Chili Pepper Farmers’ Pesticide Use and Residues under Thailand’s Public Good Agricultural Practices Standard: A Case Study in Chiang Mai Province

Yuichiro Amekawa (), Surat Hongsibsong (), Nootchakarn Sawarng and Girma Gezimu Gebre
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Yuichiro Amekawa: College of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto 603-8577, Japan
Surat Hongsibsong: School of Health Sciences Research, Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Nootchakarn Sawarng: Environmental, Occupational Health Sciences and Non-Communicable Diseases Center of Excellence, Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Girma Gezimu Gebre: Department of Agribusiness and Value Chain Management, Faculty of Environment, Gender and Development Studies, Hawassa University, Hawassa 05, Ethiopia

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: This multi-level study focuses on Thailand’s public good agricultural practices certification standard (Q-GAP) and compares the performance of 100 certified and 229 uncertified growers regarding their pesticide use practices and the levels of pesticide residues detected in on-farm samples. Chili pepper, a crop primarily marketed domestically, was the focal point of this study conducted in the production context of Chiang Mai province. The data for the study were collected through field interview surveys and chili pepper sample collections. The collected crop samples underwent organophosphate pesticide and synthetic pyrethroid analyses using gas chromatography. Statistical analysis techniques, including one-way ANOVA, chi-square tests, probit regression, and multiple linear regression, were employed to analyze the numerical data using the Stata software. The study’s findings revealed several key points. The certified farmers’ main motivation for adopting Q-GAP was to meet market requirements, rather than ensuring safety assurance. They exhibited a significantly lower adoption of insecticides compared to the uncertified farmers, but no significant differences were observed for fungicide or herbicide adoption. The analysis of the pesticide residue results yielded mixed findings, making it challenging to conclude whether certified farmers have better control over pesticide residues compared to uncertified farmers. A probit regression analysis highlighted the critical importance of training for growers’ adoption of the standard.

Keywords: public GAP standard; Q-GAP; pesticide use; pesticide residue; chili pepper; 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: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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