Information behaviors in value adding of farmers’ production and marketing in Thailand
Unchasa Seenuankaew, Chollabhat Vongprasert · Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication · 2015
Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to study the information behavior of farmers regarding value adding in production and marketing. This paper is a component of a larger and more comprehensive research study of farmers and their behavior regarding the acquisition and use of information. Design/methodology/approach – This research was qualitative and based on the Grounded Theory. In-depth interviews, observations and field survey recordings were conducted to collect data. Pan Tae Sub-district, Khuan Khanun District, Phatthalung Province, Thailand was selected as the research field site. The sample consisted of 14 key informants selected by the theoretical sampling technique. These informants were successful in value adding to their production and marketing process. Findings – Farmers require information because of problems associated with low product prices and being taken advantage of by middlemen. Farmers’ information-seeking behavior includes: transfer of information from governmental academic officers and community leaders, exchanges of information among community farmers and training/study trips. Farmers use information in brand building, product differentiation and development of product quality, all with the main objective of increasing income. Originality/value – Information behaviors of farmers were theoretically summarized from farmers’ development in their social and farming context. The new and expanded knowledge obtained from a Thai context will be useful for the science and profession of library and information science. This information will also improve methods of communicating valuable information to farmers, thereby improving productivity and quality of life.