Abstract
The uncertainty of agricultural risks not only affects farmers, but also causes all stakeholders in the supply chain. Durian is one of the important agricultural exporting products in Thailand and a high-value fruit crop of Chumphon Province. Durian farmers have faced yield loss after outbreaks of disease, pests, and squirrels intensify, deterioration of soil and water quality, and the threats of unpredicted farm income over the past few years. The adoption of smart farming technology like drones and sensors, can serve as a solution to alleviate risks in agriculture, but not all farmers are adopting technology. This study aims to explore determinants affecting the adoption of smart farming technology for durian farmers in Chumphon province. Survey data of 108 farmer households were randomly conducted and analyzed by using Binary logistic regression and descriptive statistics. Demographic characteristics, socio-economic variables, and farming systems were examined to explain the farmer adoption. Findings showed that farmer adoption of technology was significantly affected at p-value (< 0.05) by farmer’s age, farmer’s main occupation, access to extension services, and farm size with the percent correct of 74.1% and goodness-of fit of 0.062. Therefore, younger farmers with larger farm sizes were more likely to adopt agricultural technology than older farmers with farm sizes. In addition, farmers who adopt technology could reduce employed labor, and fertilizer costs, indicating that smart farming technology provided better farm performance and less cost. The influence of extension services on the adoption of technology should be encouraged to help farmers to adapt and mitigate the agricultural risks with appropriate technologies and specific conditions of durian farms. Continuous training and educating farmers via extension services are essential for the sustainable adoption of smart farming technology.
Keywords
Durian; Agricultural risks; Farmer adoption; Smart farming technology
