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Abstract
This study was aimed to investigate the ways of life of the rubber plantaters,
adjustment of the rubber planters community facing capitalism, development of the rubber
planters community’s potential, trends of the community, and alternatives to the community
strengthening. Qualitative methods use to conduct the research.
The study of ways of life and context of the community was divided into 2 stages:
prior to 1961 representing traditional agricultural community culture in which a family and the
community had a close relationship, believed in supernatural powers and religious principles;
and during 1961 – the present (2010) in which the community has been undergoing
restructuring—the relationships between a family and the community has been weakened,
traditional agriculture has been changed to production for serving industry, the community has
been influenced by external values. The study of the rubber planters’ adjustment was
categorized into 3 stages: prior 1961, during 1961-1997, and during 1997-2010. Prior to 1961,
the rubber planter community was closely related to the sufficient production. They relied on
the nature and primarily utilized local resources. During the second stage, the great storm
happened in 1962 was a turning point in many aspects. The main occupation of the villagers
was rubber plantation. They depended entirely on outside community’s production factors.
The community willingly headed to the industrial market. Finally, during 1997-2010, Mai
Riang rubber planters have developed towards cooperatives in order to deal with the problems
of rubber value and the community’s economy. The community master plan was created.
Local resources have been used as the major capital. The Mai Riang Centre of Study and
Development including learning networks were established in cooperation with communities
in the South and other regions. In the future, the rubber planter community tends to extend
rubber plantation sites. There will be an increasing number of rubber planter communities
nationwide. Moreover, an invasion and destruction of ecology to rubber plantation will
become more severe. Rubber planters need to improve the quality and quantity of latex in one
rai in order to compete in the world market. Alternatives to the community or other
agricultural sections strengthening discovered from this study were that the community