Constraints to organic vegetable production in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Abstract

There are several vegetable production systems in Chiang Mai, including conventional, safe-use, pesticide-free, and organic. Recently the number of farmers who cultivate organic vegetables is increasing. The farming systems concerned with health and environmental quality are popularly called alternative farming systems. Nevertheless, this approach cannot be achieved for all farmers. Some of them switch back to chemical production because of pest and disease problems. The objectives of the research are to explore the current constraints to organic vegetable production and marketing, and to investigate the future opportunities for organic vegetable production in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The data was collected through farmer interviews with the questionnaire from farmers in the target areas. The data was analyzed by using descriptive analysis. The results showed that constraints to organic vegetable production consist of 1) bio-physical constraints, such as low soil fertility, water shortage, and pests, 2) economic constraints which include the high material cost, high labor cost, high transportation cost, and market access, 3) knowledge constraints which are lack of understanding and management skills about pest and disease management, crop-environment, added value from farm processing and postharvest management, and 4) social constraints, such as lack of experience or skill in group negotiation for marketing.