The establishment of 878 DRISLCs throughout the country in 2009 relied on the concept of “Sufficiency Economy”. This results in improvement of quality of life in rural area. The benefits of the learning center are shown by the following works:
At a micro level, the household has better quality of life. At the same time, they can earn more income, reduce their expenses, and compound prolonged debt. The people also have proper discipline and a correct way of life. This is necessary for sustainable development in their near future life. More than 74,500 household are now successful. The number is still increasing.
The examples of outstanding DRISLCs are:
Pran Kratay District Self Learning Center: This center was used as a pilot project of New Agriculture Theory. From 2009-2011, 667 villagers with 163 households of Ban Na Daeng Village have a better quality of life. The villagers have trained to make organic fertilizer, pesticide, handicrafts, household account. These practices lead to reducing food expenditure and consumer goods of more than 80 percent. It also increases 20 percent of household income, eradicate household debt, which is an average of $ 4,000 and increase the village revolving fund to be $168,000 as well as reduce drug use, gambling drinking of alcohol as well as conflict reduction.
Kanchanadit District Self Learning Center: This center is used by Nongyang Village as a training center to raise pigs, unpolished and coarse rice farming and sapling breeding. This increased monthly income of 240 villagers by 20 percent. The village was praised as a prototype for a development village.
Song Khwae District Self Learning Center: This center is used by Song Khwae villagers as a pilot center for constructing check dams and to conserve soil and forest, rice terraces, fund for animal feed, fund for breeding seeds, fund for fertilizer. This results in 30 percent increase in monthly income of 1,200 households. The dams are still used as sources of watershed in the northern area.
Noen Maprang District Self Learning Center: This center is used by Pha Rang Mee villagers as a center for setting up a rice bank, cloth weaving group, garbage bank and fund for animals. This has resulted in the increase of 30 percent in the monthly income of 115 households or 450 villagers. The village also has a village revolving fund of 202,400 $ Moreover, the village has continually conducted local activities and annual traditional festivals which lead to the unity of the village.
Overall, the success of the 878 learning centers is to bring about the unity of villagers to participate and perform local activities and promote the sufficiency development. For instance, the Pilot Sufficiency Economy Village, the Pilot Household for New Agriculture Theory, reforestation and check dams. The Project also leads to a development approach that base on local capacity, conservation of natural resources and the environment and the building up of unity in local areas. More than 5,600,000 people participated in the project from 2009-2011.