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Somporn Khongthanakrittakorn, European Forest Institute

Trees give small farmers in Thailand access to loans

2 April 2020

The EU FLEGT Facility has published a story describing how farmers in Thailand are starting to reap the benefits from international timber trade talks between Thailand and the European Union.

*Mongkol Wandee measures a tree. Source: Somporn Khongthanakrittakorn, European Forest Institute*

Until recently, forest laws put limitations on farmers around the harvesting and transportation of certain tree species. Organisations such as the Private Forest Plantation Cooperative Limited – a cooperative of tree growing farmers and private land owners – used the trade talks to push for amendments to forest laws to improve the situation for farmers.

In 2019, the Thai Government changed regulations regarding the use of trees on private land. Farmers can now legally harvest all trees on their land and get additional income from them without burdensome paperwork and/or field inspections.

Read the story

Homegrown trees provide additional income in Thailand

News

Khamphoui SaythalaPromoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in the Mekong region’s small-scale forest sector26 June 2022 - 10:42 am
We have published a briefing paper to analyse how gender equality in the Mekong small-scale forest sector can be pursued through promoting women’s economic rights and empowerment
Wilfredo Elis / European Forest InstituteImproving occupational health and safety among micro, small and medium wood processing enterprises26 June 2022 - 10:00 am
We have published a technical briefing to introduce OHS in the context of the wood-processing industry, describing challenges faced by MSMEs and sharing training recommendations based on our experience in the Mekong region.
Legality in the forest sector: New insights into obstacles and incentives for MSME formalisation3 August 2021 - 2:45 pm
In a new joint report, the FAO-EU FLEGT Programme and the European Forest Institute (EFI) make a case for acknowledging the complex circumstances of forest-sector MSMEs, particularly in countries where requirements for legality compliance and achieving formal status are unclear.
MSMEs important partner to improve forest governance and reducing deforestation and forest degradation23 July 2021 - 8:10 am
To better understand strategies to support MSMEs towards goals, the FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme and the European Forest Institute (EFI) hosted a webinar entitled ‘How has supporting MSMEs to operate legally and sustainably improved forest governance and livelihoods?’.
Webinar to explore how support to MSMEs improves forest governance and livelihoods13 July 2021 - 8:18 am
MSMEs play a critical role in meeting the growing demand for timber products worldwide. In an upcoming webinar, the FAO-EU FLEGT Programme and the European Forest Institute (EFI) will host a discussion on how support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can improve forest governance and livelihoods.

About the Forest Smallholders Project

Since 2016, the European Forest Institute (EFI) has been supporting wood-based micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in four Mekong countries to operate legally and sustainably. Under its Forest Smallholders Project, EFI has been testing solutions to MSMEs’ key challenges in pilot projects. Lessons learnt from these pilots are documented and disseminated nationally, regionally and internationally. Through its support to MSMEs, the Project promotes gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in the forest sector.

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