The Doi Tung Development Project, one of four flagship projects of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation founded 28 years ago by the Princess Mother (Somdet Ya), is facing a sea change.
Management of the sustainable alternative livelihood initiative on Doi Tung, a mountain in Chiang Rai, will be handed over to a new generation when the project reaches its 30th year in 2018.
"The time is ripe for change," says foundation chairman MR Disnadda Diskul, who has played a pivotal role in the private non-profit organisation since its establishment.
The foundation was set up to improve the quality of life of people in the project area who lived in poverty and were deprived of opportunities. It provides them with education, proper infrastructure and legitimate ways to earn their living while fostering co-existence between man and nature. It also encourages the conservation of Lanna and tribal arts, traditions and cultures.
MR Disnadda, now 77, says 2018 will be the year when the project is permitted to be extended for another 30 years by the Forestry Department.
The third generation of villagers will take over the helm. The first generation are now about 70-80 years old, while the second generation are not so well educated. Many in the third generation have a bachelor's degree and are happy to return home to work for the project.
"We believe in the third generation," MR Disnadda says. "This well-educated younger generation will be capable of handling the project's management in a more sustainable manner. And I dream that the project will become a global model for sustainable development."
In the past 15 years, the Doi Tung model has been used in many countries, especially as a way to tackle poverty and drug problems.
The foundation has appointed some members of the new generation to its board. They include Jitas Sorasongkram, son of Thanpuying Dasna Valai Sorasongkram; Bank of Thailand governor Veerathai Santipraphob; Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, president and chief executive of Thai Beverage Plc; and ML Dispanadda Diskul, deputy chief executive of the foundation.
The foundation was founded in 1972 by the late Princess Srinagarindra, the Princess Mother of His Majesty the King, as the Thai Hill Crafts Foundation under the Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness.
Following her visits to remote areas of the country, the Princess Mother discovered that ethnic minorities in northern Thailand were disenfranchised -- poor, lacking citizenship and the right to live on the land they farmed. They were often preyed on by opportunists and caught in a downward spiral of sickness, poverty and ignorance.
The Princess Mother was aware of their ability in craftsmanship and wanted to help market their work as a means of supplementing their income. Her initiative was quite successful, with their handicrafts becoming popular at home and abroad.
In 1979, the Thai Hill Crafts Foundation initiated an eight-month training course for hill tribe youth at Rai Mae Fah Luang (today known as the Mae Fah Luang Art and Culture Park), instilling skills and disciplines necessary for daily living such as the Thai language, basic mathematics, health education, honesty and independence.
This training then expanded into the Hill Tribe Youth Leadership scheme in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development.
In 1985, as the Thai Hill Crafts Foundation began to incorporate rural development into its activities, the Princess Mother granted permission for the foundation to be renamed the Mae Fah Luang Foundation under the Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother.
It then assumed an increasingly important role as a focal point of state and private organisations at both local and international level.
It was not until 1988 that the Mae Fah Luang Foundation undertook a comprehensive development project in the Doi Tung area to tackle opium cultivation at its root cause -- poverty and lack of opportunity.
This work has become the recognised model for sustainable alternative livelihood development in Thailand, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Indonesia.
The foundation has now hired Boston Consulting Group to study the new management structure of Doi Tung Development Project and its development plan.
Mrs Kham, 64, is Tai Lue, one of six ethnic groups living in Doi Tung who earned only seven baht a day before working for the project.
"I am happy to work here," says Mrs Kham, who has worked as a general employee at the project for 23 years.
Doi Tung workers check the quality of ceramic products.
"About 25 years ago, MR Disnadda Diskul asked me to join the weaving centre with a daily wage of 50 baht a day. I immediately said yes to join the project."
The weaving centre originally employed 10 workers, while teachers were hired to train them in weaving for nine months. Two years later, a weaving factory was established. It now has 150 employees earning up to 12,000 baht a month.
Three generations have worked under the same roof. "I am proud to work here because the project helps improve the lives of villagers and lets them stay in their home area," says Mrs Kham.
The project has four businesses covering food, crafts, agriculture and tourism. It generates 400-500 million baht in revenue a year and employs 1,700 people.
The project has been self-reliant since 2000. It runs two coffee shops in Japan and supplies coffee products to Japanese retailer Muji. In 2011, it started supplying weaving products to Swedish furniture giant Ikea.
Villagers have also gained experience in developing standards from Ikea, which worked with the project for nine years before deciding to become a partner.
"I hope the Doi Tung Development Project can be sustainable in the long term while the villagers manage the project by themselves," says Khunying Puangroi Diskul Na Ayudhya, the project's executive director.
