An Agricultural Potential Increasing Model According to the Sufficiency Economy Concept Through the Process Design Without Abandon Traditional Farming Practices and Managing Farmer Areas of Sugarcane and Cassava Farmers in Wichian Buri District, Phetchabun Province

Abstract

This article aims to increase the agricultural potential of sufficiency economy concept through the process design without abandon traditional farming practices and managing farmer areas of sugarcane and cassava farmers in Wichian Buri District. Phetchabun Province. It is a participatory action research which consisting of 300 purposive selected households by interviews and participant observation. Analyzing content in the context of research area and write a descriptive narrative.

The results showed that it’s capable to increase the agricultural potential by “Farmers’ Life-Changing Course” which consists of learning activities: 1) Life cycle in sugarcane and cassava fields, understanding the impact on factors of livelihoods, production and natural dependencies. 2) Understanding the effects of exogenous dependence on livelihoods when life depends on exogenous food. 3) Create food in our home: Capable to utilize of their own home area for planting vegetables. 4) Step into a self-sufficient life: deep understanding of the philosophy of sufficiency economy concept and can be appropriately adapted to livelihoods; and 5) action to create food security by finding and analyzing the current context and problems through a joint process, co-design a problem solving process, co-creation of the change print scene through the creation of model farmers who change lives from the upstream: “planning and assessing opportunities”, the midstream: “reservedly entering into trials”, and downstream: Participate in practice until changes occur on the basis of creating a success model “reducing expenses, generating income”, creating and expanding a network to drive the change of agricultural methods, building an organic farming group, production and use of organic fertilizers group.