In the past, the communities around the project location earned their livings by practicing agriculture which can be classified into 2 categories: subsistent rice & vegetable farming and cattle raising for farming process. The practice was considered a natural-depending and environmentally-friendly one.

Until 40 years ago when the government carried out the policy on agriculture for large scale commercial and export, the communities has changed their practice by adopting modern agriculture which focused on mono-crop , required larger cultivated areas, introduced machinery to replace water buffalo and chemical substance animal manure.

Consequently, the change of practice has produced adverse effects to the environment. There has been large-scale field burning to facilitate plowing by small tractors and appreciable consumption of diesel fuel. Let alone the effect of chemical to the soil and water, the new practice has been contributing to the accumulation of Green House Gas presented in the upper atmosphere. Simultaneously, there has been a problem on income of the communities. As time goes by, the expense for modern agricultural practice seems to exceed the income earned by selling agricultural products.

Project goals or objectives (including GEF problem-area addressed by projects):

1.To raise awareness of target communities regarding prevailing environmental problems and their consequences
2.To promote environmentally-friendly and indigenous agriculture
3.To sustain the activities and disseminate the best practices

Activities to be carried out under project:

1.Convening participatory forum aiming to instill conservation awareness of target communities and formulate indigenous approaches
2.Conducting environmentally-friendly and indigenous agricultural practice
3.Establishing saving group

Project participants and/or beneficiaries:

-40 families from the 5 villages
-Waeng Noi District Agricultural Office
-Waeng Noi District Livestock Office
-None Thong and Waeng Noi Tambol Administrative Organization
-Tha Nang Naew Women Cooperative and Tha Nang Naew Agricultural Cooperative

Anticipated results of project:

The selected 40 families will
-reduce the diesel fuel consumption 1,000 litres per year
-have adequate amount of fire-woods and charcoal from their own plantation
-have access to rotating fund established in the group