Young Farmers' Utilization of Internet for Agricultural Purposes: Evidence from Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

Despite Thailand ranking high among Asia-Pacific countries in The Network Readiness Index 2022 and the increasing Internet access, rural communities in Thailand still face significant barriers to fully utilizing the Internet for agriculture-related activities. This gap in effective digital connection hinders the transfer of crucial information and communication necessary to support and enhance agricultural practices. Hence, this paper’s objective aims to explore utilization of the Internet by young farmers and the factors affecting this utilization. To achieve this, 369 young farmers in Mae Chaem district, Chiang Mai province, were surveyed. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics (e.g., frequency and percentage) and relationships were analyzed using Ordered logistic regression analysis. Research results show that all farmers had Internet access and used it on their smartphones (100%). The participants used smartphone applications related to agriculture, with most utilizing LINE and Facebook to contact their fellow farmers (90.0% and 89.2%, respectively). Most participants search for agricultural information through YouTube (86.2%) and search engines (e.g., Google) (61.3%) to find information on plant and animal varieties and methods for crop planting and raising animals. Seven factors were found to influence Internet utilization for agricultural purposes: age, education, contact with agricultural extension officers, agricultural organization membership, use of home or cable Internet, and use of government-provided Internet were statistically significant in affecting Internet use (p < 0.01). Based on these results following policy recommendations are provided to encourage farmers to use the Internet for agricultural purposes: Relevant government agencies should set directional policies to create more contact channels for farmers, develop and disseminate educational materials online via social media platforms such as Facebook, LINE, and YouTube, and improve the Internet network and services.