I. First progress report (September 1, 2008)
Activities undertaken:
1. Building capacity of target community on fabricating charcoal-producing kiln, planting energy crop for household consumption and energy conservation
2. Fabricating charcoal producing kiln
3. Reforesting marginal area with native trees of energy quality

Results of activities:
1. 133 community members participating in capacity-building process gaining more knowledge through learning and sharing and beginning to adjust energy consumption habit ? more effective use of electricity, canned gas and fire-woods
2. 64 charcoal production kilns being fabricated and put into use with some beginning to reveal favourable result
3. Degraded area of about 15 ha in project area being reforested with 2,500 trees of energy quality

Project communication:
The story of the project was spread through community communication tools to head up community members, especially, on activities to be taken on 25 March , 28 April and 21 May 2008.
Experience and lessons learnt:

Project expense:
The project report the expense of THB 195,492.51 out of the first disbursement of THB 195,808.42.

II. Second progress report (March 9, 2009)
Activities undertaken:
1. Continuing building capacity of target community on application of renewable energy such as biogas, bio-diesel, solar heater, and water-pumping bicycle
2. Fabricating & installing 10 units of water-pumping bicycle
3. Planting 2,500 seedlings of energy quality species and edible species

Results of activities:
1. All selected target population gaining more understanding on alternative energy , estimated at 30-35 % more based on the original status
2. The units being put into use producing some evinced favourable results on reduction of relevant electricity/fuel expense and on increase of native species in project location ( medicinal/edible species and others being under nursery process using water from these units)
3. Due to current severe draught in the country and shortage of water, only 70 % of the seedlings being thriving

Project communication:
The story of the project was spread through community communication tools to head up community members, especially, on activities to be taken RE: capacity building on alternative energy , on October 10, 2008

Experience and lessons learnt:
1.Project leaders were satisfied with the result so far. This was because of regular meeting which fixed on the 10th of each month. One objective of the meeting was to plan ahead project activities.
2. Close and quick communication between project leaders and each member was not easy, as majority of members did not use telephone. So, travel to the spot was the only option.

Project expense:
The project report the accumulated expense of THB:368,190.89 out of the sum of first & second disbursement of THB: 397,415.94.

III. Monitoring visit by NC and NSC (May 29, 2009)
Findings and observation:

The project location is situated in the vicinity of Phu Phan National Park where target population from 12 villages in Tambol Khoke Phu, Tambol Lube Lao and Tambol Sarngkhor of Phu Phan District earned their living mostly from agricultural practice (paddy, seasonal crops, and wild species) and the provisions of forest and fresh water ecosystems thereby. Majority of the population dwelled in cultivated low land area, which buffered the national park. In daily energy use, all target villages are grid-connected and used to fossil fuels, such as gasoline and canned gas. Owing to time constraint, the visiting team visited and interact with project members in three different villages as follows:

At a premises of one project member in Baan(village) Yarngloan, Tambol Khok Phu, the visiting team met with 15 members who enthusiastically demonstrated the use of high-efficiency charcoal production kiln using 200-litre metal drum using branches and twigs from trees in cultivated land. One bicycle water pump for off-season crops was also witnessed installed. Native trees of energy quality including Jetropha were seen thriving, some of three meter high. Project members in this village, mostly woman, gathered together as a group to produce food seasoning powder using edible and medicinal species of the ecosystem provisions as raw materials.

A few miles away is another participating village, Baan None Khoke Wua. At a premises, four project members interacted with the visiting team and show another charcoal production kiln of different design and construction. A bicycle water pump was seen installed and in use to water cane seedlings which is a wild species of traditional fruit in northeast and other regions of Thailand. Project members in this village gathered together into another group to produce seedlings of native species to sell for income.

The final village visited was Baan Nongsarn where the visiting team met with five project members one of whom is a member in another village the team was not able to cover during this visit. A charcoal production kiln and plot full of thriving trees of native species were witnessed. In addition to what were witnessed, project members confirmed, there were lots of thriving native threes in marginal lands around their paddy fields making the number of thriving trees several thousands which would be ready for use within five years from now.

It was confirmed that all charcoal production kilns ( about 80 in numbers) had been producing charcoal satisfactorily resulting in sustainable use of fire-woods and reduction of conventional energy. Besides, project members in each visited locations exhibited both institutional and technical capacity on alternative energy sharing thoughts and ideas with the visiting team. This, for a large part, may be attributed to the affiliation or collaboration with the In-Paeng Centre , a well-known NGO in Sakonnakhorn Province ?also an ex-grantee of GEF SGP Thailand during the pilot and first operational phase.

In spite of two major remaining activities, i.e. solar heaters for food processing and systematic use of high-efficiency stoves, the visiting team perceived that the replication and up-scaling of these practical rural renewable energy models were on their way.

IV. Mid-course evaluation workshop (September 1-2, 2009)
Together with eight other projects of the same grant cycle ( Project number:THA-SGP-OP4-RAF-07-01 to THA-SGP-OP4-RAF-07-06 and THA-SGP-OP4-CORE-07-01 to THA-SGP-OP4-CORE-07-04), the project attended the mid-course evaluation workshop.

Workshop-at-a-glance:
The meeting room of Par Darng Camp, in Petburi Province?s Kaengkrajarn District, the venue of the workshop, welcomed 24 representatives from 9 SGP projects from 9 provinces across the country and other five members of GEF SGP country team comprising NSC members , National Coordinator and programme assistants participating in the event. Literally, these 9 projects were dubbed among SGP
Thailand as GEF SGP Class 9 with project numbers enumerated above. One project missed this sharing opportunity, due to its internal managerial problem.

The workshop was opened with welcoming address by an NSC member stating workshop objectives and encouraging participants to openly share results of project activities and lessons learnt, including emerging problems/issues encountered during implementation.

