A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agribusiness Management in Agribusiness Management

Thesis (M. Am.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened consumer awareness about health, safety, and supply chain transparency, influencing agricultural product consumption patterns. Traceability systems like Thailand's "TraceThai.com" help track food origins and increase product reliability. However, farmers face challenges in adopting traceability systems due to factors like perceived usefulness, social influence, system characteristics, personal innovation, risk, and external factors such as distance and costs. There are three main aims in this research: 1. To compare the benefits and costs of adopting traceability systems among rice farmers. 2. To examine the factors that influence farmers' decisions to either adopt or abstain from adopting traceability systems.3. To identify marketing channels used by farmers. The study surveyed 212 farmers in Surin province using a questionnaire, mainly focused on their demographics, incomes, costs, and attitudes toward the system. For methodology, this research employed descriptive and frequency statistics to review nominal data. T-tests, chi-square tests, profitability analysis, propensity score matching, and logit regression were primarily used to compare significant statistical differences between users and non-users. From the results of the study, it was found that farmers who use the system have more advantages in terms of selling prices that can be set higher and net income. It was also found that, in order to use the system, farmers must grow organic rice, which allows them to reduce the cost of using pesticides. The factors affecting adoption include years of schooling, cooperatives, selling price, and proximity distance to the city. Furthermore, users exported more goods abroad, while non-users sold more to mostly middlemen. The research findings demonstrated significant intergenerational interest in using the system, but there was still a lack of knowledge and confidence, causing uncertainty among farmers. Therefore, it{u2019}s important to promote cooperation among farmers to exchange knowledge and experience. Moreover, the government should establish a centre to educate farmers on organic farming, certifications, and traceability systems. Additionally, they should establish traceability-certified product distribution to promote their products.