Farmers ’ View and Knowledge: the Gate to Problem Solving

The majority of Thailand’s population lies in rural areas where farming activities generally play an important role. Improvement of farming systems could directly improve the standard of living of families, therefore, solving the obstacles of farming systems is crucial. However, little has been done to encourage problem solving in farming systems from the view of farmers. The paper first identifies the obstacles of the existing farming systems and then proposes ways and means to solve those problems from the perspective of farmers. The supply situation of food, health care, water and housing was, in general, satisfactory for the families in Northern Thailand. There were common problems in all families in terms of farm resources such as degradation of soil fertility, poor management or lack of irrigation systems, and unemployment during slack periods of cultivation. In addition, most farmers reported drought as the main problem of farming. Therefore, improving irrigation management, as well as the distribution of information, on improving soil fertility, perhaps through extension services, are suggested. As well, enhancing local job opportunities, especially during slack periods of cultivation would be beneficial