Situated next to the Doi Phu Nang National Park and with population of about 1,100 , almost all of the target community earn their living by agriculture. The main crops are cotton, rice, chili and corn for animal feed. Every season, there are plenty of corncobs left unused.

Like all other rural communities in Thailand, the target population depends upon fire-woods from forest and natural gas available from local suppliers for household energy such as cooking. It has been evident that the amount of fire-woods from forest will be dwindling and hard to obtain in the near future while the price of natural gas is increasing.

Four groups in the community who have been practicing sustainable agriculture had discussed and initiated the use of the abundantly leftover corncobs as fuel for cooking. Besides, the groups are interested and plan to use solar energy for preserving agri-product such as chili and bananas for their own consumption.

Burning the biomass from corncobs in specially designed stoves and harnessing solar energy for heating/drying in the livelihood of these communities will contribute to solving the problem of unsustainable use of fire-woods and deforestation and high cost of living resulting from uncertainty of natural gas price. Simultaneously, it will contribute to stabilizing the rate of emission of greenhouse gas in the world atmosphere.

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

1.To support CBOs? role in disseminating and campaigning on environmental and natural resources conservation
2.To promote at community-scale the use of solar energy and biomass energy for agri-product preservation and family cooking

Activities to be carried out under project:

1.Conducting seminars, workshops and study tours on
-cause & effects of climate change
-natural resources management , energy conservation and renewable energy application
2.Launching campaigns by posters, community radio programme and stage plays on energy and natural resources conservation
3.Building and putting to use solar ovens , corncob burning stoves and high-efficiency cooking stoves
4.Practicing sustainable agriculture by planting fruit trees, nitrogen-fixing species and species of
medicinal value

Project participants and/or beneficiaries:

-45 farming families of Mien ethnic minority and indigenous Thai in Ban (village) Bor Tonsak and Ban Bor Bia , tambol Mang, Chiangmuan District are direct beneficiaries.
-Ban Bor Bia School in Chiangmuan District
-Mang Tambol Administrative Organization , Chiangmuan District
-Doi Phu Nang National Park
-Yom Watershed protection unit in Song District, Phrae Province

Anticipated results of project:

1.The TAO, CBOs and schools exhibited conservation awareness by continuing their leading roles in stage play and community radio programme.
2.There are at least 25 families more received into the memberships of the project.
3.There are at least 3 kilns for making charcoal from corncobs , 10 solar heaters and 30 high-efficiency stove for uses , reducing the use of fire-woods from forest and cooking gas.