I. progress report (December 28 , 2012):
Activities undertaken:
1.Launching technical capacity building of targeted population through study tours and open forum RE: Impacts of chemicals on biodiversity, organic farming technique
2. Launching demonstration of conservation activities through resources inventory, promoting alternative agriculture, establishing seed banks
3. Launching dissemination of project results
4. Launching participatory evaluation

Results of activities:
1. Increased awareness and capacity of 60 project members witnessed by active participation as follows:
- 45 members trained on production of effective micro-organism and organic farming technique and apt to put into practice in their plots
-15 members putting in to practice resulting in primary cost reduction and a positive sign of yield increase
-50 members learning more about organic farming through study tour resulting in adoption of integrate-organic farming and yield processing
2. Acquired data of 60 native edible plant species, 15 local recipes to refer for conservation and planning sustainable use
3. Witnessed increased use of compost, worm-raising, compost soil and nitrogen-fixing species among 25 members
4. Collection of seeds of 80 edible plant species and distributed to 50 members through participatory approach
5. Establishment of 12 demonstration plots launching native paddy farming, organic paddy farming, integrated farming, soil-covering vegetation, and season crop within para-rubber plantation
6. Establishment of 3 alternative markets to distribute health-care products and food.
7. The project being better known and understood through public events in both Songkhla and Nakhornsithammarat Province

Project Visibility and Communication by other organizations/individuals:
1. On 18 Aug 2012: the project was visited by Songkhla Provincial Holistic Plan where personnel of the plan participated in activities of the project as members of committee promoting demonstration of health-care product and other social events.
2. On 17 Sep 2012: the project was visited by Nakhornsithammarat Provincial Holistic Plan. The plan helped promote among its networks on production and distribution of health-care product.
3. On 9 Oct 2012: the project was visited by Nakhornsithammarat Municipality. The municipality helped promote among its networks on production and distribution of health-care product during the 10th Month Traditional Event

Emerging problems/issues and approaches for solution:
1. Prevailing mainstream consumption behavior. Solution/Recommendation: launching more campaigns on adverse effect of products from mainstream markets
2.Lack of skill in seed grading and storing. Solution/Recommendation: promotion of specific experience-sharing

Summarized lesson learnt:
During this period, the project had primarily linked grass-root farmers as producers to middle-class population who were consumers.

Project Expense:
The project reported the expense of THB: 546,354 out of the first disbursement of THB: 631,181.28.

II. Monitoring visit by SGP Country Team (May 4 , 2013):
Findings & Observation:

Since project location covered a vast area of the two provinces, about 200 k.m. apart, the visiting team was led to witness progress of activities and interact with 2 selected locations in each province.

Two locations in Changklang and Naborn District of Nakhornsithammarat Province were visited first. The essences of activities incorporated conserving and replanting rare species of trees and other landraces of medicinal/nutritious/aromatic value. Project members added more to increasing biodiversity by not depending too much on mono-plantation but focused on native species conservation thus keeping expansion of para-rubber area in good balance. Collection of seeds of landraces for distribution and exchange among members was witnessed. A result of resources inventory of one member were said to have been systematically compiled computerized.

Similar efforts were witnessed, later, in two locations in Jana District of Songkhla Province, an area nearer to coastal zone of the Gulf of Thailand than the two previous locations. The first effort involved a ?rotation of para-rubber plantation areas with native species-mostly edible ones and promotion of integrated farming. The second saw a primary success of turning a small plot of 0.5-ha deserted paddy field into native bamboo plot with other thriving landraces.

At both provinces, the visiting team witnessed transaction of three green markets which were established under the project and its saving network. These markets were selling landraces, food of local recipes, and collection of seeds of members along main roads.

Brief witnessing project results & interacting with a few project leaders/members, the visiting team was apt to agree that the project had been in progress satisfactorily. Results and experiences gained in this projects had been shared with project members within the two provinces and other SGP groups with similar missions from other regions.

The project was a result of an effort to link and upscale two back SGP projects of OP 4, i.e. THA/SGP/OP4/Y1/RAF/08/01: Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge for Biological Diversity in Watershed and THA/SGP/OP4/Y1/RAF/08/02: Indigenous Agriculture for Sustainable Land Development which saw their completion in 2011. Results of these two back projects had been accrued to the benefits of this new project.