THE GROWTH OF THE SUFFICIENCY ECONOMY PHILOSOPHY OF BHUTAN SOUL FARMERS LIVELIHOOD CENTER

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to study 1) the adoption of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy of the Bhutan Soul Farmers Livelihood Center (BSFLC); 2) the application of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in the BSFLC; and 3) the dissemination of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in the BSFLC. The key informants consisted of academics, government representatives, and members of civil society, 13 in Thailand and 6 in Bhutan, selected by the experts working on disseminating and applying the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in Bhutan. Data were collected from document data, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. The data collection instrument was a field note. The researcher established a typology and taxonomy of the data, as well as performed an analytical induction and componential analysis by comparing similarities and differences of the situations, then analyzed by description and explanation.

The research finding showed that: 1) the adoption of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy of the BSFLC came from training and sending Bhutanese youth to study the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy Course in Thailand; 2) the application of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in the BSFLC started from founding an “Agri-nature farming” according to the 9 Steps of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy; and 3) the dissemination of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in the BSFLC was initiated by creating agri-nature networks, learning process, and conveying to the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy to the public.