Building Social Capital through Social Space for People Living in Poverty: A Case Study of Lenoi Craft Community Enterprise, Phatthalung

Social capital is a key factor in enhancing the potential and reducing inequality among disadvantaged populations. This research aims to explore the process of transforming a shared physical space to a social space to enhance social capital among members of the Lenoi Craft Community Enterprise. The study employed a participatory action research (PAR) approach to develop the social space. Data were collected through participatory meetings, workshops, demonstrations, focus group discussions. The target group consisted of 150 vulnerable households in Phanang Tung and Thale Noi subdistricts, Khuan Khanun district, Phatthalung province. The findings reveal two key insights: (1) The formation of social space among members emerged from spatial relationships within the Lenoi Craft family network, which consists of three main groups—those with storefronts, those selling raw sedge, and those processing sedge products. These groups, situated within the socio-ecological landscape of mountains, forests, rice fields, and wetlands, formed a network that utilized these spatial connections to express local identity. This process revitalized sedge handicrafts with renewed cultural value. (2) The transformation of a public area into a social space for the Lenoi Craft Community Enterprise was driven by user-designed activities. These activities integrated local knowledge with social capital-building processes, which in turn tangibly supported the development of human capital, economic capital, and natural capital within the community.