Project Detail

Manual Energy for Sustainable Rehabilitation of Environment

Livelihood of target population depends upon agricultural practice of two patterns: small rice farming for household consumption and ,on limited scale, mono-crop plantation, such as sugar-cane, tapioca and kenaf, for sales. Average farming area is one ha for rice farming while two ha for mono-crops. Preparing and maintaining soil for these crops are mostly through small tractors and chemical fertilizer. The average diesel oil consumption of is 10 litres/ha. As one litre of used diesel generates 2.8 kg. of carbon dioxide, this rate of consumption results in a great quantity of accumulated greenhouse gas, which could cause global warming and successive climatic variance. In the past, community production resorted to animals which, evidently, resulted in a low community expense and greenhouse gas emission. Therefore, re-introduction of native animals, especially water buffaloes, in farming ,replacing fossil fuel -consuming machine ,can help avoid adding up to the global greenhouse gas. Besides, the manure of the animals ,a natural fertilizer, can further help reduce the expense of target population, especially on chemical fertilizers and slow the rate of chemical run-off to the Phong River ,an ecological portion of the Mekhong River.

Project participants and/or beneficiaries:

1.Selected 28 club members are primary beneficiaries.
2.Remaining members are secondary beneficiaries / impacted population
3.The Ubolrat Dam Self-Help Project provides cash and in kind contribution
4.The Rehabilitation and Development of Ecosystems of Phong River provides cash and in kind contribution
5.NGO-COD ? Northeast provides cash and in kind contribution

Activities to be carried out under project:

-Procuring water buffaloes and putting into use in paddy and other mono-crop farming practices
- Redistributing water buffaloes for other members of the club
- Conduction seminars and study tours on energy conservation and renewable energy technology
- Producing organic compost by using animal manure

Anticipated results/Immediate Outputs of project:

-Reduction of diesel consumption, thus increase income, by 50-55 % / participating families
- approximately six-month old 20 water buffaloes being distributed to and put to similar use by new 20 members
- Members capable of articulating on the learnt subjects
- More members received into the club membership
- Reduction of chemical fertilizer by 250 Kg./family/year, equivalent to the saved Baht: 20,000
per/family per year

Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Community Economy Revitalization Villagers? Club

Country:

Thailand

Area Of Work:

Climate Change Mitigation

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 10,607.49

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 258.28

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 1,658.77

Project Number:

THA/03/18

Start Date:

1/2004

End Date:

12/2004

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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Project Characteristics and Results

Gender Focus

No specific planning on gender issue.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

Project activities directly involve occupation of target communities.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

Public awareness is perceived through activities of project members.

Notable Community Participation

The execution agency is based in locality with members from communities who have been participating in collective development activities

Capacity - Building Component

There is a component on capacity building,especially on energy efficiency.

Project Results

I. The progress report was received on December 8 , 2004, with following details:

Activities carried out:

1. Procuring water buffaloes and putting into use in paddy and other mono-crop farming practices

2. Conducting training on and production of organic compost by using animal manure

Immediate Results:

1. 28 water buffaloes being put to plough cultivated land resulting the reduction of diesel use at
about 60-70 %
2. Some reduction of chemical weed killer use in fields
3. About 30 % of villagers turning back to traditional way of agriculture- raising water buffaloes
4. About 20 % reduction of chemical use in fields
5. Members putting the compost in to their fields with preliminary tangible better soil condition in the
fields applied with the compost

II. The project was visited on May 13, 2005 , with following details:

FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS

The premises of the club in Baan(village) Non Sisawas, Tambol Muangwarn was the meeting place and a place for witnessing the result of field activities. Ten members of the club and of the project were participating in the discussion and sharing experience.

Project members seemed convinced that the main activities of using 28 water buffaloes back to reduce the use of small tractors in preparing and maintaining paddy-field and sugar cane field had reduced the use of diesel oil by 60-70 %. In addition, the need to keep filed dike grass as fodder for these animals led to the substantial reduction of chemical weed killers. In order to secure continuous supply of fodder for new generation of the animal, project members were thinking about growing grass as fodder and allocating marginal areas as a grazing land.

The effect of capacity-building activity of the project was witnessed through the demonstration of producing organic compost and intervention of government agencies in Khon Kaen Province. The Khon Kaen Hospital and the Regional Environment Office were quoted as major stakeholders in the project. While, the hospital provided technical assistance in measuring/monitoring land quality , the office laboratory test of water quality of the Phong River , a tributary of the Mekhong River and a major life-supporting river in the province.

Even as all capacity-building activities on renewable energy , such as biogas and biomass
energy, had been conducted, and some awareness sensed, project members did not have
self-confidence to launch a demonstration. There would have to be additional encouraging
factors.

The project would plan the participatory evaluation upon completion as advised by the NC.

III. The completion report was received on May 25, 2005 summarizing the results/outputs as follows:

1. The 28 water buffaloes were put to plow rice ?fields, sugar-cane fields and tapioca fields ,avoiding the use of diesel oil at 2,800 litres at an annual average, saving about Baht: 61,600 per year. On top of this, chemical weed killers were totally avoided, as natural killers (water buffaloes) grazed on them to control the growth.
2. Even though Members were capable of articulating what had been learnt and more members were received into the club, putting into practice still required careful steps of planning , just to avoid failure.
3. Reduction of chemical fertilizer use by 50 % and increase of Baht: 3,000/person/month from selling the surplus.

Participatory Evaluation: Conducted on 10 April 2005 (final)

Participants: 24 project members

Methods: Open meeting and seminar

Impact: Based on the four participatory evaluations conducted during the project duration,
project committees had struggled to make project members to gain insight and put into
practice the environmentally-friendly agriculture and livelihood. When good examples
coming into sight, members followed and attained 80 % of target. It was also estimated
that labour migration into towns had reduced by 60 %

Future Plan: The evaluation upon completion had convinced project leaders about future continuous
activities and about expanding into surrounding communities, by applying the lessons
learnt and adding new ideas and concept to maximize the effectiveness of activities. In
order to launch the new campaign, the project planned to re-forest degraded marginal
lands to reverse land degradation.

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