
Among the hilltribes of the Golden Triangle, many of the marginalized struggle against poverty, lack of citizenship and related rights as well as the loss of access to natural resources which result in:

- Small,degraded hill fields that barely support adequate yields of food and cash crops needed for subsistence.
- Meager livestock production as a result of prevalent livestock diseases and less available food sources.

- Decreasing access to traditional food, medicines and building materials from the forests
- The need for supplemental income as farm self-sufficiency has diminished due to limited land resources.

- Little or no access to clean, plentiful water and sanitation
- Lack of citizenship or other legal residence as well as accompanying rights including land tenure.
- Vulnerability to danger such as fires, seasonal hunger,drought and cold conditions during the winter.