Forest Land for People: A Forestry Village Project in Northeast Thailand

Abstract

"The invasion of reserved forest areas by encroaching farmers is a problem in many countries. In the 1970s the Government of Thailand began a programme designed to meet the needs of the small farmers while at the same time rebuilding the forest. This authorized regulated agricultural use of reserve forest land combined with land rehabilitation for forestry. In 1979 a UNDP/FAO pilot forestry project was undertaken to assist in developing an implementation process for an implementation process for the programme. The initial operational phase of the project was concluded in late 1986. This article is a condensed version of a project assessment report, prepared for FAO by the author. It describes what the project sought to accomplish, by what means, and with what results, as foresters set out to become partners in development with the small farmers. The emphasis is on the socio-economic goals of the project since these were far more complex for all concerned than the technical forestry issues."