Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 103 (2013) 703 709

13th International Educational Technology Conference

Participatory Development Communication for Natural Resources

Management in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand
Cherdpong Kheerajita*, Alexander G. Florb
a
Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication,Faculty of Agriculture at Kamphaeng Saen,
Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom, 73140, Thailand
b
Information and Communication Studies, University of the Philippines Open University, Laguna, Philippines

Abstract

The participatory development communication is a key process of bringing stakeholders together to cooperate towards
addressing the problem of dissolution of the environment and natural resources. It let them work together towards a
sustainable social change away from individual behaviour change. It is a set of techniques to make people change their
knowledge, attitudes, and practices that allow people to voluntarily engage in the activities related to natural resource
management. In the case of natural resources management, multiple stakeholders are involved in administration and
implementation. The model of this study assumes that all levels of participatory development communication will relate
knowledge, attitude and practice of stakeholders concerning natural resources management.

Ratchaburi province is a major agricultural area in Thailand. The area is prone to severe natural disasters in the past few years
such as drought, inundation, hurricane and conflagration due to climate change. The government of Thailand allocates an
increasing budget for natural resources management in the area, but this does not solve the problem alone. The government
needs an effective strategy in mitigating the problems. The participatory development communication in community based
natural resources management can help the government in formulating effective strategies to alleviate future disasters. This
means that the community where the disasters occur helps in solving and mitigating the problems caused by natural disasters
and natural resources degradation respectively.

The study centers the following variables; the levels of participatory development communication which is (1)
information sharing, (2) consultation, (3) collaboration, and (4) empowerment and knowledge, attitude and practice. The
research assumes that the levels of participatory development communication affect the knowledge, attitude and practice of
stakeholders. Which means higher the level of participatory development communication corresponds to higher knowledge,
attitude and practice measure on natural resources management. Considering the relationship between these variables and the

*
Corresponding author: Cherdpong Kheerajit.
E-mail address: agrcpk@ku.ac.th

1877-0428 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of The Association of Science, Education and Technology-TASET, Sakarya
Universitesi, Turkey.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.390
704 Cherdpong Kheerajit and Alexander G. Flor / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 103 (2013) 703 709

need to address the growing problem on natural resources management, it is important that the government using participatory
development communication explore the different ways in conserving nature and lessen its expenses on unprepared disasters.
The result assumes that levels of participatory development communication are correlated to stakeholders knowledge,
attitude and practice measure. There is a relationship between stakeholders knowledge, attitude and practice towards natural
resources management and participatory development communication practice. Particularly it puts into assumption that: (1)
participatory development communication is directly correlated to knowledge, attitude and practice, which means that as
participatory development communication level increases, knowledge, attitude and practice among stakeholders also
increases, and (2) participatory development communication levels are inversely correlated to knowledge, attitude and
practice, thus, as participatory development communication increases, knowledge, attitude and practice decreases or vice
versa.

Looking at the situation of Ratchaburi province, the increasing budget on natural resources management can be lessen if there
is proper communication and participation between stakeholders and the government. Thus, study will give a new government
approach towards natural resources management and increasing knowledge, attitude and practice of stakeholders.

2013 TheAuthors.
2013 The Authors.Published
Published
byby Elsevier
Elsevier Ltd.Ltd.
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection andpeer-review
Selection and peer-review under
under responsibility
responsibility of The
of The Association
Association of Science,
of Science, Education
Education and Technology-TASET,
and Technology-TASET, Sakarya Sakarya
Universitesi, Turkey.
Universitesi, Turkey.

Keywords: participatory development communication; community based natural resources management

INTRODUCTION
Development communication plays a major role in information distribution in developing countries and other parts of the
world. Communication does not to inform but also influences the behavior of the receiver of information. Effective
development communication should motivate people to participate in planned activities. Participatory development
communication means moving from a focus of informing and persuading people to changing their behaviour or
attitudes and focus on facilitating exchanges between different stakeholders to address a common problem. Participatory
development communication has been used in several development projects such as land and water conservation or natural
resources management and poverty alleviation. Of the two, natural resources management is one of the major problems in
Thailand. Thus, participatory development communication in natural resources management is an essential component of the
participatory research and development process suggests shifting away from informing stakeholders in order to improve their
knowledge, attitudes, and practice. It integrates communication, research, and action in an integrated framework, and involves
researchers, extension workers, community members, and other stakeholders in the different phases of the development
process.

