I. Progress report (June 22, 2013):
Activities undertaken:
1.Launching capacity building through training , study tour & meetings
2.Launching demonstration of environment conservation activities
3.Launching dissemination of project results

Results of activities:
1.Increased capacity and awareness of target population (73 families) RE: marginal forest management, global warming, native edible species, witnessed by ability to participate in planning, & put into practice what being learnt
2. Completed and functional nursery of the project with at least 10,050 seedlings od 14 species produced and planted in marginal lands and cultivated lands of members
3. Produced 1,000 kg. of IMO resulting in 250 kg. reduction of chemical fertilizer use/family
4.Established communication channel : https://sites.google.com/site/integratedhuailaogroup/, and www.facebook.com/banhuaylao

Project Visibility and Communication by other organizations/individuals:
There were the following visits.
1. On 18 Mar 2013: Ms. Surapha Saengsuriya, Nachuak District Clerk, Ms. Rungnapha Sombatkham, staff member of Tambol Khaorai Community Development Office, and Ms. Kanyaphat Nathaisong, staff meber of Nachuak District Agricultural Office, visited the project to learn about integrated farming, and land and water management for possible replication and dissemination.
2. On 4 Apr 2013: Mr. Phaisarn Chuangcham, expert on sustainable community development of the Land Reform Office, visited the project to summarize and compile lessons learnt for dissemination.

Emerging problems and issues:
Slow growth or wilting of some species of seedlings in the nursery was addressed by choosing a more appropriate time with appropriate temperature in conjunction with adjusting soil and other ingredient for nursery process.

Project experience and lessons learnt :
Positive:
1. Persistent coordination with other stakeholders in the district was quite smooth resulting in a more holistic community development project and time and resource savings.
2. Since the project did not start from zero, but an up-scaling of previous project, sharing experience and lessons learnt appeared optimum.
Negative:
1. Project leaders should have planned to launch activities more consistently with weather condition.
2. In nursery process, then plantation process, targeted population encountered lots of issues, ranging from soil ingredient, temperature and moisture control ,etc. It was, however, a learning process.

Project expense:
The project reported the expense of THB: 184,396 out of the first disbursement of THB:249,511.32 .
II. Project Site Visit (September 4, 2013):
Findings and Observation:
At a plot of one project member in Baan(village) Huay Lao, Na Chuak District, the visiting team interacted to share experience with about 15 project leaders from six participating villages where development background of the group, undertaken activities and some evinced results were also presented. Major undertaken activities were capacity building, nursery, reforestation of marginal degraded areas, and piloting organic paddy farming. Besides, the team was informed about the project?s coordinating roles with other stakeholders, e.g. the Land Reform Office and Mahasarakharm University, making the group and project more visible and understood.

To witness progress of activities, the team was led to see the nursery of the project in the village. The team found that the nursery still kept a number of native tree seedlings. About 1,000 seedlings were said to have been grown in marginal areas of the 65 members, and about 4,000 in community
forests, and marginal areas in village schools and temples.

As to the activity on promoting agro-forestry, the team witnessed plots of four members in two other villages who managed to portion their cultivated lands based on the royal self-sufficiency philosophy. The members had reduced the area for tapioca - the mains source of income - for native tree planation. All plots were seen with both grown trees and thriving native seedlings.

The final site of interaction was in Baan Nonchaisee. Here, the team witnessed a plot of about one-fourth acre strewn with young native paddies of 30 varieties. The plot was a pilot site of the project to try organic paddy farming. The yield from the plot was said to be distributed to 65 members for growing in their plots, each about half-an-acre.

The project fared as planned, even though result of each undertaken activity was not looked at in detail. And as the area was a portion of a bigger area which had been under an environment rehabilitation in land reformed area project of the Thai government in Mahasarakharm Province that had just seen its completion in the previous year, the visiting team agreed that existing technical and institutional capacity of project leaders were fairly notable. Each and every member was able to express his views and discuss relevant issues with the visiting team engagingly.

III. Completion report ( September 20, 2014):
Date of Participatory Evaluation( August 23, 2014 ):

Number of Beneficiaries/ Participating personnel:
Women: 27
Men: 38
Children: 40

Number of persons trained/ attending seminars, joining study tours:
Women: 42
Men: 38
Children: 170

Expense:
Amount received from SGP (2 disbursements): THB: 459,087.93
Total amount spent out of SGP budget: THB: 504,694.00
Balance: THB: ( -45,606.07)
Amount authorized for the final payment: US$: 1,628.66
Amount Received from others: THB: 35,000 (in cash)
THB: 407,312 (in kind)
Activities undertaken:
1.Launching capacity building through training , study tour & meetings, RE: local ecosystem management, organic fertilizer production, youth camp on local knowledge, integrated farming, and biodiversity
2.Launching demonstration of environment conservation activities, RE: Nursery, water use, reforestation, landrace (paddy)
3.Launching dissemination of project results
4.Launching participatory evaluation

Results and indicators:
1.Increased capacity and awareness of target population ( 65 families and 20 youth
members),RE: marginal forest management, global warming, native edible species, witnessed by ability to participate in planning, & put into practice what being learnt
2. Thriving 10,050 trees of 14 native species, including species of medicinal/nutritious quality, being propagated with 3,000 transferred to grow in project location
3. About 250 kg/family/season of chemical fertilizer being reduced
4. Emergence of about 30-acre paddy fields producing chemical-free rice
5. Acquired compilation of experience and dissemination for replication and up-scaling
6. Created website https://sites.google.com/site/integratedhuailaogroup/, and FB www.facebook.com/banhuaylao for sharing experience with other SGP projects

Project Communication:
From 28 June 2013 to 13 August 2014, the project reported that there had been 15 visitations from both groups and individuals to share and learn from the projects, including one international organization called Bridge Asia Japan (BAJ).

Problems and Issues:
1. Some project members still continued applying chemicals pesticides for tapioca, sugar cane and paddy
2. Higher demand for seedlings from related government agencies who wanted to buy seedlings in the national campaign ? 80 million seedlings for Her Majesty the Queen?

The issues were addressed by the followings:
1. Project leaders endeavored to educate the members through training stressing harmful effects of chemicals and focusing on quality control rather than quantity
2. The project worked harder to produce the seedlings.

Experience , Lessons Learnt :
The project reported nearly 100 % accomplishment without any failures. Project members and communities were well aware and participatory. What had been learnt in capacity-building were able to put into practice with promising results. Failure could be ascribed to only the ones who procrastinated, and were reluctant.

Plans and Activities for Sustainability:
The project planned to keep on practicing integrated farming and reaching out to other communities.