Analysis of producer behavior towards organic vegetables in Vientiane capital, Lao PDR

The study investigated the behavior of producers towards organic vegetables to determine the main factors influencing households’ income and analyze the challenges of producing organic vegetables. Organic agriculture can bring benefits to sustainable production and be a major source of households’ income. The Lao government is promoting and supporting clean agriculture in potential areas where the conditions of production and marketing are proper. Organic agriculture can help farmers increase their incomes and help people improve their health conditions. Organic agriculture has significant potential in Laos since several conditions of a traditional farming system can easily adapt to the organic farming system. Organic vegetables can create a value chain with government certification. However, the Lao government has difficulty recommending organic agriculture to farmers. The study collected 272 individual farm households cultivating organic vegetables in six districts in Vientiane’s capital, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The analysis was considered for both descriptive statistics and an ordered logistic model. The results from the ordered logit model show that age, higher education level, organic vegetable area, and selling frequencies are positive and statistically significant. The study can contribute to the next five-year plan of clean agricultural programs for agriculture and forestry development.

本研究围绕有机蔬菜生产者的生产行为开展调研，旨在识别影响农户家庭收入的核心驱动因素，并系统剖析有机蔬菜生产所面临的各项挑战。有机农业不仅可为可持续生产提供有力支撑，亦是农户家庭收入的重要来源。老挝政府正于生产与营销条件适配的潜在区域，推广并扶持清洁农业发展。有机农业既能助力农户提升收入水平，亦可改善民众的健康状况。鉴于传统农耕体系的多项核心条件可便捷适配有机农业模式，老挝的有机农业发展潜力显著。有机蔬菜可依托政府认证构建完整价值链。然而，老挝政府在向农户推广有机农业的过程中仍面临一定阻碍。本研究共采集了老挝人民民主共和国（Lao PDR）首都万象市下辖六个区县的272户有机蔬菜种植农户样本。本次分析同时运用描述性统计方法与有序logistic回归模型（ordered logistic regression model）展开。有序logit模型的结果显示，农户年龄、受教育程度、有机蔬菜种植面积以及销售频率均对收入存在正向显著影响。本研究可为老挝农林领域清洁农业规划的下一个五年计划提供决策参考。