Validating Sustainability Dimensions of Coconut Farming in Thailand: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Based on the Sustainable Coconut Charter (SCC)

Abstract

Coconut farming plays an important role in Thailand’s agricultural economy and serves as a primary source of income for smallholder farmers. However, the coconut production system is currently facing several sustainability challenges, including declining yields, aging coconut trees, increasing risks from climate change, and structural limitations in the market. Although sustainability frameworks have been increasingly adopted within agricultural supply chains, there is still a lack of empirical evidence confirming whether the proposed sustainability dimensions can adequately explain the context of coconut farming in Thailand. This study aims to validate the structure of sustainability dimensions in coconut farming in Thailand under the Sustainable Coconut Charter framework. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was employed to test both first-order and second-order measurement models. The research adopted a cross-sectional quantitative approach, with a sample of 47 key stakeholders involved in the coconut supply chain from Surat Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, and Chumphon provinces.

The findings indicate that the model demonstrates a good fit with the empirical data and supports a multidimensional structure of sustainability consisting of three dimensions: economic, social, and environmental. All nine indicators—productivity monitoring, income diversification, price transparency, occupational health and safety, labor rights protection, farmer representation, climate resilience practices, biodiversity conservation, and soil management—significantly reflect their respective latent constructs. Among these, the environmental dimension shows the strongest influence on overall sustainability, followed by the social and economic dimensions. This result reflects the hierarchical nature of sustainability within the context of smallholder coconut farming in Thailand.