A sub-committee on national land management has earmarked 18.71 million rai for more than 300,000 poor people to farm as part of the government's bid to narrow the inequality gap.
More than 50,000 rai is expected to be allocated by February next year.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Gen Dapong Ratanasuwan, also the panel chairman, said the first allocations are expected to take place in Chiang Mai, Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom and Chumphon provinces.
About 14.16 million rai would come from forest and public land, reclaimed from encroachers.
Most of the land is tied up in court cases, but would be allocated to the poor once the cases are settled.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture and Cooperatives, Natural Resources and Environment, and Social Development and Human Security ministries, would provide another 4.55 million rai of land.
Of this total, 53,697 rai from the Royal Forest Department is earmarked for allocation to 8,514 people next February, Gen Dapong said.
He said the department, which is part of his ministry, has handed over the land to the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the allocation process.
The minister said land ownership would not be granted to the poor but they would be allowed to occupy land plots to make a living. Land plots would be allocated to households under a cooperative concept so the land cannot be sold on to the rich.
The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry will provide support through farming training programmes to people allocated the land.