Bangkok University Partners with Khlong Sam Nawat Withi Community — Delivering the "Smart Dried Banana Drying System" Innovation to Sustainably Uplift the Community Economy
Bangkok University, in collaboration with the Khlong Sam Nawat Withi Community, Pathum Thani Province, held a handover ceremony for the Smart Dried Banana Drying System Development Project, under the Academic Service for Sustainable Community Development initiative — now entering its second consecutive year (academic year 2024–2025). Dr. Thiraphon Wongsaadsagul, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, represented the university in handing over the project to Khun Rungnapa Kaewthum, Chairperson of Village No. 16, Khlong Sam Sub-district, Khlong Luang District, Pathum Thani Province Sufficiency Economy Learning Center. The project was supported by the Education and Innovation Support Alliance (EISA) and ThaiBev to drive sustainable community development through knowledge and innovation.
Integrated Knowledge from 8 Faculties
Green Living Lab — Designing a One Day Trip tourism route, local ingredient-based menus, service design, and English language use in the community, by School of Humanities and Tourism Management.
Business Cluster — Co-developing signature community products including dried bananas, palm cake, and others, with workshops covering offline and online marketing, accounting and cost-profit analysis, and trademark law — building financial sustainability and quality of life for the community, by School of Accounting, School of Business Administration, School of Entrepreneurship and Business Administration, and School of Law. Community Landscape Development — Designing bilingual signage and infographics for the community, by School of Architecture; and using drone technology (UAV and 3D Mapping) to create three-dimensional map models, School of Digital Media and Film Arts.
Key Highlight: The Smart Dried Banana Drying System
The flagship innovation is a hybrid solar-powered dried banana drying system with intelligent control, developed collaboratively by the Faculty of Engineering and the School of Information Technology and Innovation. The system was created to address a real community problem — existing drying facilities could not regulate temperature and humidity, leading to mold growth and economic losses.
Key features include solar energy as the primary power source, automatic temperature and humidity sensors, a real-time IoT reporting system, and a user-friendly display interface. The system targets a reduction in dried banana product damage of no less than 80%.
This project aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — specifically SDG 7 (Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Innovation), and SDG 12 (Sustainable Production) — and reflects the university's role in translating academic knowledge into real social impact. This collaboration between education, business, and community serves as an important model for integrated community development: generating income, improving quality of life, providing students with real-world learning experiences, and establishing a replicable model for other communities in the future.
