CPA Moves Forward with 8th Class of Thammasat Model Project, Aiming to Elevate and Expand Community Enterprise Networks for Sustainable Grassroots Economy

14 June 2023: The Community Partnership Association (CPA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thammasat University, signifying the launch of the eighth generation of the "Community Partnership Association - Thammasat Model" project in 2023. This initiative seeks to bolster seven selected community enterprise groups, strengthening the broader community enterprise network, highlighting the strengths of the mentor model, and fostering collaborative research between lecturers, students, and the CPA. The collaboration is designed to enhance knowledge transfer, promote creative initiatives, and raise community product standards while expanding opportunities and increasing market access to generate income, reduce inequality, and foster sustainable community economies.

Furthermore, the initiative equips participating communities to achieve various levels of product quality certifications, such as FDA approval, ensuring increased consumer product acceptance. It also broadens the community network to include local government sectors, entrepreneurs, and model communities that have undergone training in various iterations, contributing as mentors and collaboratively propelling the project toward enhanced robustness and efficiency.

In 2023, seven community enterprise groups were selected to participate in the project, including:

1. 1. Kohkok Community Enterprise Company Limited, Mab Ta Phut Municipality.
   2. Mab Ta Phut Biomass Utilization Community Enterprise, Mab Ta Phut Municipality.
   3. Ban Khao Pai Community Enterprise, Thap Ma Subdistrict Municipality.
   4. Nong Mahad Housewife Farmer Group Community Enterprise, Thap Ma Subdistrict Municipality.
   5. Phu Lam Yai Ban Chang Housewife Agricultural Processing Group Community Enterprise, Ban Chang Municipality.
   6. Ban Sai 9 - Nong Kwang Community Enterprise, Map Kha Phatthana Subdistrict Municipality.
   7. Thepprasit Farm Community Enterprise, Noen Phra Subdistrict Municipality.
      
      

The Community Partnership Association (CPA) highlights several success stories from community enterprises participating in the project. For example, the Kohkok community, operating under Kohkok Community Enterprise Company Limited, has evolved from a local community product center into a hub for managing and distributing products from various communities. They have adopted innovative management solutions, including creating a website, implementing an accounting system, and applying barcodes for warehouse management, all contributing to a more accurate and convenient product management system. The Khao Pai community enterprise, initially faced with a significant amount of food waste, tackled this issue by improving its packaging and innovating its production process. They creatively repurposed food leftovers into ice cream and boosted their sales by venturing into the online market, leading to a substantial increase in sales for the Khao Pai community enterprise. As for the Thepprasit Farm Community Enterprise, all its members have received training and knowledge transfer from mentors. They have subsequently been able to refine their product branding and enhance their product's value. One of their successful ventures includes the development of crispy corn, a new alternative for health-conscious consumers that aligns with current market trends and demands."

The 'Community Partnership Association - Thammasat Model' project, now entering its eighth generation, reflects the power of collaboration in elevating community living standards. This initiative propels growth by enhancing product standards, broadening community enterprise networks, increasing income, reducing inequality, and aligning with the Bio-Circular-Green Economic Model (BCG). It empowers community economies to become robust and sustainable.

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About the Community Partnership Association

The Community Partnership Association, or CPA, is a pioneering model of collaboration among industrial operators in Thailand. It originated from the collective efforts of industrial operators primarily located in the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate, Rayong Province. The founding members include five companies: PTT Group, SCG, BLCP Power Plant, DOW Thailand Group, and Global Power Synergy (GPSC), alongside twelve other associate members. The shared goal is to develop environmentally friendly industries, foster communities full of smiles, enhance the quality of life in communities, provide educational opportunities, promote health and hygiene, reduce inequality, and stimulate the community economy. The aim is to ensure a sustainable co-existence between industry and the community and collectively propel Rayong into a livable city that harmoniously coexists with industries, fulfilling our motto of "Livable Community, Sustainable Society."