Succession Decisions and Inherited land Size: An Evidence of Family Farms in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand

Abstract

The issue of small size of farm holding is of concern to Thai agriculture for future farming, especially as farm sizes will become smaller by way of inheritance. Since succession decision is not randomly assigned thus, this study applied Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to address and correct the problem of self-selection. The purpose is to investigate the difference in farm size per child between households with and without successors, in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, The South of Thailand. The findings indicate that farm size per child was not significantly different between the households, whether or not a successor existed. Farmland will be transferred to secure the highest value of asset for all children in the future. The findings increased awareness of concerns, especially for successors who will inherit small farms. Thus, the program for supporting and enhancing ability for small-scale farms is needed in the future.