A Study of the Potential for Local Handicraft Management of the Target Communities along the World Heritage Corridor of Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, and Si Satchanalai

Abstract

           The purpose of this study is to survey and evaluate the potential of local handicraft management in 19 target communities that represent local handicraft communities along the world heritage corridor of Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, and Si Satchanai. This is a field study in which 19 community leaders were sampled using a purposive sampling technique, and 95 community members involved in local handicrafts were sampled using a quota sampling technique. Then, bringing the data for qualitative and quantitative analysis and presented the analysis results by descriptive writing and tables to summarize the results.                  The results demonstrate that establishing groups of target communities follows two distinct patterns, with fifteen community groups and four ungrouped communities.  As for the potential level in the management of local handicraft knowledge of the community in three aspects, there were 1) seven communities with a reasonable production potential, three communities with a medium production potential, and five communities with a low production potential; 2) eight communities with a reasonable financial potential, two communities with a medium financial potential, and five communities with a low financial potential; and 3) Four communities had a reasonable marketing potential, six communities had a medium marketing potential, and five communities had a low marketing potential. The knowledge and principles from this research article made related person aware of the strengths and weaknesses that occurred in the management of local handicraft knowledge of the target communities-furthermore, leading to the development or improvement of management approaches to be more appropriate to the context and creating community support mechanisms to lead to the creative local knowledge management of creative district networks along the world heritage corridor of Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, and Si Satchanalai.