Sustainable agricultural practices among older women farmers in flood prone areas of Thailand

Thailand continues to face severe flooding that significantly affects vulnerable populations, particularly older women farmers. In response, efforts have been made to identify ways to adapt and recover from such disasters, such as the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. However, research examining the relationships among sociodemographic characteristics, agricultural characteristics, and social networks influencing sustainable agricultural practices among older women farmers in the Thai context remains limited. In this study, we examine these relationships using binary logistic regression analysis based on secondary data from the 2023 Agricultural Census conducted by the National Statistical Office. The analysis encompassed 33,142 older women farmers aged 60 years and above. The findings indicate that educational attainment, agricultural characteristics, and social networks significantly influence the likelihood of these older women farmers engaging in sustainable agriculture. Specifically, older women farmers who operate as smallholders, engaged in subsistence farming and single-household farming arrangements, are more likely to practice sustainable agriculture. Moreover, social capital, particularly institutional and formal social capital derived from membership in agricultural cooperatives, exerts the strongest influence on engagement in sustainable agriculture. These findings suggest that social capital plays a crucial role in enabling access to resources, knowledge, and opportunities that support sustainable farming practices. This study contributes to policy-relevant insights by highlighting the importance of promoting sustainable agriculture as a pathway to strengthening adaptive capacity and resilience among older farmers in the face of increasing disaster risk.