THAILAND: The challenge of reintroducing buffaloes

Some of the 270 buffaloes that belong to 50 families in the People’s Network Group of Chee River head for home after grazing on the banks of the nearby Chee River KHON KAEN, 25 July 2008 (IRIN) - King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand has for years said buffaloes were integral to a sustainable agricultural policy and since 2000, Thai NGOs, with the UN Development Programme's (UNDP) Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme, have been working with farm groups to boost output and cut back on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The buffalo has been crucial to that strategy. From 2000, the programme began donating buffaloes to 11 different communities throughout Thailand. In batches of 10 to 27, they have over time led to sizeable numbers of offspring on farms throughout the country. However, one project it... [read full story]