Farmers’ Adoption of Herbal Plants Production on Good Agricultural Practices in Bang Ban District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province

Abstract

     The objectives of this research were to investigate: 1) the socio-economic characteristics of farmers; 2) the level of adoption of herbal plants production on Good Agricultural Practices; and 3) problems encountered in production. The sample group consisted of 40 farmers producing herbal plants on Good Agricultural Practices in Bang Ban district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province. Data was collected using questionnaire schedules between November and December 2025. The data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.

     The results revealed that the majority of the farmers were married females having an average age of 53 years. Most of them had completed lower secondary education while attaining an average of 8 - 9 years of formal education. They had an average of 4 family members and 6 years of experience in herbal plants production (GAP). The average income from herbal plants production (GAP) was 258,210 baht/year whereas other income (mostly from general labor) averaged 62,885 baht/year. The average agricultural debt was 60,265 baht/household. They produced an average yield of herbal plants (GAP) of 1,550 kilograms/year and possessed an average planting area of 4 rai. Most of them utilized household labor which averaged 3 people. During the past year they attended training on Good Agricultural Practices an average of 1 - 2 times and contacted agricultural extension officers an average of 20 times. They primarily received knowledge and information from the officers through online channels and farmers' adoption of herbal plants production on Good Agricultural Practices was overall at a high level (mean = 4.42). When considering each aspect in descending order, extension and information had the highest level of adoption (mean = 4.67), followed by Good Agricultural Practices, agricultural technology, and trade and marketing (mean = 4.54, 4.25, and 4.22, respectively). Regarding problems in herbal plants production on Good Agricultural Practices, the overall problem was at a low level (mean = 2.44). Upon analyzing specific aspects, capital was the most severe problem (mean = 3.10), followed by labor skills (mean = 3.00), and the use of modern technology and tools (mean = 2.90). For the other aspects, the problems encountered by farmers were at low and lowest levels.