Extension Needs of Farmers Engaged in Buffalo Raising around Kaeng Lawa Reservoir Wetland, Ban Phai District, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand

Abstract

Buffalo raised by smallholder farmers play important roles for agricultural production, including providing draught power and fertilizer. Buffalo are suited to poor feeding management and adapt to hot-humid tropical climate conditions. Recently the swamp buffalo population of Thailand has been declining. The objectives of the current study are to examine the socio-economic background of Thai farmers engaged in buffalo raising, buffalo raising practices, and farmer needs in terms of extension work focused on buffalo raising. Data collection for the study consisted of questionnaires submitted to 45 farmers in May - October 2020 by convenience sampling. SPSS for Windows was used for analysis to determine the percentage, mean, minimum, and maximum values. In-depth interviews were conducted with farmers who were members of a buffalo-raising group, and with several village headmen and local staff in communities around the Kaeng Lawa Reservoir wetland, in Ban Phai District, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand. The results indicated that members of the buffalo-raising group had an average of 23.9 years’ experience in buffalo raising, with an average of 8-9 heads of buffalo per household. The majority of farmers (92.1%) sold their buffalo per head to local merchants, while the average annual income from buffalo sales was 63,233.71 baht per household. Additionally, farmers sold buffalo manure by 20 kg bag for 20-25 baht, earning 2,000 - 3,000 baht a year. The extension work on buffalo raising showed that farmers needed the following: 1) knowledge, in particular on selecting and buying female breeders, breeding improvements, keeping buffalo manure and added value of buffalo manure; 2) training; 82.22% of farmers wanted training provided at the village level, while 75.56 % requested livestock officers as training facilitators; and 3) support, in particular with buying high-quality breeders from government organizations, services on injections for animal health, provision of vaccinations and prevention of disease.