OBJECTIVES OF THIS RESEARCH

The research aims to 1) identify the status and problems of natural resources management in Ratchaburi Province; 2) analyze
the relationship between of participatory development communication levels and knowledge, attitude and practice on
community based natural resources management.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Participatory Development Communication

There are many arguments about the meaning of participation. Participatory communication is under rural development as a
shift from the dominant paradigm of top-down to self-development wherein villagers and urban poor are the primary
stakeholder. Self-reliance and building on local resources are also emphasized in the process. Participation is the exchange of
information from both parties the people and organization. In this process, the people or grassroots identifies the problem and
 Cherdpong Kheerajit and Alexander G. Flor / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 103 (2013) 703 709 705

the solutions to those problems. The people are given the opportunity in the decision-making. In interactive participation
stakeholders take part in the analysis, which result in action plans and formation of new institutions of existing ones.
Stakeholders get the chance to have practices and take control over local decisions. The last type of participation is self-
mobilization. It is characterized by being independent of external institutions. This process allows the development of external
contracts for resources which gives technical advice and construct how resources are used. Accordingly, Aycrigg (1998)
divided level of participatory communication to four levels using the following: 1) Information Sharing, one way
communication basically, people are included by informing them about what is being done; 2) Consultation,
primarily one way communication with a stronger emphasis on feedback. Stakeholders provide their input but do not have a
significant say in the decision making process; 3) Collaboration, two way communication supporting open interaction in
decision making-input in decision making is balanced; and 4) Empowerment, transfer of control over decisions
and resources. Two way communications ensures shared decision making.

In a development communication research, the one idea about the approach to undertaking a preliminary situation assessment
in participatory communication programs for natural resource management is the participatory rural communication appraisal.
It helps change agents in the following way in getting information needed in developing effective communication programs,
materials and methods in natural resources management to ensure suitability to the stakeholders. Listening and understanding
stakeholders better so they can plan together. Promoting involvement of stakeholders in decision-making that affects their
livelihood; and planning communication programs for new development efforts.

Participatory Development Communication in Natural Resources Management

The communication is a key process of bringing stakeholders together to cooperate towards addressing the problem of
dissolution of the environment and natural resources. Thus, participatory communication is a tool for stakeholders. It let them
work together towards a sustainable social change away from individual behaviour change. Participatory development
empowers local communities to discuss and address natural resource management and engage stakeholders in building an
improved policy environment. The terminology has been used in the past by a number of scholars to stress the participatory
approach of communication in contrast with its more traditional diffusion approach. Others refer to similar approaches as
participatory communication for development, participatory communication or communication for social change. Though
used frequently, participatory communication should first be defined in this study. Participatory communication in natural
resource management is not just a set of techniques to make people change their knowledge, attitudes, and practices but the
people should voluntarily engage in activities in natural resource management as part of a process of gaining critical
understanding of why they are doing so. If people understand why and voluntarily change their practices and activities, such
changes are likely to be more long lasting. In social change, people work together in agreement to make some changes happen
at the community or societal level. Natural resource management research needs to be conducted in a multidisciplinary and
interdisciplinary way and should be participatory and community based. In the actuality, the primary concerns of the local
communities and to have an effective management of the natural resource base, community participation is a basic
requirement. Participation should be community-wide, since it is the responsibility of the entire community to undertake
strong efforts towards natural resource protection. Given the data above, approach to development communication research
should not be linear. The increasing interconnectedness today assumes that communication is visible in every aspect of our
daily lives. Participation is innate but proper research participation is yet to be perfected. Participatory development
communication is a way of enabling people to increase community involvement, to have a unified decision over something
that is shared by the community. Thus, determining the levels of participatory development communication is important in
doing participatory research, to determine the gap between knowledge, attitude and practice.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research follows a qualitative method. Data gathering involves reviews of secondary data and available information
about the research site, and personal inquiries analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

