I. First Progress Report (26 February 2010):
Undertaken Activities:
1. Reconfirming project objectives and activities with targeted communities
2. Launching demonstration activities of renewable energy (biogas)
Results and indicators:
1. Over 50 core leaders participating resulting in increased understanding of alternative energy issues and collective plans
2. Core leaders gaining insight on biogas technology witnessed by active putting into construction of 30 biogas pits, each 2 cu.M
Project Communication:
Project activities were made known through:
1. Community Radio (100.75 MHz) under ?Alternative Energy for Community? Programme , every Saturday 09:00-09:30. There were 5-10 interested persons/airing , calling the programme asking for more information.
2. Distributed tracts and newsletter of the grantee ? Message from Caring Communities?.
Experience , lessons Learnt, problem and issue:
The project stipulated problem and issue as follows:
1. Since average communities had limited background and awareness on alternative energy, reconfirming and building capacity had to be carefully planned and conducted to avoid technical and institutional problems once putting into field practice.
2. There were quite a few biogas specialists in project location thus required travel to some other province , as far as Petchabun. Nevertheless, going out of their own communities to other far away places sparked curiosity to learn more.
Project Expense:
The project report the expense of THB: 85,100 out of the first disbursement of THB: 416,067.35.

II. Monitoring vist by the NC (15 July 2010):
Findings and observations:
Three targeted villages in Udornthani Province?s Prajaksilapakhom District - Baan(village) Nonsomboon, Baan Chiangkrom and Baan Nong Loom Pook - are homes of several hundreds families 80 % of which grow paddy and depend upon the provisions of Nongharn Wetland, Kumphawapi, a wetland of international importance in Thailand and the second largest wetland in the northeastern region. Marginal forests were said to provide food such as mushrooms for community consumption. These forests may not be fully classified as protection and limited production forests which contains natural forest land cover and altered land cover such as agriculture or residence, they contributed to supplying water into the wetland notwithstanding. The villages are grid-connected, but those farmers who attend to their paddy fields outside the villages are not. Fire-woods and charcoal appeared to be the first choice for daily cooking, with canned gas and electricity as supplemented sources. Production of charcoal at commercial scale by non-project members was spotted, here and there, in marginal lands privately owned.

Increased technical capacity and awareness of three targeted families on renewable energy and energy conservation was notable. After training from the Provincial Energy Office, these families actively and collectively began to build biogas facilities, with 10 in completion. The construction of the remaining 20 were scheduled to start after the rainy season. The just completed 10 had not yet produce enough biogas for the families, since the gas production process would take about two weeks more before substantial amount of gas would flow to the kitchens. The families appeared exciting and hopeful, though.

As to the production of high-efficiency stoves, only one project member was witnessed to put what had been trained into practice i.e. building them for use. One main difficulty involved a skill or craftsmanship which average farmers did not essentially possess. Besides, it would need other project members to lend helping hands. The member had fabricated six stoves, one of which was being tried in his kitchen, the others sold out. The project proposed to fabricate and use 100 of this or similar type.

The re-forestation of marginal land by native species did not start yet. Project leaders confirmed that the activity should begin after planting season, which began quite late this year , due to the current draught in the country.
It was interesting, in the next five months, to see how the biogas pits and the high-efficiency stoves would contribute to reducing the use of fire-woods and threat to minimal forest covers, the use of canned gas and electricity from grid, thus emission of CO2 from these communities.

During the visit, Khon Kane University?s Research and Development Institute provided a round trip ticket, lodging , meal and on-site transportation for the national coordinator, estimated at THB: 8,000.

III. Second Progress Report (January 24, 2011 ):
Undertaken Activities:
1. Keeping on building technical capacity of target communities on renewable energy technology (biomass stove and manual water pump)
2. Keeping on launching demonstration activities of renewable energy (biomass stoves)
3. Disseminating project results and activities

Results and indicators:
1. Increased technical capacity of 50 project members witnessed through ability to successfully fabricate 100 biomass (rice husk) stoves
2. The 100 biomass stove being able to reduce fire-woods by at least one ton and charcoal by 500 kg on a monthly basis
3. Thirty biogas pits being completed and able to reduce consumption of canned gas by 60 cans ( 15 kg/can) per month
4. At least 1,000 community members in 20 villages participating and learning about the effect of CO2 and global warming

Project Communication:
The project was made more visible and understood by
1. Community radio ? Homeland Concern Radio? every Thursday in the community energy session
2. Newsletter of homeland concern community sent to various environmental NGO
3. Production of Community Energy Documentary ( in process)
4. Thai Public Broadcasting Service ( interviewing project leaders)

Experience , lessons Learnt, problem and issue:
1. The project had prompted a cooperation with the Alternative Energy Network, a community organization under support of Udornthani Provincial Energy Office
2. Some target community still need some technical skill , such as on construction and maintenance of biogas pit, resulting in delay or deficiency of the system.
3. Dissemination of project activities through community radio was proven fairly effective

Project Expense:
The project report the accumulated expense of THB: 936,100 out of the sum of first & second disbursement of THB: 818,672.96.

IV. Completion report (Received on 26 March, 2012)):
Date of Participatory Evaluation( 8 January 2012):

Number of Beneficiaries/ Participating personnel:
Women: 154
Men: 172
Children: 106

Number of persons trained/ attending seminars, joining study tours:
Women: 68
Men: 83
Children: 52

Expense:
Amount received from SGP (3 disbursements): THB: 1,203,204.94
Total amount spent out of SGP budget: THB: 1,389,800
Balance: THB : (-186,595.06)
Amount authorized for the final payment: US$: 4,154.87
Amount Received from others: THB: 270,500 (in cash)
THB: 581,000 (in kind)

Activities undertaken:
1. Building technical capacity of target communities on renewable energy technology
2. Launching demonstration activities of renewable energy , i.e. biogas, energy saving stoves, manual water pump and reforestation of marginal land
3. Participatory evaluation
4. Knowledge management and outreach

Results and indicators:
1. Increased technical capacity of 50 target populations in 8 villages and acquired energy information and statistics to be used for formulation of community energy plan and for construction/fabrication of renewable energy systems
2. Emergence of renewable energy facilities and reduction of fossil energy as follows:
? 30 biogas pits of 2,000-litre capacity/pit reducing at about 60 cans (of 13 kg./can) /month of cooking gas ? about 2.34 tons of CO2 avoided per month
? 100 biomass cooking stoves reducing monthly at least one ton of fire-woods , 500 kg of charcoal and 100 cans of cooking gas ? about ( 1.46 + 2.19 + 3.9 )= 7.55 tons of CO2 avoided per month
? 50 manual water pumps (bicycle) reducing monthly expense from grid electricity by THB: 10,000 ? about 2.3 tons of CO2 avoided per month
3. Established Centre for Community Energy Learning for community members in 8 villages to learn from
4. Emergence of community alternative energy plan
5. About 160 ha of marginal forest land being re-vegetated and offering a spot for carbon sink
6. About 1,000 non-project members in the location learning about the course of projects through project communication materials such as pamphlets and audio-visual materials

Project Communication:
As mentioned in the previous reports

Plans and Activities for Sustainability:
With the emerged community alternative energy plan, the project plan to proceed with the replication in surrounding location through community radio and dissemination materials of the project. Moreover, by resorting to mechanism of various organization with in communities, other types of alternative energy, such as, 200-litre drum for charcoal producing kiln and wind energy for pumping would be materialized

Experience , Lessons Learnt , Problems and Issues:
After capacity-building activities, it was found that community members still need more assistance for proceeding with construction/fabrication of renewable energy systems. In order to convince the members, project leader had to search for more sources of knowledge such as from internet and from Khonkaen University?s Research and Development Institute.

V.Post M & E vist by the NC (17 August 2012):
Findings and observations:
Before proceeding to witness selected activities which had been sustained, and in order to get an overall picture of current results, the visiting team interacted with five project leaders at Baan (village) Nonesomboon, one of the project participating villages. It was confirmed that several project members who used renewable energy as proposed, continued to use them in livelihood activities satisfactorily, especially biomass energy from rice husk for daily cooking, and manual energy for water pumping to irrigate small cultivated land. As for the biogas energy from water buffalo/cow manure, there had been a technical problem about a minor leakage, thus weak pressure of supplied gas to the kitchen, and an institutional problem concerning some members selling their water buffalos/cows due to their current high price. In spite of the two mentioned issues on biogas use, it was evaluated in general that the activities were successful, as some members still used the biogas, had gained technical knowledge and were able to build new facilities. There were also new members who expressed interest to use this type of energy in livelihood activities.

As to making the project more visible, and sustaining environmental activities, the project leaders kept on activities with students, of 9-15 years old, in a local school. One part of this was to inculcate ecological conservation awareness, global warming effect mitigation, and local culture/indigenous practice in livelihood activities. This integrated learning approach was interesting as it encouraged young generation to look back at good practices of their ancestors, while launching effort to reverse further degradation.

After interaction, the project leaders demonstrated the use of the biomass stove which the visiting team sensed that all project leaders acquired a lot of experience about and were able to articulate its fabrication as well as some of its weak/strong points.

The next witnessed sustained activity was the use of manual energy to pump water through a bicycle. Three plots were visited with their owners enthusiastically demonstrating and sharing how they had managed to use this type of renewable energy satisfactorily.
In order to understanding more how biogas from animal manure had been faring, the visiting team witnessed one of the 30 biogas facilities of the project. It was confirmed that the facility had been working for nearly a year till gas leaking from the collector was sensed. Following an advice of the NC, repair and readjustment were carried out with satisfactorily result. At an average, the facility resulted in 30-40 % saving of canned gas.

Finally, a marginal degraded area in project location which was reforested in the latter half of 2011, was witnessed. Several seedlings of native species were seen thriving at about one-metre tall, in spite of the last April wild fire had scorched the location. In keeping with this activity, the project encouraged members to replant as a maintenance activity every year.

In conclusion, project activities appeared to be sustained. Related technical and institutional capacity of members, it was sensed, were increased. One notable activity was the use of rice husk stove. As a paddy growing community, with availability of rice husk, and successful function of the stove fabricated, this biomass energy use would be sustained and promoted to a larger extent.