Farmer's Need of Cultivation Extension of Avocado in Pang Hin Fon Subdistrict, Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

     The objectives of this research were to 1) study basic personal characteristics, some economic and social aspects of avocado farmers 2) study farmers’ knowledge on the avocado growing 3) study a level of needs towards avocado growing extension of the farmers 4) analyze factors related to the needs for the development of growing avocado farmers, and 5) study problems encountered and suggestions of the farmers in Pang Hin Fon sub-district, Mae Chaem district, Chiang Mai province. A questionnaire was used for data collection from the sample of 226 avocado farmers and analyzed by using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation. Including perform hypothesis testing to find relationships between independent variables and dependent variables by using multiple regression.

Results of the study revealed that most of the avocado farmers were male, with an average age of 45 years, married, and had elementary school certificate level. There was an average household of 4 with workforce of 2 people. It was found that the farmers had all the household income an average of 115,139 baht a year, had the land average of 15.20 rai per family and had contact with agricultural extension officers on average 2 times per year on the pests and diseases subject. In addition, there is a need to develop the processing and extension on growing avocado in Pang Hin Fon. Overall, we found that the farmers’ requirement on extension was at a high level (average 4.07), as the most on section of planting area and seeds (average 4.26), farming and care (average 4.24), crop harvest management (average 4.22), and the last on the marketing (average 3.54) respectively.

For hypothesis testing, it was found that factors related to the needs of growing avocado in Pang Hin Fon sub-district, Mae Chaem district, Chiang Mai province had a positive relationship on age with the statistically significant (p=0.001) and on the knowledge about avocado growing (p =0.005) but showed the negative relation on the section of household workforce (p =0.015).

For problems encountered, we found that most members faced the problem of water shortages in summer -since avocado farming is a water-intensive activity-, the level of the farming/caring knowledges, pests and diseases condition respectively. Their needs and suggestions were that they want the government to support and develop on water systems, knowledge, innovation and technology for avocado farming.