- The Pracharath Working Group of Local Economic Development (E3) aims to reduce inequality and generate income for underprivileged communities.
- The establishment of Pracharath Rak Samakkee Social Enterprises in 77 provinces is a social innovation that connects the five sectors of Thai society – the public sector, the private sector, the civil society sector, the academic sector and the people.
- In three years of operations, there have been 830 projects, bringing more than 329 million baht income to 61,292 communities around the country.
INSIGHT
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Tongjai Thanachanan
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The Pracharath Rak Samakkee (PRS) Social Enterprise Network is a new space to create cooperation in Thai society that combines forces from all sectors to participate in rural community development to help reduce inequality in society. The PRS Network was established with a clear intention to nurture sustainability and cooperation.
Since the project started in 2016, more than 15 large private companies have joined the initiative to invest and work on various projects with educational institutions, state agencies, and many civil society groups. A new format of working methods is being established for the next generation. We have set up a project, “Collaboration for Our Hometowns,” to find and train 150 people interested in sustainable community development in their home towns. In 2018 we selected 13 candidates, with excellent performance records, to set up and manage social enterprises at the district level.
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The government’s Pracharath policy aims to coordinate cooperation with all sectors, to solve problems and find ways to build a better future for Thailand. ThaiBev has become head of the Private Sector Working Group, in the Working Group of the Local Economic Development Pracharath Policy. This group has the key target of creating new income for communities in order to improve their quality of life. The work is completed through the combined efforts of five sectors, which are the government sector, the private sector, the civil society sector, the academic sector and the general public. Together, they drive local economies to develop a whole system from upstream to midstream to downstream, with the emphasis on 3 areas – Agriculture, Processing and Community-based Tourism – and they strive to build a network of PRS social enterprise companies that extends all over the country.
To drive the work efficiently and to achieve concrete results as well as long-term continuity, the Working Group has established social enterprises under the name Pracharath Rak Sammakki or PRS in every province, and has established PRS Social Enterprise (Thailand) Co., Ltd. as a coordinating entity between the various sectors around the country. All of the 77 PRS social enterprise companies were established in 2016.
Throughout 2018, 76 PRS Social Enterprise companies developed community businesses around the country via 428 projects in 3 groups – Agriculture (29%), Processing (52%) and Community-based Tourism (19%) – creating community income for 35,346 households worth over 172 million baht.
focuses on creating added value in four ways: raising awareness and interest in hand-woven “pakaoma” in both domestic and foreign markets; encouraging innovations in production and processing of hand-woven pakaoma to enable a greater range of uses; sharing knowledge between communities and experts in various fields such as the use of natural dyes and packaging; and the protection of intellectual property rights by copyrighting community designs, with trademarks and patents. In 2018 the project held three activities generating over 30 million baht for pakaoma producers nationwide:
- A practical seminar for more than 400 pakaoma weaving communities from across Thailand to develop production techniques and business management, enabling producers to network with each other and collaborate more effectively.
- Empower the young generation by stimulating interest in weaving and design. Pakaoma products have been supported by two main initiatives: “Finding the heirs of Thai Pakaoma,” a program that trains young people from pakaoma-producing and weaving communities to carry on the trade in 15 locations around the country. Also the “Nava-atalak” (innovative identity) design contest, in which contestants entered 260 pieces in three contest categories: fashion, home textiles and patterns.
- Connecting to markets and publicizing hand-woven pakaoma community products in new markets through collaborations with leading designers, making booths and fashion catalogs, etc.
Helping young people in the upper North (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phrae, Nan, Lampang, and Lamphun provinces) add value to their unique local cloth, distinct to their district. This project was supported by the Thailand Textile Institute (THTI), along with local and national designers, to design and develop “Yaam” shoulder bags with various local cloths to reflect a diverse range of ethnicities. ThaiBev helps to bring the products to new markets, by supporting various media productions and teaching villagers how to sell their products online. This project has generated income for 959 participating members of the community with a total value of 2 million baht in just five months since the start of the program.
