Page 56 - #52 English

Origin
Story and photos by Coffee t&i Thailand

Doi Tung The Forest of Life

You’ll be surprised to learn that the lush protected for-
est on Doi Tung was once 93,515 Rai of poppy plantations and
dried hills as the result of deforestation and shifting cultivation.
The forest is now the source of income for local communities,
but the development of Doi Tung didn’t just happen overnight
and this edition of CTI is taking you through the story of effort
and commitment to revive Doi Tung.
Doi Tung Development Project (DTDP) began with the
watershed forest restoration. Locals were encouraged and paid to
grow and look after the newly restored forest. After the restora-
tion project was completed, DTDP looked for ways to create jobs
for locals in the long run. Cash crops like coffee and macadamia
were introduced with the aim to promote sustainable way for
people to live with the forest. If people benefit from the forest,
they will look after it. In addition to agriculture, handicrafts
were promoted as local tribes are already good at it. With textile
expertise of Tai Yai and embroidery expertise of the minority
Chinese and Akha on Doi Tung, Thai Hill Crafts Foundation
was established according to the expertise of local communities and the main income for the ethnic groups living on Doi Tung
with 4 different production facilities, including a textile facility, until the late Princess Srinagarindra, the Princess Mother of the
a ceramic facility, a Saa paper facility, and a coffee roaster. present King of Thailand, visited the region. She recognized the
issues and firmly believed that, “No one wants to be bad. They do
Reviving the Forest it because they don’t have opportunities nor choices.” That’s why
The residents of Doi Tung did not have Thai citizenship. DTDP was established to give the ethnic groups an opportunity
There were no basic infrastructure, no government support, and to make their lives better.
it was very difficult to travel in and out. The region was once a Running the project required funding, and that’s where
secluded area in the center of the Golden Triangle, an area no- Nawut Co., Ltd., comes in. Founded in 1989, Nawut is the first
toriously known for poppy production. Poppy was the medicine social enterprise in Thailand. The name was bestowed by Prin-
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