Thailand, February 2022
In 2020, A Tree for You donors funded the planting of 3,300 native and diverse tree species in Thailand together with organic rice farmers. The local team continued planting, training, and monitoring activities in 2021 with the aim of establishing 2,500 lasting trees by the end of 2022.
After planting 2,500 trees with 15 farmers in the village of Nongyang, Ammat Charoen province, in 2020, the field team accompanied four more farmers (two women,two men) in planting an additional 800 trees in June 2021. In January 2021, the technicians provided several different training sessions on ‘how to incorporate agroforestry with rice farming’. In May 2021, just before distributing the seedlings, technicians visited the farmers’ plots of land and provided further training on ‘how to plant a tree’, – focusing on the agroforestry model, tree spacing, and planting techniques, as well as the use of bamboo stakes and fertilisers.
The first follow-up of these 800 trees delivered excellent results: six months after planting, 768 trees were alive and well, representing a survival rate of 96%.
The technical team also checked the progress of 2,500 trees planted in 2020 with 15 farmers, who received a bonus in February following the good results of the first follow-up and compliance with the planting models. In December 2021, the results of the second technical follow-up were 2,175, i.e. an 87% survival rate. A refresher training session on maintenance techniques and payment of the second bonus are ongoing, which will conclude the training course for these farmers who are extremely proud of the results obtained and keen to see the trees grow.
To date, 2,943 trees are alive, out of a target of 2,500. We will have to wait until the end of the project and the second technical monitoring of the 2021 planting wave to have the final figure, but the results are very encouraging!
“When I look around the rice fields, there are not enough trees; I really hope there will be more in the future because they improve soil fertility, provide moisture and bring in extra income!” – Boonloet Phrmtha, a rice farmer who planted 372 trees in 2020 thanks to A Tree for You donors.
While mortality due to non-climatic phenomena (transport, seedling quality, planting practices) is well under control thanks to farmer training and regular visits to nurseries, mortality linked to climate change poses a greater risk. In many regions of Southeast Asia, communities are experiencing a shift in rainy season, now interrupted by a month of drought in July, a period when young trees suffer from severe water stress. The project has nevertheless adapted over the years by changing the start dates for planting or modifying the species of tree selected to include more drought-tolerant trees.
The team will return to the field in November 2022 to complete monitoring of the project and ensure long-term stability of the plantations.
