Quality of life of Aromatic Juice Coconut farmers participating in the large land plot agricultural extension system, Damnoen Saduak District, Ratchaburi province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study 1) personal factors offarmers2) economic factors of farmers3) factors supported by the large land plot agricultural extension system 4) knowledge of farmers relating the large land plot agricultural extension system 5) quality of life of farmers and 6) relationships between personal factors, economic factors, factors supported by the large land plot agricultural extension system, knowledge relating the large land plot agricultural extension system and the quality of life of farmers. The population in this study was 190 Aromatic Juice Coconut farmers who participated in the large land plot agricultural extension system project in DamnoenSaduak District, Ratchaburi Province. A total of 127 farmers were selected as the research sample. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed by using descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, maximum and minimum values and inferential statistics Chi-square.

             The reseach results showed that 1) Most of the farmers were male (63.8%)with average age at 59.17 years, graduated primary school at 62.2%, average number of household members at 3.96, and average experience in coconut cultivation at 11.17 years. Membership of one agricultural group was 48.8%, and the duration of participating in the large land plot agricultural extension system of the Aromatic Juice Coconut project was an average of 2.25 years. 2) Most farmers had an average area of 15.24 rai in coconut cultivation. Land holding for planting Aromatic Juice Coconut was their own at 73.2%. Average income from coconut cultivation was 261,251.97 baht/rai. Average cost was 90,282.68 baht/year. Average number of workers was 2.5 persons. They accessed to their own source of funds at 90.6% and having one distribution channel of Aromatic Juice Coconut was 92.9%. 3) Most farmers received appropriate knowledge and technology support on 4 topics including cultivation and care methods of Aromatic Juice Coconuts, cost reduction to increases productivity, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Individual Farm Production Plan (IFPP) at 96.9%. Farmers received supported agricultural inputs as chemical fertilizers at 90.6% and received marketing support through trade show at 2.4%. 4) Farmers' knowledge relating the large land plot agricultural extension system was in high level at 85.8%.  5) Farmers had highest average quality of life in terms of social relations, followed by work, self-development and economic aspect. (  = 2.74,  = 2.52,  = 2.45 และ  = 2.18 , respectively)     6) The hypothesis testing results showed that the duration of participation in the large land plot agricultural extension system of the aromatic juice coconut project, land holdings as their own, income, expenditure and farmers' knowledge relating the large land plot agricultural extension system was found to be related statistically significant at 0.05 level to the overall quality of life and in each aspect.