Hardship on the Remote Highlands

On high steep mountains in the northern region of Thailand, there was a group of people who lived by their own traditional culture on land rarely reached by travelers. They relied on forest lands for their existence and for making a living. Since the past, they have lived a modest life. Today the lives of these highland people, officially called Thai Phu Khao tribe (a collective name for hill tribe people), have experienced a drastic change as a result of several factors. Numerous problems have afflicted their livelihood. There were problems of poverty; health and sanitation; a lack of opportunity for education; a lack of good management for making a living, originally done through slash and burn agriculture, which destroyed the watersheds; and an insecurity in life and property. Casualties were reported each year because of the civil war in neighboring countries. The last and most important problem was drugs which affected the lives of the Thai hill tribe people and the country as a whole. Today drugs are still a serious problem for the country. The area where hill tribe people lived was the drug distribution point and transportation route from other countries into Thailand.

Benevolence Bestowed on the Hill Tribe People

                      Owing to the benevolence of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the hill tribe people were given an opportunity for a better life. From visiting the hill tribe people, Her Majesty realized the problems besieging her subjects and was determined to raise their standard of living. Her Majesty wished for the hill tribe people to become self-reliant and be able to live happily in Thailand for generations to come. This led to the establishment of the "Highland Agricultural Development Station" in 2002. On Her Majesty's visit, March 7, 2002, to a land completely cleared and abandoned at Doi Bae Lae, Baan Khun Om Had Nok, Moo 5, Sob Kong Subdistrict, Om Koi District, Chiang Mai Province, she graciously granted an initiative for the setting up of the Highland Agricultural Development Station. Concerned agencies like the Department of Agriculture; the National Park, Wild Life and Plant Conservation Department; the Department of Land Development; the Royal Irrigation Department; and the Department of Agriculture Extension, were convened to jointly consider the plan for setting up the station. The objective of the station was to serve as a center of knowledge on agricultural occupations for the hill tribe people. They were encouraged to participate in various activities undertaken at the station, including the joint effort to restore the forest and watershed areas to their original abundant condition. It was hoped that the hill tribe people would absorb the knowledge and develop proper occupational skills, as well as an understanding of the need to conserve the natural resources. After that, they would be able to apply such knowledge and skills to their own land and resultantly, produce continuous yields as well as income for their community. Of course, efforts had to come from both sides, meaning that the hill tribe people have to be diligent in their occupation and maintain a simple life.

Officials of the Doi Bae Lae Highland Agricultural Development Station built models of different types of check dams to serve as an example for the villagers in creating soil moisture   View surrounding the Huai Yuak Pa Sai Highland Agricultural Development Station, Chiang Rai Province

Development Stations According to the Royal Initiative

                      Since then, the Highland Agricultural Development Stations According to the Royal Initiative were established and located in different remote areas in the northern region, especially parts with a lack of means of communications. The stations received assistance from the Third Army Area Command in organizing an operative unit to oversee the security of the lives and property of the people, set order in the communities at the border areas, and transfer knowledge on the preliminary methods of self-defense, so that the people could become an information source for the authorities. The Army unit also rendered assistance to relevant agencies and facilitated the setting up of the stations, as well as carrying out different activities for the benefit of the people. Presently there are altogether seven Highland Agricultural Development Stations, situated in three provinces, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Nan. The three stations in Chiang Mai Province consist of Doi Bae Lae Highland Agricultural Development Station, Sob Kong Subdistrict, Om Koi District; Baan Huai Kiang Highland Agricultural Development Station, Muang Na Subdistrict, Chiang Dao District; and Khao Om Pai Highland Agricultural Development Station, Pang Hin Fon Subdistrict, Mae Cham District. In Chiang Rai Province, there are three Highland Agricultural Development Stations, namely Baan Pang Khon Highland Agricultural Development Station, Huai Chom Phu Subdistrict, Muang District; Baan Huai Yuak Pa Sai Highland Agricultural Development Station, Mae Salong Nai Subdistrict, Mae Fah Luang District; and Baan Tarn Tong Highland Agricultural Development Station, Mae Nguen Subdistrict, Chiang Saen District. The one in Nan Province is Phu Payak Highland Agricultural Development Station, at Baan Khun Nan Subdistrict, Chalerm Prakiet District.

                      For the next stage, relevant agencies will recruit personnel with knowledge, skills, and expertise in development work for highland areas, to assume responsibility of the stations and create consistency in the work. The personnel would take over the work in transferring agricultural technology, providing knowledge, and creating an understanding of the need to conserve natural resources among the hill tribe people. They would also be responsible for the administrative work of the station to ensure that the setting up of the stations render benefits for the people according to the royal intention, in turning the stations into a knowledge center for the deprived population living in remote areas.