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Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) - Call for papers!

Factors Relating Farmer's Adoption of Rice Register Seed Cultivation Tha Dock Kham 1 in Saythany District, Vientiane, Lao PDR

(Lao PDR), Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Extension (Kasetsart University)

Abstract:

 

The research target group was farmer households who cultivate rice register seed for Napock Rice Seed Multiplication Center in Saythany District, Vientiane, Lao PDR. Farmers from 11 villages and 78 families from four zones; namely, Veunkham, Thahgone, Done Vang, and Houchem were interviewed. Data on (1) socioeconomic status, (2) opinion toward the correlation between contracts and practical adoption of farmers, (3) influence factors, which related the farmers on rice register seed cultivation Tha Dock Kham 1, and (4) farmer’s constraints and recommendations on rice seed cultivation were gathered by using questionnaires.

The Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to compute frequencies, percentages, and arithmetic mean standard deviation. Chi-square was employed to test the hypotheses at 0.5 significance level.

Results showed that majority of the farmers were male, between 41 and 50 years old. Most of them finished primary school level 4. The Napock Rice Seed Multiplication Center provided information to the farmers about rice seed. The average rice seed multiplication field was 0.719 ha and the total annual rice seed production was 3,848.55 kg/ha. The average total annual income was LAK 20.7 million/y. Most of the famers’ income came from agriculture, which indicated rice seed multiplication adoption. Farmers were in strong agreement with the overall rules and contract to rice seed production since farmers were trained on rice seed multiplication techniques from Napock Center. However, farmers were not used to reading agricultural magazines. They did not listen to agricultural radio broadcast and did not watch agricultural television programs.

The main problems of farmers were low price of rice seed, lack of knowledge on disease and insect control, poor irrigation management, and high cost of agricultural factors. The farmers suggested to build up rice seed production in the rural areas, provide market for farmers, and decrease the cost of rice seed production.

From the tested hypotheses, it was found that sex, age, education level, total income, opinion by rules and contracts, techniques adoption, training, and assistance from extension officer on rice seed cultivation Tha Dock Kham 1 were the factors related to farmer’s adoption of rice register seed cultivation.