PRS Social Enterprise has created new distribution channels for community products with the following projects:
- Hospital Food Safety Project:
PRS Social Enterprise has signed an MOU with the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Community Organizations Development Institute (a public organization) to encourage the production and consumption of safe food by linking producers of safe fruits and vegetables and organic foodstuffs with hospitals nationwide under the Ministry of Public Health. The PRS social enterprises in each province will be responsible for making production plans and developing standards for community farmers, as well as coordinating the sale and delivery of produce to provincial hospitals. In 2018, communities from 20 provinces in the PRS network joined the project and earned 15 million baht. -
Creating online sales channels:
PRS Social Enterprise has connected with leading telecommunications and online marketing companies to create outlets and develop online sales methods for local communities through the Farm Suk app and the Lazada online marketplace. Catalogs of community products are displayed on the company’s online communication channels, bringing 400 SKUs of products online from 112 communities in 53 provinces around the country. - Cheunjai Thailand TV Program:
ThaiBev has joined PRS Social Enterprise and Amarin Television to more widely promote Community-based Tourism through the Cheunjai Thailand TV Program. The tourism documentary program, broadcast on the Amarin TV HD channel 34, first aired in 2016. The content covers 94 communities in 62 provinces. The publicity generated by the program and other activities has generated income of more than 30 million baht for local communities. - Making connections between provinces:
This networking initiative aims to facilitate exchanges, find outlets for overstocked goods, and solve the problem of production surpluses through cooperation between PRS social enterprises in each province. In 2018, markets were found for pineapples from Lampang, Petchabun, Ratchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces; garlic from Mae Hong Son province, longan from Nan province; fresh chilies from Phatthalung province; and lychees from Samut Songkram province. Efforts have also been made to find shelf space for community products at modern trade stores in various provinces. Through these efforts in 2018, PRS Social Enterprise and its network found new marketing outlets that generated additional income of 30 million baht.
ThaiBev and PRS Social Enterprise have joined the Ministry of Science and Technology to distribute ready-to-use technology directly into outlying communities through various media channels such as online channels websites, and training programs. An emphasis has been placed on upgrading local products and reducing production costs on OTOP Grade C and D products in 10 lower-income provinces: Mae Hong Son, Kalasin, Buriram, Nan, Nakhon Phanom, Narathiwat, Pattani, Chainat, Tak, and Amnat Charoen.
PRS Social Enterprise representatives attended the High–Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2017 (HLPF) at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where the private sector team was led by Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, director of the Pracharath Local Economic Development (E3), to propose the Voluntary National Reviews for the development of local economies and PRS to promote the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), joining all sectors in society under the PRS umbrella, and making it better known internationally.
- To study its various projects around the country by analyzing the results, identifying factors for success, and risks, to form a foundation of knowledge to help future initiatives reach their goals and continue their outreach efforts.
- ThaiBev has established the Foundation for Developing Social Enterprises of Thailand to connect various social enterprises in the PRS network and other networks, enabling them to more effectively collaborate, as well as to share knowledge that is useful for the work of social enterprises at the national and international level.
- Establishing social enterprises in local areas where there is an interest in sustainable community development. By expanding the working space of social enterprises, a greater number of communities can receive assistance.
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Established PRS Social Enterprises
in all of Thailand’s 77 provinces covering the whole country. |
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Thai Handicraft Pakaoma Project
assisted more than 400 communities that produced young generation to handwoven pakaoma 15 communities nationwide income generated 30 million baht |
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Sapai Sainaew Project (locally produced
cloth for bags and straps) created income
of more than 2 million baht for 959 people during 5 months period in the communities involved |
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Cheunjai Thailand Program publicized 94 tourism destinations for communities in 62 provinces creating income of more than 30 million baht |
428 projects from 3 sectors:
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29%
Agriculture 52% Processing 19% Tourism |
 Creating community income for 35,346 households |
 worth over 172 million baht |
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Hospital Food Safety Project
generated income of 15 million baht in 20 provinces |
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Making connections between
provinces created income of 30 million baht for 150 communities |
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Committee representing 5 sectors comprising 800+ people nationwide |
