| This research explored the nature of environmental adult education for urban consumers organized under two Thai non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working to promote green consumerism. The Project for Development of Alternative Agriculture Producers-Consumers Network in Upper Northern Thailand (PRO-CON Network) and the Traditional Medicine for Self-Reliance (TMSR) Project were selected for the purpose of the study. Three main research objectives are as follows: (1) explore the underlying assumptions of NGOs regarding their promotion of green consumerism; (2) describe the characteristics of the environmental adult education programs provided for urban consumers within the context of the two NGO projects; (3) examine whether environmental adult education embedded in the two NGO projects help influence changes in the nature of the personal, social, and structural relations. A multiple-case study design was applied. Data, collected by various methods, i.e. semi-structured interview, participant observation, survey and documentary research, was analyzed and presented in the form of the two individual case studies.;The study found that green consumerism promoted by the two NGOs incorporates social dimensions which include farmers' economic self-reliance, care for the land and the environment, fair trade, farmers' and consumers' health and general well-being, and increasing environmental awareness among urban consumers.;Environmental adult education for urban consumers was organized on the basis of mutual benefits for consumers and farmers in green consumerism. It was used in an effort to create a network of alliances between urban consumers and farmers, who are both from differing socio-economic backgrounds, and to use the network as an opportunity to create learning moments for both groups. It was approached from a holistic point of view which sees all issues as interconnected and impacting on each other. It is a process of learning wherein one's self-interests are redefined to include other social dimensions.;The study also found that in the two projects urban consumers gained new understanding about farmers' lives and started to see the interconnections between their health, agriculture, and the farmers' overall well-being. Farmers began to ask critical questions about the benefits of modern farming methods and the role of experts in knowledge production. Learning tools in the form of printed materials and study tours appeared to work well for urban consumers. Farmers, on the other hand, learned primarily from horizontal learning networks and from study tours. Face-to-face, informal exchanges of knowledge between and within the two groups not only occurred on a frequent basis but proved to be fairly productive for both groups. |
