I. First progress report (July 23, 2009)
Activities undertaken:
1. Conducting detailed community survey to reconfirm data & information
2. Building technical and institutional capacity of target population

Results of activities:
1. Substantial awareness of target communities to resume traditional, self-sufficiency economy practice with 100 committed community members and about 50-ha mono-species plots being initiated for environmentally-friendly agricultural practices (organic farming)
2. Increased capacity of target population witnessed through committed additional resources (in-kind) for the project as follows: THB: 70,000 for construction of paddy mill facilities, THB: 80,000 for construction of charcoal-production facilities , and THB: 80,000 for construction of learning centre for chemical-free paddy production.

Project communication:
The project was made more visible and reached out to a weaving group and to community members in adjacent villages of Tambol Salakru.

Experience ,lessons learnt, problems and issues:
One notable experience involved community awareness and willingness to change from profit oriented livelihood back to ? planting rice to eat, milling rice to eat? focus on using organic fertilizer.

Project expense:
The project reported the expense of THB: 91,500 out of the first disbursement of THB:150,043.13.

II.Monitoring visit by the NSC and University UNV: (February 3, 2010)
Findings and observations
The visiting team met with Mr. Thas Changyao, a leader of the grantee and farmers? group, with about 20 members, and representatives from two major stakeholders from national government agencies, i.e. the Royal Irrigation Department and the Land Development Department. Both departments had been working with communities to conserve land and water in the area for a few years.

After a brief introduction and questions about the background and history of the area, the visiting team was led to witness the progress of activities carried out under the project, which included production of bio-fertilizer, organic farming plots, production of charcoal and wood vinegar, and the rice mill.

Specific and more detailed questions and answers were also happening during this witness of progress. It was noticeable that the community had been working as a network and due to the dissemination of the project they got substantial support from the government which paved the way for the modification of land use to suit project approach. Technical and institutional capacity of target population was observed.

The project location used to be a wetland which had been altered about a hundred years ago (King Rama V) into a paddy field irrigated by excavated canals. Consequently, Thailand has been the leading country as a rice exporter. Gradually, these high grade paddy fields have been under threat of urbanization which includes residential area and industrial expansion with unavoidable water pollution and land degradation.

Around twenty years ago, farmers allotted some portion of land for orange species requiring to be treated with intensive chemical fertilizers. The result was an advance dehiscence of the fruits with the consequent loss of yield and manifest land degradation, bad smell, and even worse, negative effects to health of those people living nearby.

In term of daily energy of communities, electricity from grid, canned gas from market and gasoline are readily accessible. Average household, nevertheless, is still depending upon fire-woods available in marginal fields, especially, stumps of orange trees. Turning this biomass into charcoal and encourage more use is a project component. The charcoal-production kiln was seen in place but not complete for operation yet.

So far, the project result was satisfactory and well accepted by various stakeholders who would lead to a network to protect land and water in the location. The project and its stakeholders, however, were not totally free from risks and threat from urbanization. The visit from the Prime Minister and his entourage to the project location on September 3, 2009, deserved mentioning and could be regarded as a moral support and head start of advocacy.

III. Second progress report (February 24, 2010)
Activities undertaken:
1. Keeping on building technical and institutional capacity of target population
2. Keeping on launching activities to demonstrate the use of organic rice to produce organic fertilizer, sustainable use of fire-woods and , as well as keeping records

Results of activities:
1. Substantial awareness of target communities to resume traditional, self-sufficiency economy practice with 180 additional committed community members and about additional 288-ha mono-species plots being initiated for environmentally-friendly agricultural practices (organic farming) ? prompting the Nopparat Tambol Administrative Organization to financially support THB: 160,000 for purchasing a bio-fertilizer pelletizing machine
2. Emergence of facilities for paddy milling, bio-fertilzer producing charcoal- producing and community learning
3. Approximately 280 tons of bio-fertilizer being produced and applied in the 288-ha cultivated land
4. Approximately 5,000 litres of ionic plasma being produced for making bio-fertilizer, dripping into water courses to regulate water quality and selling to factories in project location for the same purpose

Project communication:
During this reporting period, the project was made more visible as follows:
1.With support from the Royal Irrigation Department, the project activities was aired on Television Channel 5 and published in one of the department?s magazine.
2.The project was invited to display its activities at a public event organized by Pathumthani Province and the Metropolitan Water Work Authority

Experience ,lessons learnt, problems and issues:
As organic farming in project location was still in its infantile stage, convincing some groups of target population was rather difficult. Through concerned government agencies such as the Royal Irrigation Department and the Land Development Department, however, the issue seemed to be lessened.

Project expense:
The project reported the accumulated expense of THB: 389,500 out of the sum of first & second disbursement of THB: 296,517.90

IV. Completion report (March 28 ,2011):
Date of Participatory Evaluation( February 10, 2011):

Number of Beneficiaries/ Participating personnel:
Women: 50
Men: 238
Children: 150

Number of persons trained/ attending seminars, joining study tours:
Women: 45
Men: 70
Children: 100

Expense:
Amount received from SGP (3 disbursements): THB: 438,908.40
Total amount spent out of SGP budget: THB: 553,647
Balance: THB:(-114,738.60)
Amount authorized for the final payment: US$: 1,433.06
Amount Received from others: THB: 223,000 (in cash)
THB: 362,500 (in kind)

Activities undertaken:
1. Conducting detailed community survey to reconfirm data & information
2. Building technical and institutional capacity of target population
3. Launching activities to demonstrate the use of organic rice to produce organic fertilizer, sustainable use of fire-woods and , as well as keeping records
4. Conduction participatory evaluation
5. Disseminating project results and networking

Results and indicators:
1. Acquired required data & information , approaches followed by five organic farming networks established with 138 members who have real faith in organic paddy farming
2. Approximately 136-ha paddy field being kept and maintained organically with produced 100-ton organic fertilizer, and 5-7 tons of organic paddy yearly
3. Approximately produced 8-10 tons of charcoal yearly , and substantial amount of the by-product, wood vinegar
4. Compilation of lessons learnt about small rice milling business and organic farming
5. One established learning centre for the Royal Self-Sufficiency Philosophy

Project Communication:
In addition to its distributed products, the project was made more visible and understood through the established learning centre which prompted interested surrounding communities and schools to visit the project.

Plans and Activities for Sustainability:
1. To increase farming area for organic paddy by 1.6 ha per family, due to its small area compared to that of vegetables and fruit trees
2. To grow more trees expecting them to be useful for house repair and other livelihood activities within the next 25 years
3. In order to mitigate global warming, the project plan to grow energy crops (Sunflower) for use by 2 acres/family. The oil of Sunflower would be used in running boat, driving water pump for irrigation and running small tractor. Moreover, biogas for use at household level was considered.
4. To promote learning for students from 4 community schools in project locations, where the project would allocate an area of ½ acre for each school as an organic farming learning site.

Experience , Lessons Learnt , Problems and Issues:
The project regarded all activities as useful for community livelihood. Nevertheless, to make a full success out of the Royal Self-Sufficiency Philosophy was still under way. There remained several activities to plan and implement to ensure such a success.

Whenever there was an issue or problems during project implementation, communities tried to address by themselves first, before asking advice from relevant government agencies.