques that complemented local traditional skills.
Economic Development
Recognising that the well-being of nature depends on human stability, the Doi Tung Development Project has business units in Food, Horticulture, Tourism, and Handicrafts. The Project went from being a crop substitution initiative, to provide various livelihood options with the end goal of empowering locals to become business savvy, able to cope with global market forces. As an example, the Project itself has been financially self-sustaining since 2002. The social enterprises are a balance of maximizing social returns on investment verses a financial one. Today, locals are being trained in everything from landscape design to coffee roasting. They are encouraged to set up their own enterprises. In less than 10 years, the ownership of some of the business units in Doi Tung will be transferred to the local community.
1990:
• The first Doi Tung Lifestyle Store was opened on Doi Tung;
1992:
• The Vetiver Grass Development Project in Doi Tung Project was launched;
• The first coffee crop was harvested at Doi Tung;
• The Mae Fah Luang Garden was opened to tourists;
• The Pha Mee Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre was opened to provide a 1,000 day treatment and rehabilitation course to all of the drug addicts in the Doi Tung vicinity. As part of the programme, ex-addicts were offered continuing vocational training to give them the opportunity to rejoin society as active and productive citizens;
1993:
• The Mae Fah Luang Garden was named winner of the PATA Gold Award for Tourist Site Development.
1995:
• The first macadamia crop was harvested in Doi Tung;
• The Macadamia Processing Facility was opened on a hill at Navuti Site 1;
• The first Doi Tung Coffee shop was opened on Doi Tung;
• HRH the Princess Mother passed away.
1999:
• The Doi Tung Coffee shop was opened at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, Bangkok.
2006:
• The Belgian Government and Mae Fah Luang Foundation signed a contract whereby the working approach of Doi Tung Development Project would be adopted in Doi Tung III — A4 Sheep Bank Project for the Province of Balkh in Afghanistan;
• The Mae Fah Luang’s Centre for Social Entrepreneurship (CSE) was established as the centre for cooperation with countries that require assistance;
• A delegation from Naggroe Aceh Darussalam, Republic of Indonesia, paid a study visit to Doi Tung Development Project after the Secretary General of Mae Fah Luang Foundation was invited to Indonesia upon the invitation of the UNODC and the Government of Indonesia, in order to assist Aceh province in the study of its development approach;
• Doi Tung IV began operation in Aceh, Indonesia;
2011:
• The Doi Tung Development Project was chosen as a Creative City for its creative development model to eradicate poverty and improve the quality of life of the people in the Doi Tung area, based on the community’s local wisdom. It was honoured as a model for Sustainable Alternative Livelihood Development to build balance between the economic, social, and environmental dimensions.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..