Diverse Agriculture - Showcasing Land Use Solution and Genuine Community Development Model

On a cool January morning in Kaen Makrut Subdistrict, Ban Rai District, Uthai Thani Province - one of Thailand's regions with top-ranked air quality - Sifah Krungkrai is harvesting strawberries, a cold-climate fruit generating significant income on a small plot compared to previous single-crop farming like corn. Nearby, at Uncle Geu's farm, Wannop Khosuk tends to a large white pomelo grove, an economic crop sustaining his family year-round. Historically, the 1961 National Park Act unintentionally transformed local Karen (Pwo) community members into 'land encroachers', living in ancestral territories under constant suspicion of legal prosecution. This issue is widespread across Thailand, prompting various stakeholders to seek sustainable human-forest coexistence models. The transformation in Kaen Makrut represents a land management solution involving a neutral coordinating organization - the King's Project Foundation - which entered the area in 2013. They worked collaboratively with local government, forestry departments, and community members to define land boundaries, obtain legal land use permissions, and develop integrated agricultural approaches. The result has been remarkable: increased community stability, diversified agriculture, sustainable land use, and growing confidence among young people to remain in their homeland. The project demonstrates a holistic approach of understanding, accessing, and developing local potential through collaborative problem-solving.