SUFFiciENcy EcONOMy ANd GRASSROOtS DEvElOPMENt
SUFFiciENcy EcONOMy ANd GRASSROOtS DEvElOPMENt
SUFFiciENcy EcONOMy ANd GRASSROOtS DEvElOPMENt
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The Meaning of Sufficiency Economy <br />
International Conference<br />
197<br />
outside the Inpaengcentre including shamanism traditional healing rituals, religious<br />
ceremonies, including cremation rituals and visits to Inpaeng members’ farms.<br />
<br />
Background of Inpaeng network<br />
History<br />
Inpaeng is the name of a social network and social movement that promotes<br />
sufficiency and an eco-friendly lifestyle among Thai rural small-scale farmers. It is<br />
one of a number of NGOs (non-government organisations) that promoted the<br />
c o n c e p t a v i d l y s i n c e t h e 4 D e c e m b e r 1 9 9 7 b i r t h d a y s p e e c h b y K i n g<br />
BhumibolAdulyadej, though NGOs had previously promoted this concept based on<br />
increased dignity through economic self-sufficiency (setthakitphor-phiang; Thai:<br />
เศรษฐกิจพอเพียง), or self-reliance (pheung-toneng; Thai: พึ่งพาตนเอง),and a new localism<br />
(thongthin-niyom; Thai: ท้องถิ่นนิยม) – specifically a localism discourse known as<br />
“community culture” (watthanathamchumchon; Thai: วัฒนธรรมชุมชน).<br />
Most of the network members live around the Phuphan mountain range (see<br />
map). This network has reinforced its concept of sufficient agricultural lifestyle to its<br />
members via seminar, training, dialoguing, and supplying resources. <br />
The name “Inpaeng” is a combination of two words “In” and “Paeng”. “In” is<br />
the name of a Hindu god “Indra”, the lord of heaven and “Paeng” means to<br />
establish. Therefore, Inpaeng implies the land or area that has been established by an<br />
Indic deity. The name was given in 1990, to this network, by MrBoasriSrisung: the<br />
chair of Thai-Isaan foundation. MrBoasri visited the network near the Phuphan<br />
mountain range and was very impressed by its fertility; the land is incredibly fertile<br />
as if it were created and blessed by lord Indra.<br />
The movement originated in 1986. MrThawatchaiKunwong, a young<br />
University graduate, was sponsored by the Village foundation to initiate a rural<br />
development project. He was assigned to study the lifestyle of the ethnic “Kaleang”<br />
(Thai: กะเลิง) in Kudbak and used ethnographic approaches in his data collection.<br />
Thawatchai observed and talked to local scholars, the elders and the local leaders<br />
and also took part in community ceremonies and activities. He found much local<br />
wisdom concerning plantation, herbal medicine and forest management that was<br />
ignored and labeled as outdated concepts by the government development scheme.<br />
After the sponsored money was used up, he created his own “back to the roots”<br />
campaign in the same Kudbak area. The campaign aimed to revive local wisdoms<br />
integrated with new ecological movement. Thawatchai set some community<br />
meetings to analyze the situation of the village. Looking back to the past, evaluating<br />
the present and foreseeing the future, they found that, by blindly following the<br />
government-recommended programs of cash crop plantations, the communities<br />
would finally collapse. It was concluded from the community meeting that in order