| Author | Artittaya Phongphom |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.RD-09-02 |
| Subject(s) | Farmers--Social networks--Thailand, Northeastern
|
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Regional and Rural Development Planning |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. RD-09-02 |
| Abstract | This research focused on farmer’s network approach to small farmer development in the Northeast of Thailand with the aim to develop an al ternative strategy on participatory agricultural development for small farmers in Thail and through development of farmer’s network application. The specific objectives were t o describe formation and expansion process, key components and functions of farmer’s n etwork; to study member’s participation and analyze factors associated to the member’s participation in farmer’s network operation; to assess benefits gained by the members of farmer’s network, to analyze factors explaining the success of farmer’s network operation; and to suggest recommendations for strengthening farmer’s networks and formulate appropriate strategies for small farmer development based on the applicati on of farmer’s network approach. This research employed a combination of survey and case study approach using both qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting and analyzi ng data to explain farmer’s network development process and its impacts. The research c overed two different kinds of networks comprising of non-government initiated network (NGI N) or known as Thai Bru Farmer’s Network (TBN) and government initiated network (GIN ) known as Phu Phan Agro- forestry Farmer’s Network (PAN). Both networks had promoted several kinds of farm and non-farm development activities to enhance sustaina ble farming and other environmental friendly activities aiming for self-reliance in the long-term development. The study analyzed three major stages of network de velopment: preparation stage, formation stage, and operational and adaptation sta ges for explaining the formation and expansion process of the network. It was found in b oth networks that the preparation stage focused on the learning phase aiming to connect mem bers together. In the formation stage, both networks were institutionalized themselves int o a formal structure. For the operational and adaptation stage, both networks applied group d ynamics approach to solicit their members to participate in the network activities pa rticularly in NGIN. The research found that both types of the network functioned effective ly to develop small farmers in several aspects in response to various problems faced by th e farmers. Both networks acted as local development agent enhancing the promotion of sustai nable farming and supporting development activities to mobilize internal and ext ernal resources. The network has been utilized as the effective communication and learnin g mechanism to support farmers in participatory learning and communication process on development activities. The operation of the network was primarily focused on p articipatory approach. The degree of participation of the members had significant associ ation with several factors including socio-economic characteristics of members, benefits gained from the network, and institutional aspects. Several kinds of benefits were gained by members of those two networks. The result showed that members of NGIN gained relatively great er social benefits while those from GIN gained higher economic benefits. Both networks had different strengths and weaknesses in their network operation. The key fact ors explaining the better performance of these two networks comprised of network structur e, components and size, types of management system, local leadership ability, local participation, communication and learning process and methods, identification of dev elopment activities, and social networking process. These factors provided the basi s for a set of recommendations and policy implications to support the farmer’s network development in future |
| Year | 2009 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. RD-09-02 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Rural Development, Gender and Resources (RD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Soparth Pongquan |
| Examination Committee(s) | Shivakoti, Ganesh P. ;Thapa, Gopal Bahadur ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC)Thailand |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2009 |