Livelihood Improvement and Value Empowerment Project (LIVE)

Project Number: 22-0510-13

Project duration:  2007-2011

Project Holder: Livelihood and Environmental Enhancement Project (LEE)

In 2004, farmer groups in Wang basin, Mae Wang District, Chiangmai province have formed he group formed in the name of Livelihood and Environmental Enhancement Project (LEE). Previously, Heifer had supported the farmers in 10 communities with different activities namely livestock (pig, buffalo and  cows), kitchen garden, gender equity promotion, saving groups, home visit of the HIV/AIDs patient, saving group and environmental awareness rising. These supports have empowered the villagers to generate better income and self-help group.  LEE has aimed to help over 35 needy communities in the basin.

LEE is administered by the 13 committee members who are the representatives of 12 villages in the basin. The committee is structured with coordinator, chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary, treasury, 6 members and 2 advisors. The members are in charge of different task; livestock and agriculture, HIV/AIDS, youth, training, communication and environment. 

Project Profile:

Through group formation, Livelihood and Environmental Enhancement (LEE) will provide supports on group formation, training, livestock and supplies for 50 families in new 2 villages. Several trainings like group formation, cornerstones, livestock rising, feed formulation and environment will be provided for both 2 new villages and 12 current villages. In addition to farmers focus, youth will become a key participant group. Youth will be able to absorb the Heifer value of which they can communicate with the family and community. In doing this, it will focus on group management and cornerstone adopted at the commencement. Then livestock and supplies will be provided consequently. 

Livestock will enable them to general better income while kitchen garden and saving will help them to save the household expenses. Hence, 30 cows, 30 pigs and 150 poultry will be in placement. Necessary supplies e.g. kitchen garden, seeds and biogas will be provided to farmers.

Project areas: Mae Wang district, Chiang Mai province, THAILAND

Local Conditions & Opportunities for Assistance:

The village area, the mountainous Wang Basin is a river source originated from Indhanondha mountain range, the highest spot of Thailand. This area, a well-known tourist site, is widely beneficial to the 126 villages of 3 districts: Mae Wang, San Pa Tong, and some parts of Doi Lo.

Due to the current trend of materialism, populism and money, villagers struggle to follow ideas such as self-sufficiency, sharing and caring and others which were common in the past and are the basis of a real community. Consequently, many problems like divorce, drugs and shortage of land for cultivation follow. Furthermore, the people in Wang basin enjoy different lifestyles, thus causing social and economic gaps in which a lot of people are deprived of life improvement. Therefore, it is necessary to provide them to access to various resources and raise awareness of environment and culture conservation and community sharing.

In the community, there are x principle problems as follows:

Poverty and debt:  Villagers of the new mostly grow rice for household consumption. Farmers owe limited land and hardly expand the plantation areas as the village area are adjacent to the national park. Due to low income generation, they hardly access to supplies for livelihood improvement while Informal credit sources charge the farmers with high interest; 50-60% per year.  Half of farmers have to migrate to urban area for work. This unavoidably bring in the family problem, homeless children, drugs and HIV/AIDS.

Land encroachment: Due to limited land owed, farmers expand the plantation land into the adjacent areas where later is declared as a national park area which later declared. This makes the villagers confront with the dispute over the land use with the government officer.  The villagers sometime are forced to leave out the areas.

Chemical uses: Farmers have used extensively of chemical substance in farming to improve the productivity. This results not only to health problem but also wider impact to community in the basin. The Mae Wang river, a major water resource,  that runs through the villages are gradually contaminated.

Water sanitation: Villagers directly connect the pipe to the canal branches of Mae Wang River for household consumption. They do not have any storage system nor filtration process. Direct use of water for household is no in sanitary standard.  

Therefore, Life Livelihood and Environmental Enhancement Project, foresee the needs to address these problems. Two new villages and twelve current project sites in Mae Wang basin will join hands in this development initiatives.

Project Goal:

By 2010, 300 families in 14 communities will become self-reliance, have good quality of life with awareness of environment conservation.

Objectives:

• To adopt the Heifer cornerstones values in project family, activities and community
• To increase income from livestock and integrated farming products sales
• To be able to apply environment management knowledge to their communities
• Tohave adequate and safe water for agriculture and drinking

 Passing on the Gifts:

Animal: Farmers will pass on the first female offspring at the same weight and price of original animals. If the first offspring is male, animal will be sold and buy female animal at the same price of the original.

Seed and fish: Farmers will pass on same amount, quality and price to the next needy family. Fish will be passed on by same amount of original fund.

Water Supply: Farmers will contribute money, labor and time to build, maintain and fix water supply as requested by village committee.

Knowledge: Sharing knowledge with group members and co-mentoring approach can create opportunity to share knowledge among groups.

Funding source: Heifer Project International