ผลสัมฤทธิ์ของการจัดการการผลิตและการตลาดของกลุ่มเกษตรกร อำเภอนาน้อย จังหวัดน่าน

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the agricultural product management system throughout the value chain of farmers' groups, to analyse the profitability of marketing management, and to assess the change in livelihood assets of members and non-members of a farmers' group in Na Noi District, Nan Province. Data were collected from a focus group of community agribusiness groups that were operational between 2015 and 2019, namely, the organic agriculture community enterprises (Pumpkin), the mango collaborative group and the eggplant group. In-depth interviews were used to collect data from 225 farmers, consisting of 111 farmers who were members of the farmers' group and 114 farmers who were not members of the farmers' group. To evaluate the impact of the changes in livelihood capital from participation in community business groups, the management system of the group under the value chain framework, the group's marketing profitability based on the gross profit margin and farmers' share of benefits, and the achievements of individual farmers were analysed using the Difference in Differences (DID) method. The Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method was used to match groups of member farmers and non-member farmers. Results of the study of the agricultural product management system throughout the value chain of farmers' groups showed that the organic agriculture community enterprise (Pumpkin) has an entrepreneurial structure involving selling seeds, buying produce, and processing, transporting and distributing products to the destination market. The mango collaborative group has group management in educating production, negotiates purchase prices and purchase quantities with the purchase market, and collects and controls the quality of produce as determined by the market. The eggplant group manages the entire value chain; they procure and sow quality seeds and produce seedlings for sale to group members, disseminate manufacturing knowledge, liaise with the market, and collect and transport produce to the destination market. The organic agriculture community enterprise (pumpkin) had the highest gross profit margin from marketing management at 62 percent and had a share of the interests of farmers at 38 percent. The mango collaborative group had a gross profit margin from marketing management of 2 percent and a share of farmers' interests of 98 percent. The eggplant group had a gross profit margin from marketing management of 3 percent and a share of farmers' interests of 97 percent. The results of a survey of farmers who joined the farmers' group and those who did not join the farmers' group were conducted in 2015 and again in 2019 to study the changes in livelihood capital between these two cohorts of farmers. In 2015, it was found that the farmers who were members of the group had lower human capital, natural capital, social capital and physical capital; while in 2019, there was no difference between the two groups of farmers in the five aspects of living capital, except natural capital where the farmers who were members of the group still had lower natural capital. The results of a Difference in Differences analysis of the impact of the change on livelihood assets from being a member of a community agribusiness group confirmed that farmers participating in the group had changed their livelihood capital in all aspects and increased at different rates compared to the non-participating group. These changes included: 1) Human capital development in management, improved production systems and sophisticated marketing and bargaining strategies. However, a lack of knowledge and skills to deal with natural disasters such as floods and droughts, plant diseases and pest outbreaks. 2) Financial capital, especially the capacity to produce alternative marketable agricultural products, allowing sufficient agricultural income for household spending and agricultural investment. 3) Natural capital, where there was a greater knowledge and understanding of the agricultural system, resulting in the rational allocation of natural resources and preservation of the fertility of the agricultural ecosystem. 4) Social capital, with farmers exchanging agricultural knowledge and information, and increased social interaction and community involvement. 5) Physical capital, the opportunity to access support in agricultural infrastructure and technology. The results of the study support the development of production and marketing management among farmers. Support would be valuable to foster rural farmers' potential in a number of ways including developing competencies in bargaining, marketing channels, participating and contributing, and other general community coexistence skills. Encouragement to develop production management and marketing skills of the group would empower farmers to generate further income and develop and access livelihood capital to enable them to be self-reliant and have a better quality of life.