The Integration between the Smallholder Beef Cattle Group and the Large-Scale Farm for Commercial Production

Abstract

Beef cattle is one of the major livestock raised in most parts of Thailand especially in Northeastern part also including the Central region (Lindsay Falvey, 2000). There were two main beef cattle farming systems in Thailand particularly in the Central region : the Smallholder Beef Cattle Group(SBCG), and the Large-Scale Farm (LSF). These two farming types were roughly differentiated by their herd size, and their capacity of farm management and production. The qualitative research mainly focused its study in major factors that could affect to the effective integration between the SBCG and the LSF. This qualitative research was done under the in-dept study process in two types of farm levels under the case studies context: the LSF and the SBCG in Suphanburi Province. The SBCG which was selected as the representative of the smallholder Beef Cattle Groups consisted of 25 members who have initiated continuously around 5 years for its group operation. The other was the LSF (Large Scale Farm) which purposively selected to be the case study named "Lungchaw Farm" which had its main integration activities strategies of Win & Win management from the beginning up to present. Data gained from qualitative approaches were the structured and the unstructured interview, the direct and indirect observation, the focus group activities, and the relevant secondary data. From the literature review, there were 4 main factors : the socio-economic factors, the socio-cultural factors, the management factors, and the environmental factors which proved to be major factors that could influenced to the effective integration between the SBCG and the LSF. Most of the respondents were males, the average age was 41 years old with the primary school level. Their family members were average 4 persons and most of them had their own land with average 26.95 rais per family. Marjority of their farming system were the integration between crop and animal raising. Smallholders beef cattle raising were their dominant farming type. For the selected LSF case, their modern farm technologies and management were used and applied to the whole production system and facilitated to the SBCG under the integration farming system. The results proved significantly that four main factors had their positive impact on the effective integration between the SBCG and the LSF. This results indicated the possibility and need to the integration model between the SBCG and the LSF in the quality beef cattle production. This model could be mentioned as the innovative model which open the opportunity for any smallholder to develop themselves in doing quality farming system by their own.