“Back to the Roots” is witnessing a growing movement

Thais migrate to the countryside for more production and conservation

• Efforts in Thailand to attract young people to work on farms.

  archival

• Young farmers in Thailand are returning to the countryside with a new vision.

  From the source

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In Thailand, the small but growing "return to the countryside" movement drew young people from the cities to practice farming in rural areas.

In Mai Tha, residents have been able to obtain from the government the right to cultivate land in protected forests, which may promote environmental conservation and create additional jobs.

Like many locals, Mathana Abhaimon left rural Thailand to study in the city, but unlike most people, she chose to return and fight for her right to farm, in the jungle, as her grandparents had done.

Under the land use right, she and 5,000 other villagers can cultivate about 3,500 acres, inside a protected forest in the mountainous Mai Tha region of northern Thailand, which is near Chiang Mai, the region's largest city.

This is considered a major victory in a country littered with ancient disputes over who has the right to the land and its natural resources.

Young people have new ideas about the environment, sustainability, and food security, and they want to contribute to building their country, and they also want to participate in decision-making in the region.

Residents and researchers say this right, which has been in effect for 30 years, can be extended, which may actually enhance environmental conservation and the residents' economic activities.

“During the spread of the Corona virus, many young people who were in the city lost their jobs, or were afraid to stay there, and returned to the village, and began to practice farming,” Abhaemon says.

"It seems that this could be a viable option," she adds.

About 20,000 villages and communities in Thailand are located partly or completely within forests, according to government data.

The authorities say that the country's community forests benefit about three million people.

revival of hopes

The 2007 Community Forestry Bill raised hopes that forest dwellers would be given the right to benefit from them, but authorities have been slow to issue titles, according to land rights groups.

The draft Community Forest Law, introduced in 2019, aims to give villagers more right to manage resources, but it has limited these rights, limited them to a certain time period, and does not grant land ownership to residents.

"Conservationists do not trust these communities to preserve the forest, and the authorities believe that giving the right to use the land will increase the encroachment on the environment," said Chian Vadhanavuti, director of the Regional Center for Social Sciences and Sustainable Development in Thailand.

“While there is a law, it is not being enforced, and while local communities can be a resource to help prevent poaching, illegal logging, and the spread of wildfires, many citizens do not have the right to use forest land.” ».

Thailand's Forest Reclamation Act, imposed by the military leadership in 2014, aims to end encroachment on the forest and preserve natural resources.

The government also pledged to increase the forest cover to 40% of the total land area.

Against this background, the people of Mai Tha sought the help of academics and architects, to develop a land use plan to protect natural resources and livelihoods.

They mapped current land uses, estimated water consumption, and the risk of natural disasters, in addition to forming committees to oversee the preservation and recording of data.

“The participatory process enabled government officials and local communities to find a common language, to talk to each other about data, and to agree on goals,” says Spout Boon Mahathankorn, the architect who helped formulate the plan.

Forests in Thailand have long been a contentious issue between the government and businesses, indigenous peoples and farmers.

The Mai Tha community says their ancestors settled in the area more than 300 years ago, hunting for bamboo and mushrooms, and cutting down trees to build homes.

Decades of logging by authorities have led to deforestation, and Mai Tha residents are sometimes arrested for trespassing.

• The Thai Forest Reclamation Law, which was implemented in 2014, aims to end encroachment on the forest and preserve natural resources, and the government has pledged to increase forest cover to 40% of the total land area.

• 3 million people benefit from community forests in the country, according to government figures.

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