Changes in the “Shrimp Farmer Networks” in Ranot District, Songkhla Province, from 1987 to 2018

Abstract

This article aims to present the development of  the shrimp farmers’ networks, in Ranot district, Songkhla province, which were a major driving force in the expansion and creation of the shrimp farming industry standards from 1987 to 2018.These changes include a shift from informal networks, based on kinship or community relations, in which information on shrimp farming is shared and acquired through self-study, learning and personal experience from local shrimp farmers, to the establishing of a formal network in the form of the "Songkhla -Nakhon Si Thammarat Shrimp Farmers’ Club ".The objective of this club is to promote and exchange knowledge that is innovative and suitable for shrimp farmers and to build connections with networks outside the area. The dynamic change has the way to strengthen shrimp farmers' potential and increase their bargaining power within the market and when dealing with government agencies. This change in the nature of the networks from an informal to a formal network reflects the change from ordinary shrimp farmers to rural entrepreneurs, which will create an “entrepreneurial society” of shrimp farms, and this is an important factor in developing the upstream section of the shrimp industry.