Agri-Map project : more appropriately  creating sustainability in their careers

     Mrs. Thanyathitha Boonyamaneekul, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, revealed the evaluation results of the agricultural production management project according to the agricultural map for proactive management (Agri-Map) from the operations of 9 agencies: the Department of Land Development, Department of Agricultural Extension, Department of Cooperative Promotion, Department of Agricultural Science, Department of Sericulture, Department of Fisheries, Department of Livestock Development, Agricultural Land Reform Office, and the Cooperative Auditing Department, with the Office of Agricultural Economics responsible for monitoring and evaluating the past projects.
     Agri-Map is an important policy project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. It aims to adjust the production structure in areas that are less suitable and unsuitable by changing to produce other products with higher physical and economic potential than the original type. It has been implemented since 2017, promoting production adjustments in a total of 1 million rai. The important products that have been adjusted are changing from growing rice in unsuitable areas to growing grass for animal feed, sugarcane for factories, and mixed farming. The evaluation results of farmers who participated in the 7-year project from 2017 - 2023 from a sample group of 251 farmers in 14 provinces found that 81 percent of farmers continued to carry out activities to adjust production to suit the area according to the Agri-Map continuously. And of this number, 88 percent still applied the knowledge gained from the project. The OAE found that in 2023, farmers had a net return from rice cultivation of only 1,021 baht per rai per year. And in 2023, farmers who continued to grow rice in the same area had a net return of 1,957 baht per rai per year. But for farmers who adjusted their production plans according to the project, farmers were able to see a significant increase in net returns. The follow-up results in 2023, classified by the adjusted products, found that farmers had a net return of 23,525 baht per rai per year for animal feed grass cultivation, which was higher than the net return of 21,568 baht per rai per year for rice cultivation. Farmers had a net return of 7,871 baht per rai per year for sugarcane cultivation.
     More than the net return on rice cultivation of 5,914 baht per rai per year, while mixed farming, farmers had a net return of 4,322 baht per rai per year, more than the net return on rice cultivation of 2,365 baht per rai per year. Overall, farmers were very satisfied with the project implementation because they saw that after adjusting production, they had increased income, had a source of food for household consumption, and reduced household expenses. For the monitoring results of the fiscal year 2024, the project had a target to adjust production of 65,945 rai, and was able to implement 64,559 rai (98 percent of the target). The OAE surveyed the initial results of farmers participating in the project in 7 provinces: Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen, Ubon Ratchathani, Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao, Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen, totaling 117 sample farmers, who were new farmers participating in the project. Overall, 1,789 rai (135.12 percent of the target of 1,324 rai) of production adjustments were implemented, with a total of 197 farmers participating in the project, meeting the target. 91 percent of farmers have already applied the knowledge they have gained, but have not yet received any yields because they have only just started the production adjustment process. It is expected that farmers will start to receive yields in 2025. OAE will continue to monitor and report the results in the next phase. In the first to fourth years of the adjustment process, farmers will mostly benefit from short-term yields, such as vegetables, fish farming, and chicken farming, but will not receive yields from long-term crops, such as fruit trees and perennial trees. The evaluation results show that the agricultural production management project according to the agricultural map for proactive management (Agri-Map) has been successfully implemented and is sustainable. Most farmers have adjusted their production and continuously applied the knowledge they have gained. Farmers have increased returns from producing products that are appropriate for their areas, and farmers are highly satisfied with the project. However, agencies that support mixed farming activities, such as the Land Development Department, the Agricultural Land Reform Office, and the Department of Agricultural Extension, should consider increasing support for crops that provide short-term yields in order to increase income for farmers who practice mixed farming in the initial stages of production adjustment.