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“ประเทศไทยในอนาคต Future Thailand : มิติที่ 2 สังคม ชนบท ท้องถิ่น” โดย สถาบันพระปกเกล้า

rural areas are uninterested in agriculture and turn to industrial and service sectors instead,
making rural areas prone to food shortages. There will be competition for resources and

serious social issues. This is a society without socio-economic security.
The mixed society has the character of present day society but which has been left
to operate without any modification or change. It is a society that still has income inequality,
but with accessible public services. In addition to access to educational opportunities, and

employment, there is an imbalance between urban-rural developments (e.g., greater access
to rural society for the purpose of resource exploitation). Industrial agriculture and industrial
crop are promoted, resulting in ecological and environmental damage. Rural people suffer
from inequality, low income, and debt. Social institutions such as religious institutions,

educational institutions, and the family institution are not fully functional, resulting in a
reduction of social value practice.
Both of these societies affect the social quality of rural society in terms of socio-
economic security, social cohesion, social inclusion, and social empowerment. If this

continues in the next 20 years, it is likely that a crisis will occur. At present, rural society is
vulnerable to the risk of collapsing, and when the national-level economic and social
conditions—particularly in the industrial and service sectors—is faced with unexpected

future crises (e.g. pandemic, financial crisis, and natural disasters such as floods), many
workers in the service and industrial sectors industries can still rely on rural areas as a safety
net to accommodate them. Yet in the future if rural society gradually transforms into an
unhappy or mixed society, the rural society may be unable to handle any future crises and
will not be a source for creating wealth, stability, and sustainable development for the

country. The primary mechanism to push for development will move to the city via the
service and industrial sectors.
However, from the prediction of the future by projecting the future scenario, the

researchers believe that there still a potential scenario that could be a possible solution to
prevent or reduce the risk of an unhappy or mixed society. This is to find a way for rural
society to become a balanced and sustainable society.
A sustainable and balanced society is characterized by a society with a moral micro

economy, in which the community work under a sense of morality, equality, and fairness
between consumers and manufacturers with processes and mechanisms to distribute goods
and services based on ethics. This would include just pricing and learning community aiming
for the intellectual immunity. People will be able to access and use information and

knowledge to make decisions about future life plans. It is also a lifestyle that contributes to
the strengthening of rural social institutions, restoring the natural environment, and adopting
a sustainable culture (permaculture) that considers ethical development. They will focus on
caring for the world and caring for people as well as sharing fairly. The community will focus

on building natural and social capital rather than economic capital.

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