Protecting farmlands amid urban and industrial expansion: Community mechanisms in Yothaka and Khao Din under Thailand’s EEC development

Abstract

This study analyzed the community mechanisms used to manage agricultural areas amid urban expansion and the conditions that support their success, focusing on the Yothaka and Khao Din communities in Chachoengsao province. This study adopted a qualitative research approach to understand social phenomena in all relevant contextual dimensions, using a holistic perspective to examine the economic, social, and political dimensions of the study areas, following the framework of local community studies in political economy. Data collection included documentary research (primary and secondary sources), in-depth interviews with key informants in urban development and local governance, and focus group interviews. The study found that both communities developed civil society mechanisms to form social movements. Yothaka formed the “Yothaka Rak Thin Group” to strengthen networks with non-governmental organizations and enhance its bargaining power through petitions, symbolic actions, and negotiations, while Khao Din mobilized through the “Rak Mae Phra Thoranee Network” and utilized specific mechanisms such as rejecting public hearings, seeking redress through the Land Bank Administration Institute, and leveraging national political mechanisms. Key conditions for successful agricultural land management include internal community cooperation, the nature of conflicts, social network building, effective communication, and post-election political context. This study contributes to the reconceptualization of rural civil society in Thailand as shifting from adaptive cooperation to networked, activist resistance under state-led capitalist development.