Definitions of resilience in organic rice farming in northeastern Thailand: adaptation, diversification, resourcefulness, and adequate financial resources

Over the past two decades, studies have proposed varying definitions of resilience, emphasizing its distinct capacity to enable systems to withstand and recover from disturbances. However, these studies have predominantly concentrated on scholars’ perspectives, often overlooking those of marginal individuals, such as farmers, who need resilience to cope with dynamic challenges. This study seeks to clarify definitions of resilience within the context of agroecological systems in four northeastern provinces of Thailand. Organic farmers from these provinces were selected for semi-structured interviews (n = 84). Utilizing constructivist grounded theory methodology and ATLAS.ti, four definitions of resilience emerged: (1) resilience is adaptation to cope with change; (2) resilience is crop diversification to cope with change; (3) resilience is resourcefulness to cope with change; and (4) resilience is adequate financial resources to cope with change. Each definition was examined and found to be beneficial, providing strategies for implementing adaptation and offering alternatives to counter disturbances. While some critical components of resilience theories were absent from the participants’ insights, most definitions align with established resilience theories. These findings underscore the need for stakeholders to address the missing components, broadening participants’ understanding of resilience-building. By doing so, the practical application of resilience strategies can be enhanced to contribute to the sustainability of organic rice production.