Water resources policy and administrative management

The project location is situated along the Yuam river.With its lenght of 218 km.and draining into Moei River, a river transboundary with the Union of Myanma, the Yuam has been the sources of water supply for agricultural practice and household consumption for population of 4 districts of Mae Hong Sorn Province.There are 3 indigenous groups of people residing in the vicinity of the river.These are the low-land Thai , Shanist and high-land people. The total population in the area is 150,000: At present, the livelihood of the population around the Yuam river has drastically changed. Both private and public sector has encouraged the monoculture of cash crops which prompts the variation in agricultural practice. The introduced new practice focuses on applying chemical substances that produces harmful effects to the environment such as land degradation and chemical residue deposited in the agro-product itself as well as in natural water courses. Besides, the intrusion of logging companies coupled with the requirement for more cultivated land of local people have aggravated the situation. In sum, the traditional, natural resources-dependent livelihood of the population is changed to an environmental and natural resources-destructive one. Therefore, the project whose members and communities are of local people has realized this adverse trend and initiated the plan to alleviate the situation. Project goals or objectives (including GEF problem-area addressed by projects): 1. To build the capacity of CBOs in 6 villages in the aspects of addressing the prevailing problems and participating in the solution processes 2. To encourage the CBOs in rehabilitating/conserving natural resources through reforestation 3. To encourage the CBOs in adopting environmentally-friendly agricultural practices Activities to be carried out under project: 1. To survey , gather and analyse additional information from communities 2. To set up open forum to present the result of the analysis and respective proposals 3. To provide training and study tour for community leaders 4. To launch the reforestation project and environmentally-friendly agricultural practice Project participants and/or beneficiaries: 1. Members of 6 villages totalling 2,085 people are direct beneficiaries. 2. District Forestry Office and District Agricultural Office Anticipated results of project: 1. Community leaders, women and youth groups possess insights in environment management. This would be evinced by including in every meeting of the Tambol Administrative Organization the agenda on environment management. 2. There emerge 20 farmers who practise self-subsistent, non-chemical agriculture and at least 40 % of the chemical - using farmers adopting the suitable practice of employing the chemicals. 3. There emerge boundary lines for community forest, conserved forest, farming areas, housing area under the management of community by means of local approaches. 4. There emerge 2 areas of reforestation under close monitoring.

Thailand