Our results in

Nan province

The start of our mission to plant, monitor, and create lasting change

Why Nan?

Nan is home to one of Thailand’s most important watersheds, contributing more than 40% of the water flowing into the Chao Phraya River. Yet over the past decade,

more than 1 million rai (160,000 hectares) of forest areas have been converted into monoculture farmland.

Known as the maize capital

The “Maize Capital”

Demand from the animal feed market has driven many farmers in Nan to grow maize and other monoculture crops, with buyers purchasing their produce directly from farms.

Farming on thin ice

A vulnerable farming system

Although monoculture farming provides short-term income, it has lasting negative impact, including soil degradation. Farmers also have to rely on chemicals and the burning of agricultural residues due to farming on steep slopes, affecting both the environment and health.

Caught in a cycle of debt

Trapped in a cycle of debt

Maize and other monoculture crops generate limited profits, while debt leaves many farmers without the capital needed to transition to sustainable agriculture.

Exposed to a changing climate

Growing risks in the changing climate

As forests are lost and soils erode, floods, forest fires, and haze become more severe amid the changing climate.

Impact on the environment

Bringing life back to the ecosystems

Tree map

Satellite imagery | Subdistrict boundaries within Santisuk district | Doi Phu Kha National Park boundaries | Locations of trees planted under Trees4All (500-metre radius around planting areas)

Map showing Trees4All planting locations and the number of trees planted, 2022
Map showing Trees4All planting locations and the number of trees planted, 2022–2023
Map showing Trees4All planting locations and the number of trees planted, 2022–2024

Impact on communities

Nature recovers, communities thrive.

Restored plots that earn in more than one way

Regenerative farms with diverse sources of income

Farmers receive funding to plant perennial trees that help restore the soil, enabling them to diversify into crops such as fruit trees and beans and generate consistent income.

Keeping stingless bees

Stingless beekeeping

Stingless bees help pollinate crops, increasing yields, while producing high-value honey with medicinal properties. They also provide farmers with an incentive to reduce burning and chemical use, as the bees can only live in areas free from fire and harmful chemicals.

Keeping goats

Goat farming

Farmers raise and breed goats for sale, with female goats giving birth an average of twice a year. Goats can also feed on agricultural residues and a wide variety of plants, helping reduce the need for burning.

New openings through the community enterprise

Creating opportunities through a community-based enterprise

Tree planting leads to community business development. Working with local experts, communities develop products linked to restoring the Nan watershed ecosystem, such as stingless bee honey soap.

Meet the tree growers

น.ส.วรารัตน์ วุฒิ

Wararat Wutti

Chairperson, Trees4All Community-based Enterprise Head, Study visit operations

น.ส.เจนจิรา อภัยลุน

Janjira A-phailun

Coordinator, Field data collection

น.ส.กรรณิการ์ คํานาน

Kannika Kumnan

Coordinator, Community business and marketing

นางเจนจิรา คำนาน

Janjira A-phailun

Coordinator, Field data collection

นายอานนท์ กุศล

Arnon Kusol

Co-head, Stingless bee farming operations

นายเกริกไกร ภักดี

Krekkrai Pukdee

Co-head, Stingless bee farming operations

นางสุพรรณี คำนาน

Suphannee Kumnan

Head, Tree nursery operations

The Trees4All Community-based Enterprise
brings together farmers in Santisuk district, Nan Province.

Members plant trees together and develop community businesses, including seedling nurseries, stingless beekeeping, goat farming, related products, and hosting study visits. With support and capacity development from the Trees4All project team, the group was formally registered as a community enterprise in 2023.

As upstream farmers of Nan’s watersheds, we play a key role in bringing these forest ecosystems back to life. Our mission is to keep the trees on the land and keep the soil with the water. By planting native trees today, we are securing our future.

Wararat Wutti

Planting trees can help transform the livelihoods of the Lua people in the future, reducing our reliance on monoculture farming and supporting a transition to integrated farming systems. This will provide higher incomes and leave a legacy of trees for future generations.

Boonphiphop Boon-in

Before we started planting, project staff came to my farm, advised me on how to plant the trees, and tested the soil. I had been growing maize for more than 20 years. Production costs kept going up every year, while the price of maize kept falling. I was getting older too, so I decided to try planting yang na, takhian, phayom, banana, and other fruit trees alongside the maize in my fields, as well as in my rice fields and rubber plantation. In the future, there will still be trees here for my children and grandchildren to see.

Duang Moonmee

Plant with Trees4All

for a future where communities, nature, and all of us can thrive together