706 Cherdpong Kheerajit and Alexander G. Flor / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 103 (2013) 703 709

1. The status and problems of natural resources management in Ratchaburi Province

The result shows that farming practices evolved through time, which is generally brought about by the dynamic needs of the
population and the threats to production effectiveness. Thailands agriculture sector has developed mechanisms to fight its
major threats. Though efforts have been done, natural resources management still faces problems. Ratchaburi province is a
major agricultural area in Thailand. Majority of its land area is forested and cultivated. The area is prone to severe natural
disasters in the past few years such as drought, inundation, hurricane and conflagration due to climate change. The
government of Thailand allocates an increasing budget for natural resources management in the area. In 2007, an amount of
529, 028 USD was allocated mainly for the effects of severe drought. The following year, 301, 956 USD was allocated for
inundation. The next two years (2009-2010) drought, but in 2011, severe inundation hit Ratchaburi province. The government
allocated 1,700,310 USD restoration and management for that incident (Land Development Department of Thailand, 2009).

Increase budget allocation cannot solve the crisis alone. The government needs an effective strategy in mitigating the
problems. The participatory development communication in community based natural resources management can help the
government in formulating effective strategies to alleviate future disasters. This means that the community where the disasters
occur helps in solving and mitigating the problems caused by natural disasters and natural resources degradation respectively.
The community as well as the local government should work together to determine ways to protect the degraded and sensitive
ecosystem. Natural resource management will require the participation of the local government units, non-government
organizations, and institutions. It will serve as a stimulus in the technology adoption and policy support implementation.

Sustainable Development Foundation in Thailand (2003) studied issues and problems in natural resource management in
Thailand. The result of studied can be summed as follows:
1. There is a fragmentation in the management of the government units and a monopolization of natural
resources through centralized laws and policy. Responsibility in natural resource management is granted
primarily to one specific government department creating issues of efficiency in governmental operations
2. The concept on natural resource management is piecemeal rather than holistic. Natural resources are
viewed as trade commodities and only serve as production inputs
3. Natural resource management principles remain fragmented and continue to emphasize the use of
natural resources for economic development
4. Different organic laws do not correspond with the constitution and the actual circumstances on the
ground level due to a lack of participation from the people who are affected by such laws. Additionally, there is a
lack of transparency, resulting in an overlapping of interest and benefits
5. Communitys rights and people participation in natural resource management have not been
recognized and accepted

2. Analyze the relationship between of participatory development communication levels and knowledge,
attitude and practice on community based natural resources management
Participation in development and communication is often presented as a normative principal. Maximum participation carries
an assumed status of maximum benefit. Development communication involves planned change in knowledge, attitude and
practice, which influence not just an individual but other part of the system as well. Any new practice such as participation is
also part of a system. What is needed in organizational behaviour is gradual enrichment of participation to the entire socio-
technical systems to make agencies more responsive to people and their goals. System theory considers the interrelationships
among subsystems as well as interactions between the systems and their supra-systems. A system is considered an organized
 Cherdpong Kheerajit and Alexander G. Flor / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 103 (2013) 703 709 707

unitary whole composed of two or more interdependent parts or components and delineate by identifiable boundaries from
other systems. The systems theory provides a means of understanding in the interrelationships of organizations and its
operations.

In the case of natural resources management, multiple stakeholders are involved in administration and implementation. The
model of this study assumes that all levels of participatory development communication will relate knowledge, attitude and
practice of stakeholders concerning natural resource management. Which means higher the level of participatory
development communication corresponds to higher knowledge, attitude and practice measure on natural resources
management. Considering the relationship between these variables and the need to address the growing problem on natural
resources management, it is important that the government using participatory development communication explore the
different ways in conserving nature and lessen its expenses on unprepared disasters.

The conceptualized model of the study further suggests that levels of participatory development communication are correlated
to stakeholders knowledge, attitude and practice measure. The study then hypothesizes that there is a significant relationship
between stakeholders knowledge, attitude and practice towards natural resources management and participatory development
communication practice. Particularly it puts into assumption that: (1) participatory development communication is directly
correlated to knowledge, attitude and practice, which means that as participatory development communication level increases,
knowledge, attitude and practice among stakeholders also increases, and (2) participatory development communication levels
are inversely correlated to knowledge, attitude and practice, thus, as participatory development communication increases,
knowledge, attitude and practice decreases or vice versa.

