Project Results
I. Progress report (June 15, 2013):
Activities undertaken:
1.Launching capacity building through training and brainstorming
2. Launching demonstration of activities
3. Launching dissemination of project results
Results of activities:
1. Increased awareness and capacity of 120 project members witnessed by active volunteering in project activities, participating in blood test, discourse about causes & effect of chemicals, putting into practice on a daily basis ( drinking water for detox , using herbs, avoiding direct touch of toxic chemicals, etc), and emerging of a community learning centre
2. Targeted population gaining insight on production of 7 ionic plasma after study tours
3. About 2,400 kg of organic fertilizer and 50,000 litres of ionic plasma being produced and being applied in about one ha of cultivated land
4. Produced dissemination materials of several types (photos, video , instruction manual and posters)
5. The project being invited to play advisory role in formulation of the 3-year strategic development plan of Tambol Baan Sa, with a prospect of up-scale of project activities in the near future
Project Visibility and Communication by other organizations/individuals:
The following groups/individuals visited the project to learn and share experience with targeted communities.
1. On 18 May 2013: Staffs of Lampang Siam Cement Group and 6 students from Vietnam
2. On 6 Jun 2013:Chairperson of Baan Paen Tai Saving Group
3. On 10 Jun 2013:Staffs of Sarakhadi Documentary
4. On 12 Jun 2013:Management staff of Baan Sa Municipality
5. On 13 Jun 2013:Staffs and students from Baan Paen Tai School
6. On 25 Jun 2013:Staffs and students from Baan Sa Phae School
Emerging problems and issues:
1. Due to weather condition, not all activities were carried out as planned, some were delayed , some postponed in , as appropriate.
2. Due to necessity of livelihood activities of targeted population, full participation was not always achieved. The project had to do some adjustment by fixing times and venues to ensure quality control.
Project experience and lessons learnt :
In launching any project in a community, one must not expect 100 % community participation. Uncertainty and low expectation of communities usually lead to indecisiveness. Therefore, project leaders had to be fairly efficient , transparent and accountable in presenting ideas & thoughts. A number of community member might wait and see and wait for the right time to participate or fully participate. However, in working with communities, activities should be carried out steps by. In conclusion, 20 % of community member might be defined as ? quick to learn, persistent and coordinating? , 20 % as ?true opponents?, and 60 % as ?moderate ? and ready to join the other two depending upon the witnessed immediate results of the activities.
Project expense:
The project reported the expense of THB: 199,290.72 out of the first disbursement of THB: 199,609.18
II. Project Site Visit (June 24-25, 2013):
Findings and Observation:
Baan (village) Sa Sob Hok, the targeted location is a rural, agricultural communities situated in a valley of watershed of Wang River, an integrated ecosystem of the Gulf of Thailand/South China Sea. At a premises in the village, which is the office of the grantee and a learning centre of the project, the visiting team was led by seven women members to witness training facilities comprising real models for producing organic compost and organic solution to be used in plots of members by making use of daily organic waste of various types as main substances. The members took turns to explain the process and their intended use to the satisfaction of the visiting team.
Later in the evening, about 30 members of the group gathered together for the meeting with the visiting team. Starting with a power point presentation of project leaders showing the project study tours, putting into trial, and heading up the municipality about the project. The discussion that followed gave a sense that the project had been in progress as planned - from technical capacity building to putting into practices what had been learnt. The meeting gave a sense of optimal participation of the 40 project members and of increased of technical capacity on production of environmentally-friendly stuff to be applied in their plots.
Visiting plots of members - a 200-ha cultivated land along Wang River, the visiting team witnessed several plots of both project and non-project members being grown with seasonal crops-mostly of edible native species. Some plots still maintained organic stuff producing facilities, while some other were seen with bags of organic fertilizers and pesticide ready to be applied to the species.
Baan Sa Sob Hok has 120 households-mostly Lau, a cultural group in three northern provinces- where about 80 % earned their living by agricultural practice-growing paddy just for consumption , planting seasonal crops and husbandry for consumption and sales of the surplus. In spite of the group?s noted way of live in harmony with nature, chemical fertilizers and their close relative chemical pesticide had been used rather extensively during the past decades. With 40 households classified as active project members were, and evinced management skill of project leaders, the visiting team was apt to agree that the project would fare smoothly, with minimal risk of missing the targets.
III. Completion report (July 15, 2014):
Date of Participatory Evaluation(June 30 2014 ):
Number of Beneficiaries/ Participating personnel:
Women: 172
Men: 155
Children: 62
Number of persons trained/ attending seminars, joining study tours:
Women: 158
Men: 132
Children: 54
Expense:
Amount received from SGP (2 disbursements): THB: 362,579.98
Total amount spent out of SGP budget: THB: 365,470
Balance: THB: (- -2,890.02)
Amount authorized for the final payment: US$: 1,302.93
Amount Received from others: THB: 28,000 (in cash)
THB: 514,000 (in kind)
Activities undertaken:
1.Launching capacity building through training and brainstorming
2. Launching demonstration of activities:
3. Launching dissemination of project results
4.Launching participatory evaluation
Results and indicators:
1.Increased capacity and awareness of 80 % of target population witnessed by ability to produce 480 cu.M of organic compost and 4,200 litres of liquid organic fertilizer- more than originally proposed
2. Approximately 25 ha of cultivated area being set aside for organic farming with at least 3 species of horticulture ( 22 plots in total)
3.Evinced increased yield in paddy fields of some members (nearly twice)
4. Project organic products being distributed successfully with enough income set aside for a project fund (THB: 15,150 as the starting figure for rotation)
5. Formulated proposals to local administrative organization ( Baan Sa Tambol Municipality)-under consideration
6. Slightly reduced chemical residue in bodies of project members by blood test
Project Communication:
On 19 May and 11 June 2014, the project were visited by the Management staff of Siam Cement Co.Ltd Lampang and the staff from Jae Home District Non-formal Education Office. Both visits aimed to learn about production of organic fertilizer and other activities in the demonstration centre.
Problems and Issues:
1. Weather condition, especially rain, and other surrounding factors affected planned activities- some happening before, other after as appropriate. Some activities received less participation, due to imperative harvesting/planting season of targeted population
2. Successful change of bad habits and pre-existing livelihood activities within a short period of time was very difficult. So, it took times to prove to communities. Some anticipated resulted might not be totally achieved.
3. Project members were not able to supply sufficient products to the green market, because several middlemen came to purchase the products directly at the village then make distribute by themselves. In addition, the products should have been more diversified to attach passers-by or tourists.
The issues were addressed by
1.The plans were modified using participatory discussion
2.Project leaders took it seriously to explain and prove to communities about the virtues of organic farming
3. In order for members to accelerate the production, supporting factors like renewable energy for pumping water would be considered.
Experience , Lessons Learnt :
As a rule, in launching community development, one should not expect 100 % cooperation from a community . This may be because of different views/perception and or uncertainty of the community (wait-and-see attitude). The core of community development work seems to be sincerity, transparency, fairness and persistent sharing. Therefore, project managers had to manage their times with high spirit of volunteering. In order for some activities to be successful, searching for in-depth data and information was imperative.
Plans and Activities for Sustainability:
1. The project would remain a learning place for any public agencies and Siam Cement Co.Ltd Lampang
2. The municipality replicate activities on green market.
3. The project would keep on with solar water pumping for irrigation trial.