The process of creating income via self-reliance is an approach that focuses on the ability of the local community to generate sustained income from effective commercialization of unique products possessing strong geographical attributes. The approach seeks to provide adequate support and to promote local capacity building with the view to ensuring that the local people can successfully develop and market their distinctive village products, relying primarily on local expertise, human capital tacit ness, natural resources, as well as creativity. To be self-reliance, it is necessary that the process also strive to enhance the quality of the products to match the international standard in order to facilitate greater access to the global market.
The OTOP is thus a mechanism aimed to empower the local villages with the capacity to develop one unique major product of their own that also possesses strong characteristics attributable to each of the local areas. The government of Thailand is fully confident that the One Tambon One Product Project would facilitate prosperity to the local areas and enable the local peoples to raise their standards of living, mindful of the production methods that take into account in transforming local resources to value-added products in sustainable manner.
OTOP stands for ˇ§One Tambon One Productˇ¨, a Thai government initiative launched in 2001 to
promote the sale of unique hand-made products from village communities (tambon) as a
means of improving incomes at the grassroots level.
OTOP was one of the national policies to lessen poverty in rustic area. OTOP is designed to
encourage local community to produce unique local specialties connecting with local culture
and being marketable both domestically and internationally. To achieve its purposes,
government has supported local community, primarily by providing knowledge, skills,
and technology, to draw on its local wisdom and local resources in product development
and community development. In addition, local community has been promoted to work
in partnership: produce, manage, and develop in cooperation. Through OTOP operating,
government has anticipated that each local community could raise its earnings, well
being, and economics.
An OTOP logo has been developed as a symbol of excellence to be awarded to
those hand-crafted items that reach the high standards set by the OTOP National
Committee and have export potential.
OTOP products are traditional items made in village communities, each crafted
in the inimitable style of their locality. They are hand made from local materials
using inherited designs and techniques. They might be household items for
decorative or practical use, furniture, textiles, clothing, fashion accessories,
toys, or any article that is a traditional product of a particular community.
Different regions are noted for specific types of products. Silverware
and special paper products, for example, are specialties of the North
of Thailand, as are ceramics, bamboo baskets, cotton fabrics, silver
jewelry and tea.
The Northeast is famous for its silks and cottons, especially tie-
dyed mudmee designs and lai khid and phrae wa silks. Dan
Kwian is known for its pottery, triangular pillows and baskets
woven from water hyacinth.
Pottery and ceramics are important products of the Central
Region, too, notably the exquisite Benjarong and the
distinctive Ko Kret earthware and terra cotta pottery.
The East is well known for fresh and preserved fruit
as well as bamboo and rattan baskets and reed
mats, while natural tie-dyed and batik fabrics
are a specialty of the South, with woven liphao baskets, mother-of-a-pearl inlays and carved wood.
All products are selected for promotion for their overall quality and their potential for export.
The OTOP program has firm government support at several levels, from identifying potential products, advising on design, production, quality control, and packaging to attract buyers for the domestic and export markets.
Traditionally, craft workers made products for their own use or to be exchanged with or sold to their neighbors. They made these items when the daily work of farming or household chores were finished, and with this limited part-time work, production capacity and supplying in volume were not an issue.
With the introduction of OTOP, though, village communities face the realities of trading beyond borders. They must meet deadlines, standards of quality control, production capacity, design preferences and marketing challenges. Not all OTOP products are of export quality, but there are now government agencies providing support in these areas.
Their local products constitute a form of natural and environmental conservation, and a valuable exchange of local wisdom. To the consumer, each hand-made object has a specific local identity that speaks for itself. It is unique, of if not unique, then a limited edition of an artifact, a garment or an item of jewelry that does not exist elsewhere and cannot be mass-produced.
It may be a sentimental memento of a certain time and place in Thailand; it may even be ˇ§a thing of beauty and a joy foreverˇ¨, but however humble or however aesthetically exciting it may be, an OTOP product will be a personal link between a part of Thailand and a traveler who has seen, enjoyed, and responded to it.
OTOP Objectives
1. Create jobs and improve earnings to local community
2. Reinforce self-reliance in local community
3. Promote local wisdom and local resources
4. Support human resource development
5. Encourage initiatives in product development
OTOP Philosophy
OTOP Movement is directed by three fundamental conceptions:
1. Local yet Global Transforming local wisdom to valuable and marketable products, which are inclined to reach international recognition.
2. Self-Reliance & Creativity Encouraging local people to apply their creativity in product and community development.
3. Human Resource Development Supporting schemes to provide information, knowledge, skills, and expertise to local community.
One Tambon One Product Driving Forces
OTOP Driving Forces: The accomplishment of OTOP is driven by three parties:
- Local Community; Applying local wisdom and expertise to initiate, produce, and develop valuable products.
- Government Agency; Providing supportive measures and activities, concerning OTOP development, to local community.
- Private Sector; Participating in supportive activities such as marketing activities, product development activities.
OTOP Strategy
To have fundamental framework for all involved parties, OTOP strategies were defined and used as a guideline in initiating supportive activities.
- Strategy 1 Improve production process, product standard, and product quality.
1.1 Develop and promote community product quality and standard.
1.2 Enhance product quality and standard.
1.3 Create value-added to products.
- Strategy 2 Support marketing and sales promotion activities.
2.1 Expand domestic and international distribution channels.
2.2 Organize and participate in domestic and international trade fairs/exhibition.
- Strategy 3 Promote community network development.
3.1 Strengthen local competency and competitiveness.
3.2 Develop networking among communities.
- Strategy 4 Reinforce efficiency of OTOP management administration.
4.1 Develop management system to support all operating.
4.2 Arrange OTOP promotion campaign.
4.3 Monitor and evaluate overall OTOP operating.
Scope of Development
To achieve its goals and objectives, OTOP development has been outlined on three main areas:
Product Encouraging local community to apply their local wisdom into product development, likewise, upgrading production process, productivity, and product quality, product quality, and product standard, as well as doing the research to support such improvement.
Place Developing distribution channels and doing various marketing promotion activities, both domestically and internationally, to create awareness and recognition among consumers and boost sales, including developing tourism attraction linking with OTOP products.
People Coaching local producer to have adequate information, knowledge, skills, and expertise.
