Tropentag, September 14 - 16, 2010 in Zurich "World Food System – A Contribution from Europe"

The Adoption of Organic Farming in Thailand: A Case of Organic Rice

¹Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Institute of Regional and Project Planning, Germany
²Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Institute of Rural Sociology and Extension, Germany

Abstract

Organic agriculture is one of several approaches to sustainable agriculture, and its importance in the agriculture sector is growing. At the same time, organic agriculture is frequently promoted as an exit strategy from poverty for small-scale marginal producers in developing countries. While the economics literature suggests that a lack of profitability and credit constraints are the main problems facing their adoption, several other important factors could also impact the adoption of organic farming, including economic conditions, management skills, agro-climatic conditions and social considerations. Contract and non-contract organic rice farms in Surin and Yasothon provinces versus their neighbouring conventional farms were used for their study. Descriptive statistics were used to investigate both organic and conventional rice farms. Binary logistic regression and Duration analysis were applied to investigate the factors affecting the adoption and diffusion of organic farming. The empirical results reveal that the important reasons for non-adoption of organic farming are more concerned with lack of incentive instruments to promote organic farming. Also attitude on specialised market and premium price for organic foods, and special credit are strongly affect organic farming. Many of organic farms emerged from conventional problems faced by farmers, while premium price with market access by contract farming, and extension agents are important incentives. Important factors on decision of adoption of organic farming show that water accessibility, farm-gate price and attitude on conventional problem are positively significant. Besides, off-farm work and farm size have negative influence adoption of organic farming. The constraints are mostly concerned with practice and management due to lack of technical know-how, as well as marketing constraint with an information gap between producers and consumers. Meanwhile, extension focuses more on improvement of soil fertility techniques in order to reduce production cost and convincing organic farming.

Keywords: Adoption, duration analysis, organic farming, organic rice

Contact Address: Panchit Pornpratansombat, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Institute of Regional and Project Planning, Senckenberg Str. 3, 35390 Giessen, Germany, e-mail: ppanchitgmail.com