Factors Affecting Farmers’ Extension Needs for Rice Stubble and Straw Management in Pathum Thani Province
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Abstract
Rice is a key economic crop of Thailand. After harvesting, a large amount of rice straw and stubble remains in the field. Most farmers prefer to burn these residues to prepare the land for the next planting, which leads to soil degradation, ecosystem imbalance, and air pollution. The objectives of this research were to study: (1) farmers’ knowledge of rice stubble and straw management, (2) factors affecting their demand for extension of such management, and (3) problems faced by farmers in managing rice stubble and straw. The population consisted of 11,036 registered rice farmers in Pathum Thani province for the 2023/2024 cropping year. A sample of 201 farmers was selected. Data was collected through structured interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multiple regression analysis).
The results revealed that 1) Most farmers were male, with an average age of 59.14 years, primary education level, and an average of 25.63 years of farming experience. The average rice farming area was 25.59 rai, with a production cost of 3,802.97 baht/rai, an average yield of 765.57 kilograms/rai, and an income of 7,005.13 baht/rai. 2) Farmers had a high level of knowledge regarding rice stubble and straw management.
3) Farmers had a high level of demand for extension in various aspects, including agricultural extension methods (mean = 3.99), personal media (mean = 3.89), knowledge (mean = 3.42), and communication channels (mean = 3.34). 4) Factors significantly affecting the demand for extension of rice stubble and straw management were the level of problems in managing residues at the 0.01 level, and rice production costs at the 0.05 level. 5) Farmers encountered major problems in managing stubble and straw, particularly the high cost of management (mean = 4.31), lack of agricultural machinery (mean = 4.07), and lack of rice straw buyers (mean = 4.02).
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References
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