Towards sustainable rural community: the lessons learned from a pilot intervention at an Akha tribal community (Mae Chan Tai Village) in Northern Thailand
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Abstract
As a part of global efforts to pursue SDG Localization, a pilot project “Community based Sustainable Livelihood Development in Mae Chan Tai Village” was formulated and implemented (2018-2025) at Akha tribal village in Northern Thailand, with a focus to SDG 1 (poverty), SDG 2 (hunger, sustainable agriculture) and SDG 10 (inequality). The pilot project achieved good progress. Mae Chan Tai village community established a community organization (Community Enterprise) which played a key role in bringing all villagers to help each other and working together to pursue their common objectives. The village community has successfully built-up community revolving fund (one of the most important key indicators to measure the sustainability of community-centered self-help effort) with a total of 127,617 baht (approximately 4,000 US dollars) in one year during 2024 which was used for various community activities. Estimated average annual net income of villagers doubled during 2018-2025, reflecting largely significant increase of the farm gate price of Mae Chan Tai arabica coffee beans, which corresponded to sharp appreciation of international coffee markets price, and increased recognition of the quality, taste and value of Mae Chan Tai arabica coffee that draw local buyers to pay higher prices for their superior quality. The living conditions of villagers improved significantly during the period.
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