Main

The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

Raks Thai Foundation (Thai NGO - recommended by the Mitsui & Co. Asia Pacific BU)

Developing sustainable, environmentally friendly communities - a project for reducing and responding to global warming rooted in the region

Activity grant

Project Description

Global warming is expected to have a devastating impact on deprived regions that are dependent on natural resources and agriculture. However, poor farmers in Northern Thailand are not just facing the effects of climate change, but also contributing to it by expanding areas of land used for agriculture, destroying forests and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The forests inhabited by minority groups in the mountains of Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai Province, have high CO2 absorption capabilities and are important resources for eliminating poverty and mitigating the effects of climate change, but in order to respond to global warming and climate change, they need to be managed appropriately. This project aims to continue work on the existing renewable energy and agriculture projects listed below. Through these activities it aims to create measures to tackle global warming on a community level, producing Eco Friendly Powered Communities.
(1) Workshops teaching organic and sustainable farming skills (slash and burn techniques that increase forest, shifting from crop rotation to rice terraces, etc.)
(2) Technical and financial support for fuel-efficient stoves and seedling provision
(3) Installing biogas tanks that use livestock manure and turning used manure into fertilizer
(4) Introducing biodiesel made from types of jatropha produced in villages
(5) Supporting educational and awareness-raising activities relating to global warming

Fields
Climate changePreservation of surface soil and forestsEnergy problem
Grant year
FY2008 Activity Grants
Grant term
3 years
October 2008 - September 2011
Grant amount
28,255,000 yen
Activity region
Northern Thailand
Rice terraces constructed by hand by residents of Northern Thailand's mountain regions

Overview of the Organization

Promboon Panitchpakdi, Executive Director
Representative
Promboon Panitchpakdi, Executive Director
Establishment
1997
Establishment purpose
The Raks Thai Foundation was launched in 1979 in the Thai office of international NGO Care, and started carrying out activities independently in 1997 after receiving foundation status from the Thai government. It's founding chairperson was Dr. Krasae Chanawongse, a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership who has served as a Deputy Minister for Health, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister. The foundation has 140 staff in 16 offices across Thailand, and engages in various initiatives in each region, including agricultural development, nurturing cottage industries, environmental conservation, AIDS prevention and supporting people with AIDS, and AIDS prevention for migrant workers.
Main area of activity
Thailand
Staff
182 full-time staff members, 70 part-time staff members, 180 full members
Annual operating budget
1.42 billion yen in 2005, 977 million yen in 2006, 877 million yen in 2007
WEB site
http://www.raksthai.org
Recent activities
  • (1) Upland community livelihood and natural resource management projects: upland communities are mainly comprised of tribal groups and are dependent on natural resources. For over 20 years the foundation has supported environmental conservation, sustainable agriculture, and natural resource management in upland regions with the aim of eradicating poverty.
  • (2)Renewable energy projects for small communities: reducing the dependence on fossil fuels of four communities in Chiang Mai, Lhampun, and Nan Provinces, and encouraging the use of hydro power, biogas, and biodiesel made from jatropha.