Socio-economic and Cultural Revitalization of Thai Berng Community of Khok Salung
Household weaving activity in Thaibeng village
Street painting by community members
Culture lab at Thaiberng Folk Museum (Process and necessary ingredients for dying cotton)
Thaiberng Folk Museum and Community Centre
Challenges and Objectives
Thaiberng Village was located in Khok Salung Sub-district, Pathhana Nikom district, Lopburi Province of Thailand. Over two decades ago, the Pasak Jolasid Dam project resulted in the appropriation of over 20,000 rai of land from farmers in Khok Salung, who received compensation in return. With the compensation, many local families constructed new houses equipped with modern facilities. However, this development posed a threat to the preservation of the village's distinct culture and traditions, and the villagers lost their traditional means of livelihood. Consequently, a collaborative effort emerged to safeguard and promote the village's unique culture.
The project's main objective is to enhance the livelihoods and incomes of villagers in the aftermath of the Pa Sak Jolasid Dam construction, while simultaneously preserving the socio-cultural identities and values of the village. To achieve this, specific objectives include: supporting the local fabric-weaving network to improve social status and economic opportunities, establishing a local folk museum to prevent cultural erosion and promote tourism, fostering community leadership for sustainable development, and actively emphasizing the preservation of cultural values and traditions.
Collaboration Partners and Roles
Thai Berng socio enterprise was a collaborative entity that is associated with the project, and this enterprise provide opportunities to community members to sell their products and services through their network. In a collaborative effort for community empowerment, the Local Fabric Weaving Network focuses on producing and promoting locally woven fabrics, contributing to the socio-economic upliftment of weavers. The Community Homestay Network plays a pivotal role in promoting local village tourism, creating economic opportunities for farmers and households through entrepreneurial ventures. The Community Folk Museum curates traditional Thai Berng houses and organizes activities, contributing to human resource development and conducting workshops for tourism design. The Cultural Tourism Group, Khok Salung, actively develops community networks, disseminates information, and monitors homestays, weaver groups, and the folk museum, ensuring effective coordination. The Thailand Government’s Social Investment Fund serves as the principal funding agency that provided a seed fund to establish the socio-enterprise, while the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center facilitates online connectivity through the NAVANURAK platform, fostering digital innovation and student engagement with the Thai Berng community. The Department of Cultural Promotion under the Ministry of Culture serves as a vital collaborator, providing financial support and technical expertise from the Center for Knowledge Dissemination, Recognition, and Publicity. The Pratthana Nikhorn District Administration, through its Community Development Division, plays a crucial role in promoting the village as a sustainable socio-cultural revitalization model. This involves actively disseminating information to external organizations, including business sectors and academia, fostering wider recognition and support. Additionally, the Khok Salung Tambon Administration acts as a bridge, connecting the village with the district and external organizations to secure funding and explore market opportunities. The Development Planning Management and Innovation Academic Program at the Asian Institute of Technology engages in research, knowledge production, and participatory workshops, providing scientific support for sustainable community growth.
Revitalisation Activities
The project lasted from 2017 to today, using the seed fund from the Thailand Government’s Social Investment Fund at the beginning and self-sustaining the socio-enterprise, villagers’ voluntary works, and academic institutes later on. Many villagers and community members changed their jobs to tourist-related service providers, vendors, and tourist providers. More diversified economic and tourist activities are nowadays in the village, which helps villagers have more diversified income generation activities. In the context of the environment, substantial improvements have been made to physical assets due to increased investments in tourism development from both private and public sectors. Infrastructures such as roads, electricity, and facilities have seen enhancements. Additionally, the community has embraced eco-friendly practices, minimized plastic usage, and adopted sustainable methods for clothes coloring. Notably, the use of bamboo products, banana leaves for packing, the reuse of cotton bags, and natural ingredients such as plants and leaves for cloth coloring has become prevalent. In a social aspect, the initiative has contributed to overcoming the community’s crisis of land and livelihood loss because of dam construction. The identity of the village becomes stronger, and young people recognize their village's strengths and opportunities. Many university graduates started returning to the village to start new rural businesses and volunteer in the community’s socio-cultural activities.
Revitalisation Outcome
The project has achieved significant outcomes in preserving the unique cultural identity and traditions of the Thai Berng people. Tangible measures of success include the establishment of the Thaiberng Folk Museum and Community Centre, the implementation of the Fabric Weaving Network, and the creation of homestays, all contributing to the revitalization of local traditions. Workshops on Tourism Design and Leadership, along with the NAVANURAK Story Creator Challenge 2020, have actively engaged students in portraying the Thai Berng community through digital media. The introduction of the Local Wisdom Learning Hall has provided a dynamic space for visitors to learn about local culture through hands-on activities like cooking classes. In terms of social conditions, the project has strengthened community bonds, achieving the goal of fostering mutual happiness rooted in local culture. Notably, traditional fabrics are now incorporated into contemporary attire, and youth engagement in the museum underscores a commitment to preserving local culture. The economic impact is evident in improved conditions resulting from diversified employment opportunities beyond subsistence farming, including farmers running homestays and crafting tourism products. Although the project primarily focuses on maintaining the local village environment for tourism, the community's commitment to environmentally friendly practices, such as using natural ingredients in fabric dyeing, reflects a positive ecological contribution. Overall, the project has successfully transformed the socio-cultural, economic, and environmental aspects of the Khok Salung community.
This is the abridged version of a case prepared by Development Planning Management and Innovation, Department of Development and Sustainability, Asian Institute of Technology. For further information, please email Dr. Thi Phuoc Lai Nguyen at
phuoclai@ait.asia.