This study analysed the factors affecting the adoption of organic rice production in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaire completed by 108 farmers: (58 organic rice farmers and 50 non-organic rice farmers) in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand. A t-test was employed to investigate the differences in the demographics of organic and non-organic rice farmers, and percentage mean, and standard deviation was used to describe farmers’ attitudes. Logistic regression was employed to investigate factors influencing organic rice adoption, educational level, and farm size were significantly different between the organic and non-organic rice farmers. Education (positive), farming experience (positive), age of household head (negative) and farm size (negative) had highly significant (p ≤ 0.01) influences on organic farming adoption. The farmers’ attitude toward environmental concern was the most important reason for adopting organic rice farming. This research identified the factors affecting the adoption of organic rice farming; this information can be used to encourage farmers to practice organic rice farming in the targeted organic rice area in Thailand. In addition, the farmers’ attitudes toward organic farming systems could be used to help support farmers practicing organic rice farming. Keywords: organic rice adoption, organic rice production, organic farming adoption, farmer attitudes.

The Mae Lao Irrigation Scheme is one of the largest irrigation projects in Northern Thailand. According to the field reconnaissance, water shortage usually occurs during the dry season. And it is very difficult to equally distribute available water to the paddy fields from the upstream to the downstream parts of the system. To understand and identify the causes of the problems, the measurement of water level and flow rate along all canals may be effective. However, it is not easy to achieve this in such a large-scale irrigation system. Thus, the numerical simulation becomes the second option. The objective of this study is to identify and quantify the real water shortage causes by developing an Unsteady Irrigation Water Distribution and Consumption model which can simulate the water movement and consumption in the whole irrigation system. The beneficial area of the right main canal is modeled based on the physical aspect of the system. The components of the model consist of canal networks, control structures, and paddy fields. A canal is divided into several portions called reach. The Saint-Venant equations are applied to describe the unsteady water movement in each reach. Flow movement at the control structure is expressed by the boundary condition. The paddy fields are modeled to make paddy block and connected to each reach. The water consumption in each paddy block is estimated by Paddy Tank model. The numerical model is successfully developed showing the ability to simulate the water movement and consumption properties in this irrigation system.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of social capital with bonding and bridging distinction in promoting higher participation in collective action in participatory irrigation management.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 304 farmers was surveyed using a structured questionnaire. A focus group discussion was also carried out with randomly selected water users, leaders and irrigation officers. A confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to test the hypothesised relationship of bonding and bridging social capital towards collective action.FindingsThe findings show that social capital has a significant direct effect on collective action and an indirect effect on joint irrigation management's perceived performance through collective action (mediator). It implies the need to complement the participatory irrigation management programme with an understanding of the social aspects for a higher farmer's participation over the shared resource.Originality/valueThe paper emphasises social capital's role in facilitating a real participatory engagement in shared resource management. Also, it is the first scholarly work linking social capital with bonding and bridging distinction towards collective action in a joint resource management context.

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The Unsteady Irrigation Water Distribution and Consumption (UIWDC) model is applied to analyze causes of uneven water distribution between the upstream and downstream beneficial areas of the Mae Lao Irrigation Scheme (MLIS). The uneven water distribution may be caused by inadequate water distribution facilities or improper operation rule; therefore, its causes are examined systematically and quantitatively from the aspects of ''water allocation'' and ''operation rule''. The water allocation is considered focusing on the dry season irrigation, where equity and efficiency should be especially balanced because of the scare water resources. The ''EQTY index'' (the equity index) is defined to widen the range of consideration between the equity and the efficiency, instead of alternative judgment of which has a priority. The operation rule for facilities in the MLIS is assumed considering their capacities, and two coordinate values of ''ineffective spillage'' and ''water deficit'' in the scheduled areas are incorporated into operation rule to quantitatively diagnose the system performance. As a result, the original causes of uneven water distribution will presumably be identified. The informative and quantitative results are utilized to set a new benchmark performance of the MLIS for the water distribution. It can be described by the ''Expected Ratio of Irrigable Area'' (ERIA) and ''Present Ratio of Irrigable Area'' (PRIA). Based on this standard, the general recommendations can be more concretely proposed to raise the water distribution performance of the MLIS such as by improving distribution facilities and/or by installing vertical pumps. Keywords The UIWDC model Á Uneven water distribution Á Performance diagnosis of irrigation system Á Inadequate design of water distribution system Á Water allocation plan Á The EQTY index Á Operation rule of water distribution