The project "Income Generation in Rural Areas" was originated to help underprivileged people, particularly those who are exposed to AIDS and prostitution in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand. The project will mainly provide vocational training and income generation projects for villagers and communities to equip them with sustainable income earning potentials. Chiang Rai Mulberry Tea Project will help villagers to be self-sufficient. Villagers will be involved in planting mulberry tree, tea processing, paper processing, designing and producing gift items, hygienic fruit processing and packaging, and marketing for all products.

   1. To assist former prostitutes by providing them with a new sustainable vocation with long term income earning potential.
   2. To train the target group and their families in organic mulberry tree planting, tea leaves processing, paper making, fruit processing, and gift item developments.
   3. To provide ongoing training in product design and marketing so that the products are export quality, and the people can have a sustainable source of income.
   4. To encourage, counsel and support ex-prostitutes in their transition to normal lives within their communities.
   5. To increase the income of villagers by providing training, raw material and processing centers for growing mulberry trees order to make more efficient use of their land and capital resources.
   6. To promote right values and attitudes in order to prevent girls from involvement in prostitution, and to eventually eradicate the supply of prostitution.
   7. To offer alternative income earning opportunities for people who are usually targets of prostitution recruiters.
   8. To provide the local community with a vocation which will lead to sustainable socio-economic development of the village, leading further to the development of the district and the province.

Mulberry tree is selected as the primary crop for the community because its products can be processed in entirety and the community can generate income from the wholesome plant (leaves for tea, bark for paper, fruits for preservation or processing). Growing the plant itself is uncomplicated as the people are an agrarian community, processing the produce of the plants would require welcomed training which will further develop the community by giving them value added products. The main components of the project include: pre-project implementation education and training, preparation for project, project implementation, on-going training and quality control, product processing, marketing plan and implementation, community service projects, extension of project to neighboring communities.

1. Pre-project implementation education and training.
2. Preparation for project.
3. Project implementation.
4. Product processing.

Some women were informed about the project.
 
 

Specialists of Chieng Mai Seri-cultural
Experiment Station.
 

Specialists educated the local coordinator
about mulberry farm.
 

Collecting soil to test before planting
mulberry trees.
 

Soil Preparation - Specialist educated
project coordinator and farmer's leader.
 

Mulberry Plantlets
 
 

The specialist shows how to select
the best mulberry leaves.
 

Training of hand-made mulberry tea.

 

Mulberry wine - one of mulberry
fruit's products.
 

The specialist showed how to produce
mulberry paper.