Learning from communities along the EWEC
Local people started to realized that EWEC provides both positive and negative impacts on them. They started to address different cross-border issues. Lao communities raised these issues such as: loss of income from selling fish/goods, increased price of animal feed, limitation of rainfed rice production. Mukdahan/Thailand communities raised these issues include: less variety of fish, limited variety of organic vegetables they grow, and lost income from tourism. Mae Sot/Thailand communities raised these issues: loss of land, unfair contract farming rules reduced the bargaining power of the local people, soil erosion, and disappearance of local shops.
Realization of the Cross-border Issues
Local people started to express their ideas and possible solutions for the raised issues. They also realized that revitalization of their traditions and cultures was important. For example, set-up community market to sell their products, domesticate fish, find suitable organic vegetable variety to grow, increase agricultural labour through cross-border network development, setup community museum to show cultural ties of Lao and Thai people were suggested by Lao-Thai cross-border communities. Especially the cross-border community in Mukdahan in Thailand set-up a community museum which was supported by the project.
Increased empowerment of local people
Strengthen the
Cross-border networks
Project participants exchanged their contact addresses and made a plan for future visits to continue cooperation between the communities. It indicates they desire to keep and develop historical ties of the Lao and Thai. Other border communities asked the project members about the participatory approaches and possibility of continuing the project activities. Some activities in Mukdahan/Thailand cross-border communities are currently continuing. These indicate that the efficacy of the project activities was recognized by local people and the desire to continue the activities.