Farmers’ Perception on Durian Innovation: A Case Study of GAP-Certified Orchards in Chanthaburi Province, Eastern Thailand

Abstract

     The objectives of the study were to determine 1) farmers’ perceptions including knowledge, practices, and attitude towards durian innovation, 2) the relationship between some personal background of durian growers with their perceptions, and 3) constraints and recommendations on durian innovation. Seventy-one certified durian growers in Chanthaburi province, Eastern Thailand were selected through a purposive and proportional stratified sampling technique. Data were collected using an interview schedule. Testing the reliability of knowledge and practices on durian innovation used the Kuder-Richardson reliability coefficient 21 with a reliability of 0.72. The semantic differential scaling methods of two attitude durian innovations were obtained by internal consistency as determined by the reliability of Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.89 and 0.84. Descriptive statistics were presented as frequencies, percentages, arithmetic means, and standard deviations. The Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used as an inferential statistic for hypothesis testing. The findings revealed that most farmers had a good perception of orchard hygiene and environmental management. Almost all of the farmers agreed that it was necessary to practice harvesting and postharvest management. The most important factors related to knowledge and practices on durian innovation were the number of marketing channels, the number of groups a farmer belonged to, the area cultivated, and durian cultivation experiences. The number of marketing channels was also identified as the factor related to attitude towards durian innovation practice requirements, while the cultivated area was found to be a factor related to attitude towards durian innovation affordability. The greatest constraint was the few niche markets available for domestic demand. The most common recommendation was to implement urgent measures to get rid of immature durian fruit in the market.