The Development of Mushroom Chili Paste Occupational Groups toward a Community Enterprise by Means of Community Participation : A Case Study of Poonsap Community, Sai Mai District, Bangkok

Abstract

This research aims to investigate: 1) the process of developing the potential of a mushroom chili paste occupational group to upgrade its products to a community enterprise, with the involvement of the Poonsap community; 2) the process of occupational groups becoming community enterprises through community participation in order to increase the economic value of their products through marketing and sales strategies.    Participatory action research method was used in this qualitative study, targeting community enterprise committee members and  its members. Data was collected using in-depth interviews, group meetings, and document reviews of community history.  

The research findings indicated that, prior to development, the community faced challenges and obstacles related to the 6M management principles: 1) Manpower: mostly elderly individuals with limited skills and generational cohesion, and a tendency to shift to other occupations; 2) Money: inadequate managerial funds; 3) Materials: limited availability of materials sourced from both inside and outside the community; 4) Management: the group was first formed prior to COVID-19, however, there were no online sales at that time; 5) Marketing: insufficient product differentiation because of  an emphasis on existing products; and 6) Machinery: limited household equipment, inadequate for increased production

The development process towards a community enterprise through participation involved seven methods: 1) providing knowledge on how to turn occupational groups into community enterprises, covering topics such as standard management practices, financial systems, fundraising, and modern marketing; 2) benchmarking visits to other community enterprises; 3) product standardization trials (three sessions); 4) marketing trials (offline and online, three sessions); 5) learning extraction forums for practical implementation (three sessions); 6) expert coaching; and 7) meetings to compile trial results and produce a self-improvement manual. The strategies deemed suitable for future community enterprise development including corrective, preventive, and adaptive strategies, leading to guidelines for strategic planning.