Assessment of farmers' knowledge and attitudes towards the commercialisation of Tailor-made fertilisers in Thailand

Abstract

In Thailand, chemical fertilisers provide nutrients that are essential for increasing agricultural productivity but they are expensive, often representing 25% of the crop production cost. Tailor-made fertiliser technology is a new fertiliser application technology that is being promoted to help farmers reduce fertihser costs. This study aims to investigate and clarify sugarcane farmers' knowledge and attitudes towards tailor-made-fertiliser. This study also attempts to provide a better understanding of the effect of farm size on farmers' beliefs and attitudes towards tailor-madefertiliser. Moreover, the findings suggest that further extension of tailor-made-fertiliser practices should include training services for smallholders to improve their knowledge of relevant practices.