Walailak University Establishes Partnerships with International Organizations for Data Gathering on Social Science and develonpment

The International Data Gathering Collaboration on Women’s Roles in Reforming Forest Landscape Changes in Indochina

Forest landscape changes such as land degradation have become one of the environmental problems in Southeast Asia (SEA). The women’s voices in the SEA to reform forest landscape management have always been ignored with the incorrect planning practices about gender roles. In addition, land inequality has been a problem for local people to make a living from agriculture in which the capitalists can grow cash crops in large plots, resulting in driving out the local people.

 In 2008, the agriculturists in the South of Thailand established the “Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand (SPFT)”. The federation’s missions are reclaiming the rights of land occupation from the capitalists and reforming land allocation management. However, the roles of women need to be more appropriately adjusted although their voices are more recognized. Meanwhile, in Lao PDR, the Government of Laos planned to increase the forest areas by 70% by 2020. The government hired Burapha Agro-Forestry Co., Ltd. to implement the reforestation across the country. The company has started the reforestation since 2000. 

The company successfully implemented the project in collaboration with communities. The project contributed to the local economic development and livelihood improvement. However, the women living in remote areas could not participate in the project or any social activities but the government unfailingly supported the women’s roles in reforming the forest landscape changes. The solution to tackle that problem needed to be found seriously.

In 2022, Walailak University through Asst. Prof. Dr. Vithaya Arporn, Head of the Center of Excellence on Women and Social Security, and relevant researchers established international partnerships with the National University of Laos to conduct the project titled “Empowering Women in Community-based Resource Governance amidst Forest Landscape Change in Thailand and Lao PDR”. The aim of the project was to increase the potential of women to participate in the mechanism of natural resource conservation. The women needed to be part of reforming the forest landscape changes which contributed to mitigating poverty in local communities.

The targeted areas of the project were Surat Thani province, a southern province of Thailand, and Vientiane city, the capital city of Lao DPR. The researchers aimed to collect data on women’s participation in reforming forest landscape changes in the province and city to compare the differences and context between them. The data to be collected from the two places were culture, languages, transportation, education, communal conditions, and others to reflect the women’s roles between Surat Thani province and Vientiane city.

The data collection was conducted by building community engagement. The participants of the project were both men and women. The researchers from Walailak University and the National University of Laos provided a neutral stage for them to exchange perspectives and ideas on the strategies to improve forest landscape management and women’s roles in reforming forest landscape management.

Upon gathering information in Thailand and Laos, the researchers from Walailak University and the National University of Laos collaboratively exchanged data to find solutions.

At the municipal, provincial, national, and Thai-Lao cross-country levels, the other explicit goal was to promote positive policy discourse through perceptive and evidence-based policy analysis, knowledge, and solutions. To communicate the project results to a larger general audience and policymakers, the research teams will work with government and non-government partners, other stakeholders, academic institutions, and male and female beneficiary groups. The project’s policy outputs are related to land, forest, and land reform policies—community and village forests, in particular, among other things. In order for women from target locations to participate in cross-scale policy conversations and forums, the research teams will specifically seek to strengthen their agency and provide them a voice.