Effects of an organic vegetable production on on-farm and off-farm income: A case study of farmer group in Nong Saeng village, Northeastern Thailand

บทคัดย่อ

Twenty six households in Nong Saeng village, Khon Kaen province in Northeast Thailand (NET) participated in an informal education program and formed a farmers’ group in a project called Organic Vegetable Production for Self Reliance (OVPSR). Twenty out of the 26 households, 2 group leaders and an extension officer working in the village participated in semi-structured interviews (SSI) regarding project activities and its impact on the household incomes. On the average, 20 farmers received only 36.8% of their income from on-farm production, whereas off farm activities contributed 59.6% of their income. However, half of the households had greater on-farm income than off-farm income. The informal education program and the OVPSR project appeared to have increased the role of agriculture for the participant households. There was a positive impact on increasing their on-farm income especially through vegetable production. On the other hand, another half of the households with greater off-farm activities generate a higher household income and pursue non agriculture as the dominant income generating strategy. The rapid growth in non agricultural sectors provided better employment opportunities with higher returns for the rural households that seek employment in urban settings. In addition, the higher education among the younger people in the households appears to induce them to seek non agricultural employment. The households with greater on-farm income appeared to be older in average than the households with greater off-farm income.