Farmer Capacity Building for Production of Export Quality Fruit Crop Through “Farmer School” Approach

Abstract

Thailand has great competitive potential for exporting tropical fruits to overseas markets. To achieve such goals, there are a number of pathways that farmer producers have to go through. This paper describes the processes made by a group of farmers who aim to produce fruit crops to meet quality standard of importing countries. The case study is carried out by participating with farmers in the process of competence building among farmer members, which consists of integrative activities determined collectively by members.

A group of sixty mango farmers from three districts: Mae Taeng, Chiang Dao and Chaiprakarn in Chiang Mai province, who see the potential of producing quality mango for penetrating the Japanese market was formed in September 2004 and subsequently registered with the DOAE as “Community marketing venture group of Chiang Mai mango producers for export” (Chiang Mai mango group). Within this large group, the core group, consisting of 10 members, known as “marketing group” began gathering information, analyzing, synthesizing, and formulating action plans necessary for capacity building.

During the two years period, the group, through regular meetings, had conducted a series of learning processes as follows: 1) understanding the complex procedures for exporting of fruit crops that all members have to follow, 2) understanding the importance of registered group to be recognized and to be accepted for production and trade negotiation, 3) learning and field visiting to successful “Phrao mango group”, who has been successfully penetrating Japanese market, 4) establishing database for individual farms producing mango for export, 5) allocating responsibilities to subgroups for production, marketing, and capacity building through “Farmer School”, 6) improving organization through encouraging continued learning activities such as forming partnership with other mango production groups and export groups, improving production practices for quality products, postharvest handling and export quality standardization, accessing up-to-date information on exporting fruits and vegetables for the Japanese and the EU markets, and production status of competing countries, and 7) knowledge management, by communicating and integrating practical knowledge with successful mango groups from Phrao, Chiang Mai province, Bang Khla, Chachoengsao province, and Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima province, so that precise production practices for quality products is being formulated.

The case study indicates that to become fruit export farmers, farmers have to organize and work at group level, and follow a series of steps for competence building. The two years experience of the Chiang Mai mango group has shown promising results of capacity building.