Abstract
The increasing urban demand for vegetables in Thailand has been met through peri-urban areas in the central plains,
northern valleys and highland rural areas. Use of modern technology like improved varieties, fertilizer, pesticides,
growth hormones, and modern cultivation practices is the common feature of commercial vegetable production in
recent periods. Improved varieties of the vegetable crops are considered as the important bio-innovation that affects
the livelihood and health aspects of the farmers.
This study focused on various aspects related to the adoption of improved or hybrid varieties of vegetable crops in
northern Thailand. We analysed the effects of hybrid varieties on household income, self-employment and human
health aspect. In addition, we studied about farmers’ opinions of pesticide using in group of pesticide and nonpesticide
use and expressed the gender role in different vegetable production activities.
The paper is based on the study of commercial vegetable production areas around Chiang Mai city, which is
covering two research sites: Mae Wang and Saraphi. Mae Wang is one of the rapidly transforming areas in Chiang
Mai valley that provide the situation of fast growing commercial vegetable cultivation mostly in rural settings.
Saraphi is the adjoining district to the Chiang Mai city that represents peri-urban commercial vegetable production
both conventional as well as pesticide free vegetable production areas.
Farmers are getting higher household income from the adoption of improved or hybrid varieties of the vegetable
crops. In many cases local farmers have been able to embrace vegetable cultivation as self-employment opportunity
as well. Since people are well aware about the negative effects of excessive chemical use in the commercial
production, the production of vegetable without pesticide use is on rise in the selected study areas. But,
interestingly, the farm-gate and market price was almost similar with or without pesticide use vegetable. However,
the non-pesticide farmers confirmed that they still choose to produce the vegetables without pesticide because they