Community Economies in the Context of Thailand’s Sufficiency Economy Approach - A Positioning Theory Analysis

Societal Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Asian Rural Societies: A Multi-Sectoral Social Capital Approach in Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan

“…Since the mid-1990s, Rajamangala University of Technology has explored additional uses of the berry and has since shared techniques to process Mao berries into diverse products, including sugarless juice, jam, and tea. To Inpaeng, these value-added activities are a means to attract other farmers to its philosophy, whereas public institutions have been interested in fostering entrepreneurial activity in rural areas (see [36]).…”

“…For instance, in its Ninth Economic and Social Development Plan, the NESDC called on public institutions to facilitate information and technology transfer to rural communities to enable the local development of "products that are compatible with local wisdom and culture" ( [37], p. 52). With official sanction by the central government, Inpaeng and its existing partners extended their collaboration by identifying further products based on the utilization of local resources such as organic fertilizer and an organic MSG substitute ( [36], p. 13). These products in turn resulted in the creation of community enterprises run by network members in different provinces.…”

“…Compared to such earlier instances of government help, the extent of public support for the family forestry project is unprecedented, as indicated by the involvement of multiple government departments on both the provincial and national levels. Longstanding personal relationships have played a major role in expanding collaborations between the grassroots network and public institutions: Mr. Thawatchai Khunwong, the leader of the Inpaeng network, and Dr. Wirachai Nakwibulwong, the former secretary-general of ALRO, are the main personalities behind many cross-sectoral initiatives (see [36], p. 14, [63]). More than relational capital, these personal ties are the foundation for synergistic relations ( [8], p. 256) between certain government institutions and the farmers' network.…”