Management of Social, Cultural, and Environmental Capital for the Sustainability of the Miang Agroforestry System in Ban Pok Community, Mae On District, Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

            This study aims to (1) examine the management patterns of social, cultural, and environmental capital within the miang forest agroforestry system of Ban Pok; (2) analyze the mechanisms, roles, and interconnections of these forms of capital in sustaining the long-term viability of the agroforestry system in a headwater area; and (3) propose context-appropriate community capital management strategies to enhance adaptive capacity amid socio-economic change and promote integrated sustainability across economic, social, cultural, and environmental dimensions. A qualitative research design was employed. Data were collected from 24 key informants purposively selected based on their direct involvement in the miang forest agroforestry system. The data were analyzed using content analysis, and credibility was ensured through triangulation.

            The findings indicate that (1) the miang forest agroforestry system represents an integrated resource management system in which social capital functions as a mechanism of collective action and co-governance through multi-level relationships and community rules; cultural capital operates as a framework of values and indigenous knowledge guiding canopy management, soil and water conservation, and traditional fermentation practices; and environmental capital constitutes the natural resource base sustaining production and livelihoods. (2) The interaction among these three forms of capital operates as a reinforcing cycle: cultural capital shapes norms governing resource use, social capital translates these norms into collective practice through community-based governance, and environmental capital reflects the outcomes of such regulation, resulting in sustainability across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. (3) Appropriate community capital management strategies should be implemented at multiple levels household, community, and network levels emphasizing intergenerational knowledge transmission, the strengthening of local governance mechanisms, and strategic external linkages grounded in respect for local identity and ecological integrity. The study identifies a systemic community capital management pattern embedded in the miang forest agroforestry system and introduces the SCE Model (Social–Cultural–Environmental Capital Model) as a novel analytical framework. The model explicates the dynamic interplay among social, cultural, and environmental capital, contributing both theoretically and practically to sustainable headwater development.