Attitude, Readiness and Needs towards Organic Dairy Farming of Chiang Mai Fresh Milk Group Members in Lamphun Province

Abstract

     Currently, consumer demand for organic food in Thailand is rapidly increasing, including organic raw milk products. Meanwhile, Thailand was able to produce organic raw milk in relatively small amounts. Therefore, it was necessary to change the dairy farming style to meet organic livestock standards. Therefore, this research focuses on the study of basic personal, economic, social, psychological characteristics, needs, factors affecting needs, and problem and obstacles as well as suggestions for raising organic dairy farming of farmers. Data were collected by interview schedule and a set of questions from 146 out of 192 Chiang Mai fresh milk group members in Lamphun province by purposive sampling method. Specifically, 146 farms, 1 person each farm who signed the sale of fresh milk with Chiang Mai Fresh Milk Co., Ltd. consisting 91 from Mae Tha, 28 from Ban Thi, and 27 from Ban Hong raw milk purchase center. Obtained data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics, and rationale content analysis. The results reveal that most of the farmers (87.00%) were male, with an average age of 47.26 years old, completed secondary school (34.20%), and married (86.50), while, they were engaged in agriculture as their main occupation (96.60%) and only 18.50% were general employment as their supplement occupation. They had average annual dairy income of 663,356.16 baht and 33,179.45 baht for the average annual non-dairy income. Farmers had average holding area for dairy farming of 3.06 rai. Besides, most of the farmers (82.20%) had never attended organic farming training. They were members of Chiang Mai fresh milk group, Lamphun province 9.25 years on average and they were most perceived information regarding organic dairy farming via online media (54.80%). As a whole, farmers' attitudes toward organic farming and readiness to raise organic dairy farming were both in moderate level (𝑥̅=3.25 and 𝑥̅=3.37). However, farmers' needs for organic dairy farming as a whole was at the high level (𝑥̅=3.82). Moreover, the study found 8 factors affecting farmers' needs for organic dairy farming as followed: gender, age, educational attainment, average annual non-dairy income, training on organic farming information perceiving on organic dairy farming via online media, attitude on organic farming, and readiness of organic dairy farming. The main problems of farmers were the treatment of dairy cows with antibiotics and chemical contamination of roughage. The reducing of organic livestock standards for the use of certain antibiotics on dairy cows and encourage farmers to grow roughage crops according to organic standards.