Social Capital Concerning a Conservation of Sweet Wild Trees (Phak Whanpa) in a Northeastern Thailand Community

INTRODUCTION The sweet wild plants or Phak Whan Pa are plant food and very popular in the Northeastern Thailand. Being wild plants and popular as they are, their leaves grown could not meet the market demand. The plants themselves grew quite slowly even in natural setting; both natural and artificial seedlings were difficult to achieve. Support from government and/or public sectors was slow. Some people tried to plant the plants on their land but met with some success due to lack of practical skills. The Sakarat community tried an experiment by planting the sweet wild plants in the community forests and the ones near by making such a maneuver a social capital. From then on the wild plants were valued highly; the people made them part of their own community.