Features | Online edition of Daily News

“Our actions must be like drops of water, ripples from each drop expanding ever outward to touch countless others.”

Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s reign shows abundant evidence of having exercised this philosophy in practice. Any tourist in Thailand will certainly be impressed by his projects undertaken to the country’s betterment.

King Bhumibol, who celebrated his 84th birthday in December, 2011, was enthroned when he was only 18. As the longest serving monarch in the world since 1989, he has initiated more than 4,000 development projects throughout the country. Interestingly most projects have benefited the needy communities in rural areas. The projects, known as ‘Royal Development Projects’, are a result of king’s extensive traveling across the country. He has been informed about the common man’s grievances. The majority of Thai kingdom appreciates these well documented projects.

However the projects are little, or not, known outside Thailand. The projects are a fine lesson to Sri Lanka too in its quest to home-grown and indigenous solutions.

Drug crop replacement

King initiated a project in 1969 to solve the issue of deforestation, poverty and opium production by promoting alternative crops. It is fascinating to see how the project has completely eliminated the growth of opium poppy in the northern highland areas of the country by introducing newly improved crops. That has enabled hill-tribe people to attain better living conditions while sustaining the land’s rich biodiversity.

Royal Project Foundation

Growing numbers of hilltribe people were accelerating their slash-and-bum practices in the highlands in order to clear land for the cultivation of rice, corn and opium poppy, the rice and corn for their own food, the opium poppy to be sold or exchanged for other needed commodities.

In 1959 the State had promulgated legislation banning the cultivation of the opium poppy, but there did not exist at the time any research and development programs to help provide the hilltribe people with alternatives. For several years they had no choice but to covertly, with this their only cash crop. Not only were their activities illegal but they also posed a threat to border security and to the nation's vitally important watershed areas. In response to the problem. King Bhumibol conceived and launched the Royal Project in 1969.

Objectives

1. Offer a helping hand to all humankind;

2. Ensure natural resources for conserving a sustainable future;

3. Eradicate opium poppy cultivation and opium derived addiction problems;

4. Encourage a wise and proper balance in utilising and conserving land and forest resources.

Development

An intensive effort has been and is being made to develop the necessary infrastructure, e.g. village roads, small irrigation systems and village electricity. Teams are working on improvement of watershed areas through proper land use management and soil conservation practices in the already slashed and burned areas.

The Royal Project has three main activities: research, development and marketing. Presently there are 36 Royal Project Development Centres and four Research Stations in five provinces of Northern Thailand including Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

Instead of the tormentor opium, the project has introduced fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, herbs and beverages such as tea and coffee to hill tribes. These project sites are available for domestic and foreign tourists. Tourism has become an additional income source to these villages.

Ang Khang Royal Agricultural Station

Ang Khang is a village, surrounded by spectacular natural scenery, situated in Chiang Mai province. Mount Ang Khang is the sixth tallest mountain in Thailand. The station was set up in this mountain as the Royal Project's plant research station, based on the concept of self-reliance.

A visitor would see it is a fertile area now with a wider range of fruits, cold climate vegetables and flowers.

New agro-technologies and methods are also tested and introduced in this station. One such technology is growing lettuce on regiform using water underneath. Thereby the use of soil is not required anymore.

Thailand has introduced this technology to Maldives, where it is highly useful with the limited availability of land. The villagers run restaurants with the fresh vegetables, which have replaced opium. Well maintained vegetables and flower gardens are an unmistakable sight.

Inthanon Royal Agricultural Station

Mount Inthanon is another area under the purview of Royal Project. The project has allowed human communities and forests to co-exist harmoniously. Reforestation activities have been undertaken while introducing sustainable cultivation methods instead of the destructive ‘slash-and-burn’ farming which had been quite popular among villagers. Visitors to this area can observe the cultivation of layered paddy fields, highland farming systems, coffee plantations and strawberry plots.

According to Inthanon Station’s flower researcher Supsak Senawong, they import flower varieties from numerous countries and research to improve their quality to suit the Thai climate. This has created a competition for flowers in the market. The research is carried out until the best result is achieved, and it covers all aspects of flowering plants from pest control to colours of flowers.

Home-grown solutions

In addition to the Royal Project, recognized as a successful and impressive project, the royal family has engaged in a number of other projects too for the Thai welfare. Some are with royal family funds, implemented and experimented by the King. Later the Thai government has taken up the projects for further development.

Private sector has also embarked on more projects with the king’s advice and guidelines. At times the king would initiate a project and advice the government agencies for implementation and studies.

What’s special about these development projects is that they are designed, implemented and developed to suit the local conditions and requirements. The king has a habit of carrying three items wherever he travels: pencil, map and dual radio, showing the world how he works out his own indigenous strategies.

The Royal Development Projects depict the value of home-grown solutions to problems. Touring the Royal Project Sites in Thailand gives the impression that people-participatory development is the best thing we can opt for.