LOCAL FOOD : THE MANAGEMENT PROCESS FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIAL ETHICS

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the knowledge and values of local food towards the well-being enhancement in Thai society, 2) to study process of food management in life quality enhancement and ethics of community in Thai society and 3) to analyze the relationship system and the negative effects of Thai local food that affect Thai society. This research was a qualitative research by emphasizing the participatory action research (PAR) and also was mixed methods research. The data were collected by document in the Northern of Thailand such as Chiang Rai and Phrae province Uttaradit and Pitsanulok province in the middle of Thailand, Loie and Khon Kean in the East of Thailand and also Songkla and Nakornsri Thammarat in the South of Thailand. The 136 subjects came from determining 6 sampling groups of 4 parts of Thailand. The research instruments were in-depth interview, focus group discussion and participatory action research (PAR) by organizing local food contest of 4 parts of Thailand.

The results were found as follow;

1. The knowledge of the local food of 4 Thai regions in nutrition and properties aspects for well-being enhancement found that it were the local food knowledge that corresponded to geography, society and wisdom of ancestor factors that lead to the creation of local food of each region according to the differences of regional geography. The different kinds of Thai local food of each region came from Buddhist way that lead to local food tradition and culture. Moreover, rice was popular among Thai people in every region. Most of Thai local food knowledge came from rice and herbs that had nutritional qualities both of aquatic plants and soil plants. Herbs and rice were cooked as local food, considered to have their own values according to food well-being. Thai people always placed importance on consuming food for survive and sharing their products to their cousins. Well-being means having good physical health and having healthy mind that affect community and life quality wellbeing enhancement.

2. The process of food management in life quality enhancement and ethics of community in Thai society found that the processes corresponding to the local food existence were provided by placing importance on its ingredients, for example, enhancing the local plant growing and integrating with local organizations that had their main duties in conserve local food through Buddhism. In addition, temples in community cooperated with local government organizations and Sub-district Administrative Organization (SAO) had the plans and projects related to Thai local food conservation. Moreover, Buddhist organizations (temples) and 6 government organizations were considered to be the center of enhancing the life quality and ethic of 4 regions of Thai society.

3. The result of analyze the relationship system and the negative effects of Thai local food that affect Thai society found that the area of Thai 4 regions came from geography factors of each region that had different fertility in plants and food, also considered as the agricultural basis. Also, rice was popular among Thai people. They always had 3 meals each day. The Thai local food resources were considered as the big source of the country that produced to the country markets. It was also the origin of Thai food to world cuisine. The one of Thai food strengths was the natural ingredients. They were accepted in Thai and foreign countries. Therefore, the brand creation of Thai food was accepted worldwide in the Age of Thailand 4.0. The results also found that local food was considered to be the way of life of Thai society. Even though, Thai consuming culture is changing nowadays, Thai local food has the health value according to the 5 well-being principles and also Buddhist ways. The social relational system is to create the strength and then, integrate with society, family, community and schools by creating the local curriculum related to Thai local food. This curriculum must correspond to local geography subject in primary school and high school in order to cultivate the basis information to the youths, to understand the benefits of local food, to create the social nutritional well-being both body and mind, to enhance the ethic and morality by havingtemples as the center of belief, culture, and local food wisdom.

       - The impacts of local food of 4 Thai regions found that the south of Thailand that had the serious impact. That was many kinds of local food were disappearing, for example, Kanom JuJun and Kanom Kong because of the lack of food management inheritance. Moreover, in the local food management processes, there was the lack of punctiliousness. Some kinds of local food took long time to prepare and cook. In addition, people nowadays lacked of patience and punctiliousness.