Ecovillage in Thailand: Lessons from Applying the Concept to Practice

Abstract

The ecovillage approach offers extensive and applicable insights for planning and developing both rural and urban communities. This participatory action research aimed to apply the ecovillage concept to transform a typical Thai community into an ecovillage, and to formulate guidelines along with the lessons learned. The practical process which emerged can be adapted to the Thai context and developing countries alike, and can serve as guidelines for other communities: 1) community selection and assessment; 2) community preparation; 3) designing and implementing an ecovillage training module; 4) learning from other successful environmental management communities; 5) planning for the ecovillage; and 6) reflection on the whole process.