Strawberry Production and the Royal Project Foundation, Thailand

Abstract

The Royal Project Foundation was established in 1969 by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand to develop and improve the economic and living standards of the hill tribe peoples in the north by using cash crops to replace opium cultivation and preserve the forests and environment. Research on strawberries as a replacement crop was begun in 1974. The research outcomes gave the hill tribes and local peoples a source of income from the production of strawberries and daughter plants. Strawberries now offer a source of quick, high-return investment.