The Sustainable Expansion of Cattle Market in Nan Province

The School of Agricultural Resources (SAR), Chulalongkorn University, has conducted a research project, “The development of farmer’s competency, cooperation mechanism and sustainable expansion of beef cattle market opportunity in Nan”, which runs in collaboration with Nan Provincial Livestock Office, Nan Provincial Agriculture and Cooperatives Office, and Nan Provincial Office. The project, carried out from April 2022 to April 2023, aims to improve the effectiveness of farming practices, fostering life quality through higher income generation and reducing the poverty and inequality within society.  

The participatory process has been adopted to address the issues that arise from farmers’ needs and problems. The activities and results of this project included:  

1. More than 300 farmers from 27 community enterprises in 10 districts in Nan participated in the activities. The farmers’ competency was developed through the knowledge provided on beef cattle production management and production planning, which will enhance the efficiency in beef cattle production and generate higher income to the farmers.  

2. A total of 34 farmers have been trained as community innovators, with the ability to handle initial problems related to their own beef cattle production and those that occur within the group of farmers. These innovators are capable to become community leaders to sustainably promote development.  

3. The integrated cooperation network, between the School of Agricultural Resources, governmental agencies, private agencies, and farmers in Nan, has become more advanced to reinforce beef cattle production in Nan.  

4. The beef cattle market has expanded by using a market-based rather than a production-based approach. The farmers are able to indicate the target market and plan their production to match market needs.