Highland Research and Development Institute (HRDI)

The Highland Research and Development Institute (HRDI), a public-funded organization, is committed to promoting food security, poverty alleviation and ecosystem health in mountain regions, currently covering 1 066 communities in 20 provinces of Thailand. HRDI has integrated two-fold services of research-based innovation and livelihood development. The HRDI action and applied research programmes aim to enhance agriculture productivity amid several challenges, namely: sloping surfaces, climate variability, product competitiveness and low literacy rates. The research programmes have been carried out by in-house researchers and partner institutions. The extension programme has embedded major environmental-friendly production that includes good agriculture practices, biological extract usage and organic standards to ensure that mountain farming has generated both sufficient income and maintains a healthy ecosystem. Alternative crops and farming technology are carefully selected based on trial research in farmer plots that are applicable in different  elevations, socio-economic contexts and market access and community engagement levels.