Factors influencing vegetable farmer’s choice of marketing channel in Khon Kaen, Thailand

บทคัดย่อ

Low vegetable production and inability to meet the stringent safety and quality regulations imposed by modern marketing channels make it difficult for small-scale vegetable farmers to integrate into the modern channels. To enhance the chances of small-scale vegetable farmers in being able to enjoy the reported efficiency and economical benefits of the modern marketing channels, having the knowledge on factors that influence farmers’ marketing decisions is imperative. The main objective of this study, therefore, was to determine the farmer characteristics that influence choices of marketing channels in Khon Kaen Province by using the multinomial logit model. Data were collected through a survey from a sample frame of 123 respondents randomly drawn from the population of farmers growing commercial vegetables in Samsung District, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand. Three main marketing channels for vegetables were observed hence: 1) collector, 2) direct retailing, and 3) farmers’ cooperative. The results showed that gender, income, experience, group membership, vegetable land size, soil conservation practice, and type of pesticide used were found to significantly affect the farmers’ choices of marketing channels. Low income earners and farmers with vegetable land size ≤ 5 rai were found to favor the collector channel more than the farmers’ cooperative. Likewise, farmers who are female, less experienced, belong to a farmers’ group, and practice safe production preferred to sell to the farmer’s cooperative. The farmer’s cooperative emerged as an important link between small-scale farmers and modern marketing channels.