Abstract:
The objectives of the thesis are 1) To study ecological factors providing varieties of food resources 2) To
study social and cultural factors which support the environmental management providing enough natural food
resources 3) To study social and cultural processes of conserving and recovering food resources. The study is done
at Sawang Village, Dongmuang Subdistrict, Yangsisurat District, Mahasarakam Province. This is a qualitative
research using indepth interview with the persons who knew the topic well. I also involved myself in these
activities as a participant and observer.
Results of the study :
1) The ecological factors which provide varieties of food resources are several types of forests (dense and
open). There are numerous kinds of plants and trees, rice fields having some trees, natural ponds having various
water plants, and there are several kinds of soil. 2) The social and cultural factors which support the environmental
management providing enough natural food resources are the government’s rural development, village leaders,
usage of food resources, village sub-communities, and local beliefs. 3) Social and cultural processes of conserving
and recovering food resources are a) Social processes: social union, regular meetings, active village leaders, a
committee taking care of the village’s forests, rules and punishments in using the forests, trying to gain participation
from all the villagers, urging the young to be involved in activities concerning forests and food resources, and
usage of local wisdom b) Cultural processes: local morals, beliefs and morals in Buddhism and animism c) Law
processes: the laws of land and forest, and laws of the Constitution.
Suggestions from the study are that to conserve and recover food resources we should show the names and
qualities of trees in community forests. Activities for the young people to make them know well their community
forests should be undertaken. The committee taking care of the community forests should know well about natural
resources and give this knowledge to the villagers. Suggestions for further study are that, the village should
undertake activities concerning food resource recovery, the researches on villagers opinions. Moreover, action or
experimental researches should be done with the participation of the villagers