Le territoire est situé au Nord de la Thaïlande à la frontière avec la Birmanie.

C’est une zone où se maintiennent différentes tribus traditionnelles et qui souffre d’un manque de politique de développement de la part de l’Etat central. 

La population vit très pauvrement, les ressources naturelles sont pillées sans bénéfice pour la population.

Les pratiques de trafics humains sont courantes conduisant à la prostitution et à l’esclavage. Beaucoup de jeunes émigrent vers d’autres régions du pays.

L’action territoriale est basée sur une approche à la fois religieuse et culturelle pour restaurer les valeurs des communautés locales.

Ces valeurs sont mises en œuvre dans des techniques d’agroforesterie respectueuses des équilibres naturels et s’appuyant sur les savoirs et savoir faire traditionnels.

Des actions de formation visent à faire des leaders traditionnels et informels, notamment des femmes et des jeunes, des « intellectuels organiques » (Organic Intellectuals , OI’s) maîtrisant les connaissances traditionnelles, connaissant de l’intérieur les traditions, dotés d’outils d’analyse critique des formes de développement exogènes.

Parmi les acteurs figurent les organisations religieuses (traditionnelles, bouddhistes, catholiques) du territoire. Ensemble ils mettent en place et animent une Ecole de la sagesse.

Des liens sont tissés et entretenus avec  d’autres  groupes tribaux dans les pays voisins.

Main characteristics of the territory:

• Mountainous border region of Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) and is dwelled by the various hill tribes and lowland communities.
• Still several hill tribe people, refugees and migrants are undocumented and have no legal status, and many are taken advantage by human traffickers who force them into prostitution or slave labour.
• Decades of market-led development has been marked by tensions and conflict over excess exploitation of natural resources.
• The hill tribe people also face a high degree of poverty and joblessness compared with other groups in Thailand.

Human Economy issues:

• Widespread poverty exacerbated by environmental degradation of their tribal settlements,
• Geographic, socio-economic, political and cultural exclusions,
• Lack of access to basic social services and opportunities for the achievement of minimum human needs,
• Statelessness and lack of legal identity under the Thailand government laws,
• Gradual loss of cultural identity and disintegration of traditional norms, values and ways of life.

Main objective of the action:

To empower people at the grassroots levels based on the ‘religio-cultural approach’ as well as restore the values of the local communities. It also aims at nurturing and learning from experiences, developing lessons gathered into theory of practice and to become a sustainable school of wisdom on religio-cultural communities. (RTRC emphasizes on an integral and holistic approach to community work and sustainable development of all peoples universally).

Main actors:

• Organic Intellectuals Network (community based). Young people to be ‘Organic Intellectuals’ (OI) of community/movement (to transmit knowledge/wisdom to the next generation)
• Development workers or personnel of organizations that are working to support grassroots organizations.
• Church personnel who have interest in the ‘cosmovision’ of indigenous people and public inter-religious theological reflection.
• Inter-religious groups involved in social actions, Senior Buddhist monks and temples
• Academics, scholars and students from educational institutions and universities.
• International partners who are interested in exchange of our experiences, particularly from neighbouring countries and Asian region.
• Diocesan Social Action Center- Chiang Mai Diocese
• Rice Donation Merit Network (Karen hill tribes network)
• Spirituality Leader Network (Lahu tribe network)
• Organic Farming Network (Local Thai Phayao province network)
• Family networks, headmen and community leaders at provincial/district levels
• Catholic Commission for Women – of the Catholic Church in Thailand.
• Local Government  officials, Members of the Sub-district Administrative Committees.

Main activities:

• Promoting agro-forestry and alternative income activities for native poultry, livestock, and organic horticulture.
• Formation and Training of ‘Organic Intellectuals’ (OI’s)
• Strengthening peoples networks (‘Territory’) through various trainings
• Documentation, Action-Research and Knowledge Management through skill enhancement
• Partnerships, exposure programs and Cross- Learning Exchange workshops

Organization that animates the territorial dynamics:

• Field team of RTRC (RESEARCH AND TRAINING CENTER FOR RELIGIO-CULTURAL COMMUNITY), Thailand in partnership with a team of local community based organizations (CBOs), regional government officials, and grassroots civil society associates of the territory.

Organization that animates the investigations:

• INHE-Asia office in collaboration with INHE-Thailand (evaluation & monitoring team), International Advisory Group (IAG) of ASW, the Director and core committee of RTRC, Thailand.