Sustainability of Small Scale Vegetable Growers in the Context of the Thailand-China Free Trade Agreement: Case study of Onion, Shallot, and Garlic Production in Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

This paper presents some results of the adaptation of small-scale vegetable growers in the context of the Thailand-China Free Trade Agreement in Chiang Mai Province. This research aims to ascertain the sustainability of small-scale vegetable growers in the context of the Thailand-China Free Trade Agreement, specifically for onion, garlic, and shallot production. The sample population included 413 growers: 176 onion growers, 162 garlic growers, and 75 shallot growers. The Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF) was applied to identify asset ownership, strategy implementation and achieved outcome, institution influence, and vulnerability faced by small-scale growers in sustaining their livelihoods.

The study was concerned with the relationship between livelihood assets and livelihood strategies in terms of the allocation of assets Sustainability in this study refers to the sustainability of their income change due to the Thailand-China FTA. The relationship between the change of household income and the independent variables in the model describes the sustainability of farm production by the growers who used various adaptation strategies. The results show that if the growers reduced cost of production or postpone imports during the period of February to August, they could sustain their livelihood in terms of farm size, farm investment, and membership in the agricultural cooperative. For growers who stopped growing for 1-2 years and growers who adapted by extending to other domestic markets, it was found that farm size had a statistically significant effect on the change in household income from vegetable production. In addition, for growers who improved vegetable quality and post-harvest technology, it found that household head literation had a statistically significant effect on the change in household income from vegetable production.