MR Srichalerm Kanjanapoo
The Planning and Evaluation Group, Office of the Chaipattana Foundation
Amphawa is the largest of three districts in Samut Songkhram province, where agriculture is the main occupation, along with the sale of various products in canal-side shops. Amphawa consists of unique waterside settlements where the Mae Klong River and canals, the major transportation routes in the past, led to the development of a unique biodiversity that reflects an abundant environment and eco-system. The village was once a rich trading center surrounded by lush orchards.
The Chaipattana Foundation established the Amphawa Chaipattananurak Conservation Project with the aim of helping the village of Amphawa return to its traditional lifestyle and to be able to bring sustainable worth and prosperity to the community, as well as satisfying a popular urge for Thais to learn more about their past. Sufficiency thinking and socio-geographical concepts form the major managing processes. These, in turn, create opportunities for developing eco-cultural tourism, also an important tool for the development of the community.
Three steps for community development have been introduced. During the first stage, the rehabilitation phase, the floating market area has been revived and expanded. In addition, the building of brand awareness to boost connections between the community and the market has begun to increase the value of agricultural products and services. Modern marketing skills have been adapted to build tourist awareness of the uniqueness of the local products. During the second stage, the self-sustaining phase, eco-cultural tourism is being advanced to expand the economic value of the floating market to the community. The revival of traditional coconut sugar production acts as a prototype to encourage community enterprise in the village. Finally, during the holistic sustainability phase, the entire community will become involved in the development process and locals are being trained to analyze and solve whatever problems arise. Hence, these steps have been taken to ensure that sufficiency in the economic, social, and environmental sectors are met, balanced and sustained.
(Presented in the conference : 2017 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum : Culture of Leisure – Balance of Life, 7-8 August 2017, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand)