Author : Praderm Chumjai

Summary : This research studied the actual use of axial-flow rice thresher (AFT) among Sainoi rice farmers in Thailand and the relationships of some selected socioeconomic and sociopsychological factors with their use of the AFT.

Using the survey method, 300 Sainoi rice farmers were chosen by random sampling technique and interviewed. Secondary data from various sources were also used. Frequency counts, percentages, means, standard deviation, range, Kendall's coefficient analysis, and McNemar test of significance were used to analyze the data.

Findings showed that most of the Sainoi farmers were males with a mean age of 42.6 years. All of them planted two croppings a year and earned an average annual income of 124,102.88 baht. The farmers' perception of local transportation and marketing was "unfavorable." The source of information about the AFT was perceived to have "low credibility." The AFT's overa ll characteristics were perceived as neither ''favorable or unfavorable." The majority of the fanners used the AFT. Non-users of AFT cited the unavailability/shortage as the major reason for not using it. AFT ownership was quite low owing to its high price. The number of family members working on the farm, farm size, and farmers' perception of local transportation, marketing, and characteristics of personal sources of information on the AFT were negatively related to the use of the AFT. Only tenure status and farmers' perception of the AFT's characteristics were positively related to use of the AFT. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the use of the thresher by cropping season.