On Saturday, Feb. 14, the SAAN team celebrated Valentine’s Day, but not in the traditional way - there were no boxes of chocolates or bunches of red roses. Instead, about 50 people from several provinces in Southern Thailand gathered together at the SAAN office to celebrate the 12th anniversary of SAAN, and plan for the coming year. A delicious traditional midday meal was prepared based on the indigenous vegetables in the area.

The meeting was held under the trees in the SAAN woodlot, within a few yards of the new guest house/training center. The morning was devoted to a lengthy discussion about the problems in the Thai economy and the many problems which have fallen onto the backs of local farmers because of the economic sanctions imposed by the IMF on the government of Thailand following the devaluation of the baht and subsequent collapse of the Thai economy last year. In the afternoon, a proposal for making SAAN a registered foundation was discussed and approved; once the money is raised, the new foundation will be called the Friends for Development of Alternative Agriculture and Natural Resources Foundation, or FAN-Foundation (FAN-F) for short.

A number of other interesting projects are planned for implementation under the FAN Foundation, as soon as money and available volunteers make it practical to begin over the coming months. They are divided into four areas of work.

First, the Saanti Dharma Administration Centre will concentrate on research and development, training, and an information system for southern Thailand and the SAAN network. Now that the new guest house/training center is opened, SAAN can also start to schedule regular training sessions there. Second, the Cooperative, known as Rom Sai, will undertake several activities - a Green Shop will be opened in the old office near the road, selling indigenous vegetables, local fruits, medicinal herbs and various other items to help raise money for the projects; and a number of small guest houses will be constructed on the property, in order to attract alternative tourists who are interested in learning more about the work of SAAN in southern Thailand - as part of this program, the many native plants and trees on the property will be identified, and a brochure describing them and the work of SAAN made up to give to visitors. Also under the Rom Sai Cooperative will be the Savings Groups. Third, anew project for this year - a few kilometres down the road SAAN will open a demonstration farm this year, which will teach various principles integrated farming. And finally, a number of community development projects will be continued, such as the integrated rubber project and forests for life.

Watch the Saanti-Dhaarma Newsletter for in-depth articles on all of these initiatives in the coming weeks.