Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Strengthening agricultural research-extension linkages in Thailand

Strengthening agricultural research-extension linkages in Thailand

Ms. Orasa Dissataporn, Director, Bureau of Agricultural Commodities Promotion and Management Organization, Department of Agricultural Extension (DOAE), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand, outlined challenges to strengthening research-extension linkages in Thailand.

Of the $166 million government spending in 2009 on Research and Development (R&D), $109 million was for agricultural R&D. Crop production research is conducted by the Department of Agriculture and research output is transferred to beneficiaries by DOAE. Research and extension on livestock and fisheries are carried out by the Department of Livestock and Department of Fisheries, respectively.

Ms. Dissataporn said farmers are regarded as end users of research and innovation developed by the Department of Agriculture which are disseminated at national, regional, provincial and district levels through training courses, demonstration plots, exhibitions, field visits, seminars and mobile extension clinics. Research topics are usually identified by DOAE, though, in some cases, other research centres share their work with DOAE for transferring to farmers.

DOAE is emphasizing Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in research-extension systems on food security and nutrition and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a research institute to promote GAP. The MOU has set up a GAP Committee to formulate policies and identify pilot projects. The research institute is also a GAP inspector, evaluating agricultural practices. Farmers passing the evaluation are eligible for a GAP certificate from the Department of Agriculture.

Challenges to GAP implementation include inadequate extension agents and staff calibre. The inability of economic research to prove financial returns on GAP means farmers have low incentive to adopt GAP.

The presentation was followed by open house discussion with comments and questions from the floor focused on research-extension roles in responding to climate change and declining investment in extension.  It was pointed out that Thailand has conducted agricultural carbon footprint research focused on export-oriented products. 

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