Role of communication towards achieving sufficiency economy through Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Centre Projects in Chiang Mai, Thailand

The study primarily aimed to find out the rate of communication in promoting the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) through the Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Centre (RDSC) projects in Chiang Mai, Thailand. A total of 236 farmer-respondents was interviewed for the needed data. To complement the quantitative data gathered, 26 key informants serving as RDSC officials and farmer members shared their experiences and opinions on SEP-based services through a group interview. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. Also, UCINET Version 6 software was used to generate sociograms or the 'whom-to-whom' matrices and to analyze communication network indices. On the average, the respondents were about 50 years old, male, and married. They have three household members. Most of them had elementary level of education. They have stayed in the area for 46 years and have been involved as members in RDSC programs for four years. Their involvement was influenced by their village leader. Farming for about 17 years, they own 4.48 rai (0.72 ha.) farm. Their land use pattern consisted of rice, vegetables, fruit trees, with livestock, frog and fishery components. Mean annual income generated from farming was 29,420.64 Baht. Majority of respondents owned communication media in both printed and electronic forms. Communication sources of information about SEP and RDSC were their village leaders and fellow farmers. The communication networks in the community were inclined to friends, neighbors, and relatives. Main actors were the model farmers and village leaders who link numbers of their personal network to other network nodes of members of other networks. Mobilization and communication approaches employed by the RDSC to promote SEP in target communities were composed of institutional, individual, group and mass media. Trainings, farm demonstration, field trips, and television plugs/feature were considered by the respondents as adequately provided by RDSC as a one-stop service. Printed materials and radio were also claimed as appropriate channels. Majority of the respondents were involved in the RDSC mobilization and communication approaches particularly in training programs on agricultural technologies. As a result of communication activities, the respondents came to know the general SEP philosophy that guides people in the conduct of their lives. The programs and services offered by the RDSC are known to support the SEP. Moreover, the respondents were found highly involved in RDSC projects. The respondents' level of adoption of rice and frog technology was moderate while it was high for cow technology. Selected socio-economic, communication behavior, and agricultural characteristics were found to significantly contribute to the level of knowledge and involvement of respondents in the RDSC projects as well as in the adoption of SEP-based practices. Also, selected communication network indices of the respondents were found to significantly influence the adoption of SEP-based practices. Problems encountered by the respondents on agriculture/farming were insect and pest infestations, high input cost, low product price, and lack of irrigation water. Communication-related problems especially concerning the four elements of the communication process such as source, message, channel and receiver were also experienced by the respondents. Based on the results, the mobilization and communication approaches employed by the RDSC indeed facilitated the dissemination of SEP concepts and projects and its eventual adoption in the community.