Acceptance of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) among durian farmers participating in the Agricultural Product Quality Standards Enhancement Project in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

Abstract

This study aimed to: 1) examine the level of acceptance of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in terms of attitudinal and practical acceptance, and 2) identify the factors associated with the practical acceptance of GAP among durian farmers participating in the Agricultural Product Quality Standards Enhancement Project in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The sample consisted of 218 farmers selected through stratified sampling, with districts used as strata and farmer lists in each district as the sampling frame. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Fisher’s Exact Test, and Fisher–Freeman–Halton Exact Test. To control for multiple comparisons, p-values were adjusted using the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure. The results revealed that attitudinal acceptance of GAP was at a high level (Mean = 4.10), whereas practical acceptance was at a high level (Mean = 2.64). Record keeping showed the lowest level of practical implementation and was at a moderate level, followed by personal hygiene. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, the perception that GAP implementation could reduce production costs was the only factor significantly associated with compliance in the harvesting and post-harvest practices dimension (BH-adjusted p = .022; Cramér’s V = .342), indicating a moderate association. These findings indicate an association between farmers’ perception of production cost reduction and compliance with harvesting and post-harvest practices, but do not establish the direction or causality of this relationship. Accordingly, the findings suggest that extension agencies may consider communicating the potential economic benefits of GAP implementation while strengthening farmers’ capacities in record keeping and personal hygiene to support effective and sustained compliance with GAP standards.