Pesticide Use under Public Good Agricultural Practices Standard: A Comparative Study in Thailand

Yuichiro Amekawa, Sara Bumrungsri, Kanuengnit Wayo, Girma Gezimu Gebre and Surat Hongsibsong
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Yuichiro Amekawa: College of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto 603-8577, Japan
Sara Bumrungsri: Department of Biology, Division of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
Kanuengnit Wayo: Department of Biology, Division of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
Girma Gezimu Gebre: Department of Agribusiness and Value Chain Management, Faculty of Environment, Gender and Development Studies, Hawassa University, Hawassa 05, Ethiopia
Surat Hongsibsong: Environmental, Occupational Health Sciences and Non-Communicable Diseases Center of Excellence, Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-21

Abstract: The local implementation of Thailand’s public good agricultural practices (GAP) certification standard was investigated by examining its effectiveness in raising farmers’ awareness, lowering pesticide use, and thus improving food safety and quality assurance. A total of 98 certified and 100 uncertified farms were surveyed in two Thai provinces, Chanthaburi and Nakhon Si Thammarat, respectively. Considering durian ( Durio zibethinus Murr.) cultivation, the economic size of farming in the former region is relatively larger and production more market-oriented, while in the latter region, the farming scale is smaller. It was observed that knowledge and understanding of GAP is much higher among the certified as compared to the uncertified farmers, although the effectiveness of GAP in lowering pesticide use remains unconfirmed. The comparison between the two regions also suggests that farmers’ pesticide use could be affected by other contextual factors to a greater extent than the GAP. Results from a multivariate linear regression analysis highlighted the critical importance of training on Q-GAP and pesticide use in reducing pesticide use among certified farmers. This suggests that GAP applicant farmers should be encouraged to participate in training on those subjects as an integral part of their Q-GAP application or renewal procedure.

Keywords: public GAP standard; Q-GAP; pesticide use; producer perceptions; durian farming; Thailand (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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