Adaptation to Drought Situation of Vegetable Growers in Na Khu Sub-district, Phak Hai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study 1) basic personal information, 2) perception of drought situation impacts, 3) opinion on drought situation solutions, 4) knowledge of drought situation, and 5) adaptation to drought situation of 114 vegetable growers in Na khu sub-district, Phak Hai district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province. Data were collected using an interview schedule. Data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics which were frequency, percentage, maximum, minimum and mean, and cross tabulation. The results revealed that most of the farmers were female (51.8%), had an average age of 51.58 years old, graduated from primary school at 52.6%, had an average income of 8,850 THB/month and 59.6% of them had debts. About 97.4% of farmers highly perceived drought situation impacts and all of them realized that drought reduced agricultural productivity. The farmers moderately agreed on drought situation solutions (mean 2.12), with a high agree (mean 2.34) in managing the effects of drought. Most of the farmers had a high level of knowledge about the drought situation (97.4%), with an average score of 10.14 out of 13 points. About 51.8% of farmers were adaptable to the drought situation at a low level but 48.2% of farmers were highly adaptive. All farmers adapted by planning of cultivation in accordance with the amount of water. Moreover, it was found that farmers with different genders, ages, education levels, debts, perceptions of drought situation impacts, opinions on drought situation solutions, and knowledge of drought situations had a difference in adaptations to drought situations.