Community Participation in Developing Value-Added Products of Khok Samrong Herb Supportive Community Enterprise, Phaniat Sub-District, Khok Samrong District, Lop Buri Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to 1) study current practices of Khok Samrong herb supportive community enterprise, Phaniat sub-district, Khok Samrong district, Lop Buri province, 2) examine the participation and satisfaction of product development of Khok Samrong herb supportive community enterprise, Phaniat sub-district, Khok Samrong district, Lop Buri province, and 3) provide guidelines on developing value-added products of Khok Samrong herb supportive community enterprise, Phaniat sub-district, Khok Samrong district, Lop Buri province. This study was a mixed-methods research collecting data from 400 consumers using a set of questionnaires, and interviews with the members of the enterprise. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics while content analysis was used for qualitative data while content analysis was used for qualitative data.

  First, research result indicated that members of Khok Samrong herb supportive community enterprise, were gathered and participated in group management. They all were ready to adapt themselves to upskill in herb processing as responding to the customers’ demand. Khok Samrong herb supportive community enterprise was supported by local agents in terms of public relations and sale promotion. Second, members’ participation in product development could be seen in sharing their opinions, and assigning all members to different tasks on basis of their potential regarding raw material sourcing, producing, processing, and distributing. Third, according to guidelines on developing value-added products of Khok Samrong herb supportive community enterprise, members focused on participatory upskilling in herb processing for the purpose of generating new product designs as well as packaging design and brand design. All related individuals’ involvements in giving suggestions were required to develop value-added products, and this represented community’s identities. Further, the members of the enterprise and consumers’ satisfaction of brand design was reported to be at the high level by virtue of value-added package and product brand which could be applied to the other types of community’s items.