With project posters on the walls and project outputs on the tables, the NC proceeded with the posters & outputs session. Each project was given ten minutes to brief its story with questions from the audiences. A few projects spent adequate time elaborating their stories when being directed with questions.

With an NSC member as the chairperson and one volunteering minute taker from the projects, the following session saw presentation , both by power point and hanging posters/photos , from 8 projects repeating their background, undertaken activities, immediate results, lessons learnt , problems and issues. With 15 minutes allowed for each, the session went smoothly with average one topic/presentation for sharing/discussion. Additional discussion ,especially during dinner. That was the first day.

The second day began with summarization of activities of the previous day and reconfirmation of the agenda, followed by a presentation of the one remaining project. The floor then was given to the NC for showing ,through video, activities of each project he recorded during project site visits. The video had proven to be a very good mechanism to make activities of each project more visible and better understood by participants. The NC also reminded projects about compiling completion reports , then shared strategy of Operational Phase 4 and prospects of Thailand GEF SGP.

The final session of the workshop included open discussion to keep this infantile natural environment network active. It was agreed that each project would keep on contacting one another and sharing experience. Some issues of common interest included compilation of relevant knowledge for future activities, setting up regional mechanism to facilitate networking process, and publication pocket book telling stories of each and every project. Two persons from two projects volunteered to be the class or network coordinator for publishing the pocket book and a focal point to produce the network website.

V. Interim report (September 10, 2009)
Activities undertaken:
1. Continuing building capacity of target community on application of renewable energy such as biogas, bio-diesel, solar heater, and water-pumping bicycle
2. Continuing fabricating & installing water-pumping bicycle
3. Supporting 120 high-efficiency stoves to target population

Results of activities:

1. All selected target population gaining more understanding on alternative energy , being able to put into practice substantially with the locations as learning places
2. Evinced energy sufficiency, especially on charcoal consumption, among 75 households, equivalent to reduced THB: 126,000 / year.
3. Established an energy fund within Phu Phan Agro-forestry Network to promote sustainable use of high-efficiency stoves

Project expense:
The project report the accumulated expense of THB: 482,096.98 out of the sum of three disbursements of THB: 609,201.48

VI. Completion Report (March 16, 2010):

Number of Beneficiaries/ Participating personnel:
Women: 59
Men: 78
Children: 60

Number of persons trained/ attending seminars, joining study tours:
Women: 59
Men: 78
Children: 60

Expense:
Amount received from SGP (3 disbursements): Baht: 609,201.48
Total amount spent out of SGP budget: Baht: 636,197.98
Balance: Baht: (-26,996.50)

Activities carried out:
1. Building capacity of target community on fabricating charcoal-producing kiln, high efficiency stove, solar oven, biogas, and water-pumping bicycle
2. Training youth groups around Nam Phung Dam on energy efficiency
3. Fabricating charcoal producing kiln, high efficiency stove, solar oven and water-pumping bicycle
4. Reforesting marginal area with native trees of energy quality
5. Conducting participatory evaluation
6. Disseminating project results and experience through various community events and facilities

Results and Indicators:
1. Technical capacity on renewable energy and energy conservation of 173 participants being increased by 30-35 % witnessed through active participation and enthusiasm to put into practice what being learnt
2. Emergence and daily use of the following facilities:
? 85 high efficiency charcoal-producing kilns
? 12 units of manual (bicycle) water pumping for agricultural practice
? 120 high-efficiency stoves using charcoals from the production kilns and fire-woods from project plantation
? One unit of solar-biomass hybrid oven for processing of agricultural products
3. Evinced reduction/savings of energy use and related household expense as follows:
? Approximately 3,600 kg. of fire-woods/month amongst 120 families using high-efficiency stoves
? Approximately 582 units of electricity/month amongst 12 families using bicycle water pumping systems , equivalent to reduction of expense by THB: 1,580 and a certain amount of CO2 from electricity generation
? Approximately 50 % of grid electricity from solar-biomass hybrid oven
? Approximately 450 kg /month of canned gas amongst 120 families

4. Emergence of 13.6-ha area for fire-wood plantation and fire-wood fund of 12,000 trees.
5. One project product ( toxic-free seasoning powder) made by solar energy

Project Communication:
The project was made visible outside communities through direct contact with public organizations which targeted communities had chosen to go for training and technical advise such as the office of provincial energy and regional centre for renewable energy and energy conservation.

Plans and Activities for Sustainability:
All 12 participating communities
1. would keep on using renewable energy facilities (charcoal-burning kilns, high-efficiency stoves, bicycle water pumps, hybrid solar-biomass oven and fire-wood plantation) which were established during project duration.
2. planned to disseminate and up-scale the use of charcoal production kiln.
3. would meet monthly on the tenth to transfer knowledge to community youth groups.
4. would consider to build bigger (standard) charcoal-production kiln to avoid wasting time incurred by small kilns.
5. would plant more native species as carbon sink and source of future energy.
6. would request for technical support for fabricating biomass stove and biogas pit from the Provincial Office of Energy.

Experience , Lessons Learnt , Problems and Issues:
The first of its kind in project location and consistent with community livelihood, the project was welcomed by participating communities. Major stakeholders which contributed to the success were Community Forestry Promotion Center 3 in Sakonnakhorn Province, Phuphan Range Centre for Development Study under the Royal Initiative, and the Sakonnakhorn Provincial Energy Office.

More importantly, the achieved outcomes were attributed to active participation of targeted communities who attended participatory evaluation monthly on the tenth.

Regarding problems and issues, the project referred as one to limit technical capacity of some members , especially on trial production of charcoal, which resulted in waste of time and energy. The issue was solved by advice and close watch from more experienced members during first step of such trial.