Characteristics and Decision-Making of Farmers in Community Supported Agriculture of Thailand Case Study: Collaboration Vegetable Project in Suphan Buri Province and The Basket in Phetchaburi Province

Abstract

This work studied the characteristics and decision-making of farmers in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) including the reason for joining the community in comparison to non-members. A survey was conducted on samples of farmers in Collaboration Vegetable Project in Suphan Buri Province and The Basket in Phetchaburi Province.

The results showed that expenditures and debts of farmers in CSA are lower compared to non-CSA farmers due to the lower production costs and the lower chemical expenses. In terms of agriculture characteristics, CSA farmers had utilized less land usage producing diverse plants. This indicated a model of agriculture prioritizing diversity in a limited space rather than using a whole large area for a single crop. Moreover, the amount of chemicals used by the sample in CSA was also considerably lower than the other group usage. The most common reason for joining CSA is the nonuse of agriculture chemicals. Furthermore, CSA farmers also had fewer problems with marketing, product prices, production costs, and incomes compared to non-CSA farmers significantly.