The Chiang Rai SIP has identified forestry and sustainable agriculture as key areas for social transformation.
Promoted by UNDP and supported by ALCk, several collective co-creation and design sessions were held in the Chiang Rai district during the summer. Aware of the importance of forests in the development of the district, collective proposals for their protection have been elaborated.
The Open Innovation Platform in Chiang Rai (Thailand) has taken important steps in the co-creation of the Portfolio that seeks to connect existing actions with prototypes, with the aim of improving living conditions in the region. After several contacts with local agents, a series of areas for action and social participation have been identified.
Chiang Rai is located in the north of Thailand: surrounded by forests and jungles, it is an example of biodiversity. The natural importance of these forests is undeniable, but this importance also extends to the economic and social sphere. In this sense, after listening to the challenges identified by the local population and formulating proposals collectively, the protection of the forests and the ecological agriculture around them has been considered fundamental.
These proposals are the result of co-creation and collective design sessions with local agents, organized by the United Nations Development Program office in Bangkok and sponsored by the Agirre Lehendakaria Center. Three sessions have been organized throughout the summer of 2022, the first one online and the rest taking place in different communities in Chiang Rai.
The second session was organized at the end of July 2022 and the UNDP representatives visited four communities: Hin Lad Nai, Khun Lao, Pang Sa, Huay Han. In August, during the second visit, the community created possible prototypes to prevent forest fires and, in the event of such fires, to manage them effectively.
As already mentioned, despite being an area with a large forest mass, agriculture and livestock farming are fully developed in this environment and are the livelihoods of many inhabitants. Based on the listening and awareness-raising work carried out previously, the communities decided that the most effective way to protect the forests and agriculture is precisely the integration of agriculture and forestry, within a sustainable and balanced model.
Several examples of this integration are given:
- The production of various products, such as honey (through beehives) or coffee, represent the importance of caring for the forest, since without it, such economic activity cannot be developed.
- A sustainable livestock model is essential to guarantee the subsistence of the forest. Too many head of cattle can lead to surface erosion, as happened with the cattle in Ban Huai Han.
Along with this, and as a preventive measure, the Chiang Rai communities have identified the need for a Forest Fire Management Plan, which was later conceptualized to be incorporated into the co-created portfolio. This in turn has been divided into three areas:
1. Forest fire prevention.
2. Forest fire suppression
3. Strategies for alliances and alternative sources of financing.