Building of the Mechanism for Managing Food Surplus through a Participatory Process between King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi and Society and Communities

According to the Food Waste Index, the amount of food waste has a significant impact on environmental, social, and economic dimensions. This research aims to establish a mechanism for managing surplus food through a participatory process involving King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) and the surrounding society and community within a 5-kilometer radius of the university’s Bangmod campus. This qualitative study collected data through in-depth interviews with a total of 39 purposively selected key informants, supplemented by field observations in the target area. The research findings reveal that effective surplus food management requires the active participation of 16 relevant organizations. These include three internal stakeholders within the university, twelve direct external stakeholders, and one indirect external stakeholder. The process is guided by the Food Recovery Hierarchy, which prioritizes actions to prevent and recover surplus food, and is further supported by Cohen and Uphoff’s theory of participation, which consists of four levels: (1) joint decision-making in driving the surplus food management mechanism (2) basic collaborative actions aligned with organizational missions and/or contributions of necessary resources (3) shared benefits from proactive and tangible engagement, and (4) joint monitoring and evaluation through oversight, follow-up, assessment, and continuous improvement of the mechanism. The findings indicate that this participatory approach can effectively prevent food waste and enhance food security within the local area. Furthermore, the implementation is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12, specifically Target 12.3, which aims to halve global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains.