Michelin, Renault launch ‘agroforestry’ scheme in Thai rubber provinces

Singapore – Michelin Group and French automotive major Renault have joined hands to promote ‘agroforestry’ across rubber-growing provinces in Thailand.

The project promotes increased growing of diverse crops along with rubber trees to enhance both the environment and farmers’ income.

Renault is the co-founder and provider of technical advice for the pilot project, which was launched in December last year.

Michelin, also a co-founder, is the designated project leader and coordinator, while the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) leads on project management and monitoring.

Rubber Agroforestry Sustainability Foundation (RAFS) is the project ‘implementer’: in charge of conducting project activities in coordination with the funders and steering committee, GPSNR explained in a statement to ERJ.

The initiative covers 1,000 smallholders in the Thai provinces of Songkhla, Phattalung, Trang, Satun, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Krabi province.

As part of the project, RAFS has recently held training sessions to increase the understanding among local farmers about which crops to plant and how.

Over the coming year, the programme will carry out research into food-plant species that are suitable for rubber co-planting towards increased ecological and economic sustainability in Thailand.

Furthermore, the project will include 'seedlings provision' for the promotion of rubber agroforestry transformation; while studying the socio-economic changes of southern Thai rubber agroforestry farmers during the period.

Renault has been a member of Singapore-based GPSNR since 2019 and has included a sustainable NR policy in its corporate strategy since 2022.

For the automotive group, the project's main aims are to engage smallholders in agroforestry, reduce the environmental impacts of plantations, and increase the economic-resilience of farmers.