The origin and development of local fresh markets and small traders in Ubon Ratchathani province

Abstract

The research project on the origin and development of local fresh
markets and small traders in Ubon Ratchathani province of which the
objectives are the follows: 1) to study the origin and development of
3 local fresh markets and small traders in Ubon Ratchathani province,
namely, the municipal market 1 of Det Udom district, the Subdistrict
Administration Organization fresh market of Khok Chamrae, and the municipal
Subdistrict fresh market of Buntharik; 2) to study to analyze the relations
between the trade forms and culture from the past and the present. The result
is follows, the fresh market of municipal market 1 of Det Udom district, the
Subdistrict Administration Organization fresh market of Khok Chamrae, and the
municipal Subdistrict fresh market of Buntharik have developed from the
administrative structural reorganization of the provincial and local
government, namely, sanitation districts, municipalities, and Subdistrict
Administration Organizations. Moreover, it is due to the fact that there are
changes of the political and social contexts in which the urbanization policy
created primate-secondary cities by enhancing transportation network to
connect Ubon Ratchathani city to other districts: Det Udom District, Thung
Si Udom District, and Buntharik District. These small traders show that the
fresh markets represent as the area of alternative trades and of moral
economy, that is, there is still a way of exchanging products with
compromise and flexibility, not looking for high profits in creating retail
and wholesale trade network. This causes the low cost for traders and
cheap products with quality for buyers. Besides, small traders also provide
local products relating to food and energy in their ecosystems which can
reveal their local identity. Consequently, these local fresh markets are
valuable and play important role as a fresh market of the local
community.