Sirindhorn Center for Sustainable Development, Kasetsart University, has provided funding for a research project to develop the Le Tor Royal Project Development Centre. This project aims to transfer technology for the integrated production of clear soap bars and lip balm from Indian gooseberry extracts in collaboration with the Ban Le Tor community in Tak Province. Dr. Supanida Winitchai, an expert researcher as the project leader conducted the workshop on February 18-20, 2025.
Ban Le Tor was originally a remote community, poor and facing difficult travel. However, with the assistance of the Royal Project Foundation, the villagers were given the opportunity to create sustainability and transform their hill tribe lifestyles for the better. The bald hillside area has been transformed into a green space. Le To has become a community that has developed in a balanced way, economically, socially, and environmentally. It is a model area where people can coexist sustainably with the forest by organizing the use of the area for maximum benefit without violating the law. Furthermore, youth and women’s groups in the area have been developed and promoted to strengthen their communities, in collaboration with various organizations.
The research project on the transfer of technology for the integrated production of clear soap bars and lip balm from Indian gooseberry extracts in collaboration with the Ban Le Tor community in Tak Province is a project that encourages knowledge sharing on career development and sustainable income generation for local communities. It helps to improve the quality of life of rural communities on a wider scale and eliminate poverty.
The project aims to promote the cultivation of local herbal plants, utilize local raw materials and agricultural products for product development, formulate and develop formulas for health and cosmetic products containing local herbal ingredients, and examine product properties in terms of physical, chemical, microbial, and product stability. Local communities can participate in the project free of charge.
The research project has transferred knowledge about herbal plant cultivation, technology for producing health and cosmetic products containing local herbal ingredients to the community, extraction compounds from Indian gooseberry using cold-pressing methods, developing cosmetic production processes, developing prototype products, and designing labels and packaging. There are two cosmetic products from the project: glycerin soap bars and lip balm (bar and container types).
The university is responsible for providing significant resources to support the wider community in addressing poverty, providing assistance to local communities to support the start of financially and socially sustainable businesses through education or providing relevant resources. It also aims to mobilize resources from various sources to support the country in achieving its poverty eradication goals. The project runs from July 1, 2024, to June 31, 2025, for a period of one year.
