Agricultural Extension Approaches for Off-Season Durian Production for Export of Farmers in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand

The objectives of this research are to study: (1) the social and economic conditions of farmers (2) the conditions of off-season durian production for export (3) the factors affecting the approaches to promoting off-season durian production for export among farmers in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province (4) agricultural extension approaches for Off-Season durian production for export in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, The population and sample group for this research consist of durian farmers in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, specifically from Tha Sala District, Sichon District, and Nopphitam District, totaling 3,254 households. The sample was selected using purposive sampling. The sample size was determined using Taro Yamane’s formula with an acceptable margin of error of 0.05, resulting in a sample of 360 participants. Data was collected using an interview questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.921, measured by Cronbach’s alpha. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine frequency, percentage, mean, minimum, maximum, and standard deviation. Additionally, multiple regression analysis was performed using the enter method. The study found that most farmers were male, with an average age of 52.88 years. They completed primary education (Grade 6) and had an average of 10.43 years of durian farming experience, with 4.58 years specifically in durian production for export. The average household size was 3.88 members, with 2.07 household laborers and an additional 1.61 hired workers on average. Farmers had an average durian plantation size of 11.73 rai and sold their produce at an average price of 136.03 THB per kilogram. Their average income from durian production was 3,331,907.64 million THB. Additionally, 48.1% of farmers had taken out loans. Regarding information sources, 40.1% of farmers primarily received information on durian production technology for export from fellow farmers within the province. On average, they contacted government agricultural extension officers 0.81 times per year and private sector agricultural advisors 3.18 times per year. They consulted with export business operators and attended export-oriented durian training programs about once per year. However, 79.4% of farmers had never participated in field studies related to durian export production, and 83.9% were not members of agricultural organizations. Key factors influencing off-season durian production for export in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province included the export price of durians, household loans, access to information on durian production technology, contact with government agricultural officers and training experience in durian production for export. These factors were found to be significant at the 0.05 level.