Capacity-Building of Mankaeo Borabue Farmers in GAP-Standard Production for Geographical Indication Value Addition in Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand

Abstract

Background: Farmers cultivating Borabue yam bean in Borabue and Kudrang districts, Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand comprise 263 households across 261 Hectare. Fresh yam bean is predominantly sold to middlemen at an average farm-gate price of 8.5 THB (approximately 0.26 USD) per kilogram, generating limited returns. Despite Borabue yam bean having been registered as a Geographical Indication (GI) product since 2022, none of the farmers had exercised the right to use the GI mark, and their produce had not been certified under Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Although two large community enterprises existed in the area, concrete mechanisms for upgrading production standards, exercising GI rights, and developing higher-value markets had not yet been established. These conditions indicated a gap between the formal registration of a GI product and its actual utilization by producers.

Objectives: This research aimed to develop a participatory process to enhance farmers’ capacity to produce Borabue yam bean in compliance with GAP standards and to create added value through the legitimate use of Maha Sarakham’s GI mark. The specific objectives were to: (1) analyze production constraints and existing marketing channels; (2) establish guidelines for promoting GAP compliance and obtaining GI usage rights while expanding market opportunities; (3) implement production, value-addition, packaging, and marketing development activities; and (4) evaluate changes in farmers’ knowledge, production practices, attitudes, economic returns, and capacity for sustained development.

Methodology: Sixty farmers voluntarily participated in the study in collaboration with a multi-stakeholder network comprising five government agencies, three academic staff, and two private-sector partners. The research employed a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach integrated with an Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) framework. The development process consisted of four stages: (1) joint analysis and prioritization of production and marketing problems; (2) behavioral changes in production practices to align with GAP standards; (3) group submission for GAP certification and GI mark usage rights; and (4) creation of new marketing channels and development of prototype packaging. Knowledge, attitudes, and production practices were assessed before and after training and activities using evaluation forms and paired t-tests. Production costs, revenues, and profits were collected through individual and group interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results and Findings: Farmers demonstrated substantial improvements in production practices in three key areas: systematic chemical management; contamination-free harvesting and transportation; and record keeping for traceability. GAP implementation also encouraged safer chemical storage and disposal practices, reducing potential risks to farmers, consumers, soil, water, and the production environment. Ultimately, all 60 participating farmers cultivating 21 Hectare obtained GAP certification and legal rights to use the Borabue yam bean GI mark, becoming the first farmer group in Maha Sarakham Province to achieve both.

A key finding was that farmer acceptance was driven not simply by training, but by three interconnected “turning points.” First, self-assessment against GAP criteria enabled farmers to recognize that many of their existing practices already complied with the standards, reducing their perception that certification was unattainable. Second, direct communication with Siam Makro Public Company Limited representatives demonstrated the potential price and market advantages of GAP-GI produce. Third, the experience of the first 20 certified farmers provided tangible evidence that encouraged a further 34 farmers to participate.

Marketing channels expanded to institutional markets, direct consumer sales, online platforms such as Facebook and TikTok, and modern retail markets. Two prototype packaging designs were developed. One farmer also transformed online selling from simple product promotion into storytelling that communicated the identity and local pride associated with Borabue yam bean as a GI product, demonstrating the use of cultural capital in contemporary marketing. Economic returns increased substantially, demonstrating the economic potential of GAP-GI upgrading. Nevertheless, the results represent market conditions during the study period and should be interpreted in light of seasonal price and demand fluctuations.

Outcomes, Impact, and Sustainability: The changes were sustained through mutually reinforcing mechanisms at local, provincial, and national levels. At the local level, GAP certification must be renewed every three years, while GI usage rights must be renewed every two years, creating external institutional incentives for continued compliance. Internally, the two community enterprises function as aggregators, internal quality controllers, and knowledge-sharing mechanisms. They are expected to transfer knowledge to an additional 203 households over the next 2–3 years through farmer-to-farmer learning, self-assessment against GAP criteria, and plot-level mentoring by certified farmers.

Institutionally, the ability of farmers to pursue GAP certification and GI usage rights in parallel resulted from coordinated action between the Maha Sarakham Agricultural Research and Development Center and the Provincial Commerce Office under provincial policy supporting Borabue yam bean GI development. This adjustment of procedures represents an institutional innovation within the AIS framework, demonstrating how inter-agency coordination can shorten conventional certification processes and accelerate agricultural innovation. At the provincial level, the four-stage development process provides a model for advancing other GI and locally distinctive agricultural products in Maha Sarakham. At the national level, the case offers lessons for other Thai GI products that have been registered but remain underutilized.