The variables related to experience have a positive, yet nonsignificant
effect. We expected that more experienced farmers
would have a better understanding of rice farming practices
and could judge or evaluate whether the Q-GAP program
would be beneficial to them. However, Knowler and Bradshaw
(Knowler and Bradshaw, 2007), in summarising 21 research
studies showed that it was impossible to have a consistent and
clear impact of experience on the adoption of conservation
agriculture techniques. While farmers with more experience
are better equipped with practical experience, they are older.
Age (not used here because it was strongly correlated with
experience) usually has a negative relationship with adoption.
However, studies in organic rice farming conversion in
Thailand showed that longer experience in farming and longer
years of education supported the switch in the Surin Province
(Chouichom and Yamao 2010).