Education

Somchai Awalai Tribal Group: Akha Village: Doi Chang  Region: Chiang Rai Altitude: 1400 meters Q: How long have you been a coffee farmer? A: I have been a coffee farmer for 9 years. Q: What were you doing before growing coffee, and why did you switch? A: I have always been growing coffee. My father was a coffee farmer, and in his old age, I have helped him carry on the family business.   Q: How has growing coffee affected your life? A: Coffee is a very special crop. With so many opium fields in the area, coffee is giving...

 Around 150 years ago, Karen Tribe villagers from Burma crossed into Thailand and started the village of Som Poi. They have been at the current location for about 70 years, now, with most of the villagers still originally from Burma. Before moving to the current location, many people were getting sick and dying from a disease in their area of Thailand which is what prompted the move into the area of Som Poi they are at today.   There are 575 Villagers with 37 members in the I.T.D.P. Co- op. They are all from the same tribe, which is Karen.  Som Poi is...

Song San Mawitalai Tribal Group: Akha Village: Doi Chang Altitude: 1400 meters Region: Chiang Rai   Q: How is it to be a part of this co-op? A: I enjoy this co-op very much. It provides me with stability, so I don’t have to worry each year about finding markets, and I can just focus on producing a quality cherry. Having a dependable co-op is important, because some farmers will just sell to the highest bidder, and although that may help them this year, it does not guarantee them a market for next year. This brings down the quota for...

  Pa Kha has been a village in which our partners, Integrated Tribal Development Program have been heavily involved with for over 20 years.  The first clean water system being built in 199, with a school shortly following and now coffee growing heavily in the village as a means of economic stability. Pha Kha literally translates to “forest of Kha”. “Kha is a type of tree that grows in the area. It is in the Lampang Province of Northern Thailand.   The village is comprised of mainly the Lahu tribe with some Karen villagers as well, for a total of...