It is , at present, apparent that the world is consuming the natural resources and energy at
an alarming rate. It is occurring in all scales of society: community scale and national commercial scale. All these contribute to the accumulation of the green house gas in the atmosphere which is apt to produce bad consequences to humanity. The project location, an agricultural community, has carried out development process on sustainable agriculture starting from the production , food processing and marketing. The food processing requires the application of heat obtained from oven. This oven is a product of indigenous knowledge and gives out heat through burning natural gas and fire-woods gathered from the locality. When the consumption rate is increasing, the fire-woods become more and more scarce to obtain.

Realizing the threat from wood scarcity, the project has launched a development project to identify the technology for high-efficiency burning of charcoal. The technology has as starting substance agro-waste such as branches and twigs of trees, Giant Sensitive Plant and wood existing in farming lands. While charcoal is being used as fuel, the by-product from charcoal burning called ?Wood Vinegar? is being used for improving soil quality and as a hormone for plant in the chemical-free vegetable planting process.

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

1.To maximize the efficiency of charcoal burning technology focusing on the utilization of biomass
2.To promote the use of the by-product ?wood vinegar? in the development process of sustainable agriculture
3.To disseminate knowledge and experience on sustainable agriculture and management of natural resources to other CBOs? and wider public.

Activities to be carried out under project:

1.Building high-efficiency charcoal burning stoves for 50 target families
2.Trying and demonstrating the development of appropriate technology , in conjunction with CBO?s
3.Planting fast-growing trees in local forests and farming areas
4.Organizing training on Sustainable Agriculture

Project participants and/or beneficiaries:

1.Agricultural Research and Development Office, Area 1
2.Centre for Administrative and Management of Plant Disease
3.Sustainable Agricultural Network

Anticipated results of project:

1.There emerge 40 families to launch the trial on sustainable agriculture and applied renewable energy.
2.Target group produces high-efficiency charcoal at a cost of approximately Baht:2,000./year lower.
3.Target group saves at least Baht:3,000:/year on chemical pesticide.
4. At least 70 families conduct fast-growing tree plantation for fire-woods.