Level of Participatory Natural Resources Management

Development Communication Knowledge
Information Sharing Attitude
Consultation Practice
Collaboration

Empowerment

Figure 1. Framework showing stakeholders Participatory Development Communication levels correlated knowledge, attitude
and practice

Looking at the situation of Ratchaburi province, the increasing budget on natural resources management can be lessen if there
is proper communication and participation between stakeholders and the government. Thus, study will give the government a
new approach in dealing with natural resources management and increasing knowledge, attitude and practice of stakeholders.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This research project was financially support by Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in
Agriculture (SEARCA).

REFERENCES
Sustainable Development Foundation: Project Implementation . (2003). Bangkok: Sustainable Development
Foundation in Thailand.
708 Cherdpong Kheerajit and Alexander G. Flor / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 103 (2013) 703 709

Annual Report of Situation of Environmental in West Region of Thailand. (2009). Thailand: Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment.

Ashby, J. (2003). Introduction: Uniting Science and Participation in the process of Innovation-Research for
Development. Ottawa: International Development Research Center.

Aycrigg, M. (1998). Participation and the World Bank: Success, Constraints, and Responses. Washington, DC.:
World Bank.

Bessette, G. (2004). Involving the Community: A Guide to Participatory Development Communication. Ottawa:
International Development Research Center.

Bessette, G. (2006). People, Land and Water: Participatory Development Communication for Natural Resource
Management. Ottawa: International Development Research Center.

Buch-Hansen, M., Oksen, P., & Prabudhanitisarn, S. (2006). Rethinking natural resource management in
Thailand. Thailand.

Cadiz, M. C. (1994). Communication and Participatory Development. Laguna: UPLBCA.

Cadiz, M. C. (2006). Information and Communication for Natural Resources Management in Agriculture. Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Chaffee, S., & Roser, C. (1986). Involvement and the consistency of knowledge, attitudes and behaviors.
Communication Research.

Coldevin, G. (2003). Participatory Communication: A Key to Rural Learning Systems. Rome: Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Flor, A. (2001). Development and Knowledge Management: ICT Applications for Sustainable Development. Los
Baos: SEAMEO SEARCA.

Framework for Mainstreaming Participatory Development Processes into Bank Operations. (1996).

Garcia, A. (2001). Sustaining Natural Resources Management in Southeast Asia. Philippines: SEAMEO
SEARCA.

Gonsalves, J., Becker, T., Braun, A., Campilan, D., & Chavez, H. (2005). Participatory Research and
Development for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management: A Sourcebook. Ottawa:
CIP-UPWARD/IDRC.

Huesca, R. (2002). Tracing the History of Participatory Communication Approaches to Development: A Critical
Appraisal. San Antonio, TX.
 Cherdpong Kheerajit and Alexander G. Flor / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 103 (2013) 703 709 709

Izac, A., & Sanchez, P. A. (1999). Toward a Natural Resource Management Paradigm for International
Agriculture: Example of Agro forestry Research. Philippines: International Center for Research in
Agriculture.

Luithui, C., & Lasimbang, J. (2008). Natural Resource Management Country Studies. Thailand.

McQuail, D., & Windahl, S. (1981). Models of Communication. New York: Longman, Inc.

Ondrik, R. S. (1999). PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES TO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING.

Pretty, J. N. (1995). Participatory Learning for Sustainable Agriculture. World Development , 23 (8).

Rahnema, M. (1995). Participation. In Development Dictionary: A Guide to Knowledge as. London: Zed
Books.

Rakjit, P. (2004). Communication Methods and People Participation in Promoting Mangrove Conservation of
Bangkaew Sub-District Administration Organization Samut Songkhram Province. Thailand: Kasetsart
University.

Servaes, J. (1999). Communication for Development: One World, Multiple Cultures. New Jersey: Hampton
Press.

UNESCO. (1986). Participate in Development. Suffolk: Richard Clay Ltd.