“Plant Trees – Get Mushrooms” Strategy convinces farmers to save forests
Thailand’s forests are sadly dwindling. Many of the areas in the country have been denuded and degraded forest areas where restoration seems to be impossible. Although many sectors have tried to campaign for reforestation, it has not been easy.
This is because reforestation takes a very long time and, most importantly, requires the cooperation of local villagers to continue the task of planting and maintaining the forests.
The Faculty of Science and the Center of Learning Network for the Region (CLNR) Chulalongkorn University have tried to find ways to motivate villagers to become a coalition of growers and forest guards.
The answer to this problem lies in Ectomycorrhiza fungi.
“We asked villagers to plant a forest with Dipterocarpaceae trees that will not only grow into forests but also produce many kinds of “mushrooms” around the base of the trees as by-products to help better the livelihoods of villagers and Thai farmers,” said Assistant Professor Noppadol Kitana, Director of CLNR, on the success of ecological restoration projects in forest areas in Nan and Saraburi provinces with a seedling innovation that has ectomycorrhiza. Read More…
