Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2021): APRIL

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on ginger production: Supply chains, labor, and food security in Northeast Thailand

https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v5i1.11897
Pakhuan Wannaprasert
Department of Agricultural Extension and Agricultural Systems, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002
Sukanlaya Choenkwan
Department of Agricultural Extension, Khon Kaen University
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9604-5291

Corresponding Author(s) : Sukanlaya Choenkwan

kun_na@hotmail.com

Forest and Society, Vol. 5 No. 1 (2021): APRIL

Abstract

This paper evaluates the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on ginger production and ginger farmer livelihoods in Loei province where ginger is an important commercial crop. The analysis also pays particular attention to the lockdown period (March – June 2020). Data for this study were obtained from several sources, including information from government records, onsite observation, and semi-structured interviews. Field research was conducted in August 2020 for 10 days in a village in Plaba sub-district. Data was obtained using an interview guide with 55 ginger farmers who have been growing ginger for at least 3 years. The results show that the lock down and transportation restrictions affected input supply chains, such as fertilizer and rhizome seeds. The flow of international labor was also constrained affecting skilled labor shortage in ginger production. However, COVID-19 shows positive impacts on ginger production systems. Ginger price is higher than the previous year because of world market demand and the belief that ginger can be used as an antioxidant to prevent COVID-19 infections. Moreover, the result also shows that these ginger farmers are somewhat resilient in the face of COVID-19 as they are not much dependent on markets for their own subsistence needs. Finally, this study recommends that promoting farmers to produce their own food and diversify commercial crops would be a good strategy for farmers to survive the crisis.

Keywords

high value crop mountain agriculture food security farmer coping strategies commercial crops
Wannaprasert, P., & Choenkwan, S. (2021). Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on ginger production: Supply chains, labor, and food security in Northeast Thailand . Forest and Society, 5(1), 120-135. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v5i1.11897
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
References
  1. Abhishek, B., Vaibhav, G., Puneet, K., Manu, Kishore, A., Kumar, R., Sharma, A., & Verma, S. (2020). India’s food system in the time of COVID-19. Economic and Political Weekly, 55(15), 12–14. Retrieved from https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/15/commentary/indias-food-system-time-COVID-19.html.
  2. Adhikari, J. (2020). A future in farming. Retrieved from https://www.recordnepal.com/perspective/a-future-in-farming/
  3. Adhikari, J., Timsina, J., Khadka, S.R., & Ghale, Y. (2021). COVID-19 impacts on agriculture and food systems in Nepal: Implications for SDGs. Agricultural Systems, 186, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102990
  4. Amjath-Babu, T.S., Krupnik, T.J., Thilsted, S.H., & Mcdonald A.J. (2020). Key indicators for monitoring food system disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights from Bangladesh towards effective response. Food Security, 12, 761-768. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-020-01083-2
  5. Asia-Pacific Farmers Program. (2020). Southeast Asia Farmers’ Organizations Response to COVID-19. Retrieved from http://www.asiapacificfarmersforum.net/southeast-asia-farmers-organization-covid19-response/
  6. Ayipey, P. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on ginger export, a root crop as traditional remedy for COVID-19. Journal of Basic and Applied Research in Biomedicine, 6(1), 25-31.
  7. Balwinder-Singh, Shirsath, P.B., Jat, M.L., McDonald, A.J., Srivastava, A.K., Craufurd, P., Rana, D.S., Singh, A.K., Chaudhari, S.K., Sharma, P.C., Singh, R., Jat, H.S., Sidhu, H.S. Gerard, B., & Braun, H. (2020). Agricultural labor, Covid-19, and potential implications for food security and air quality in the breadbasket of India. Agricultural Systems, 185, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102954
  8. Bc, L. (2019). Ginger production. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334587472_Ginger_Production
  9. Blank, J. (2020). Economic impact of COVID-19: Protecting Africa’s food systems from farm to fork. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2020/06/19/economic-impact-of-covid-19-protecting-africas-food-systems-from-farm-to-fork/
  10. Chaurasia, J., Parajuli, M., & Khadka, G.B. (2020). Changing approach to food self-sufficiency on the scenario of the pandemic “COVID-19”. Environment and Ecosystem Science, 4 (1), 43-46. http://doi.org/10.26480/ees.01.2020.43.46
  11. Choenkwan, S. (2017). Mysterious ginger: Enclaves of a boom crop in Thailand. Forest and Society, 1(2), 144-153. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v1i2.2117
  12. Choenkwan, S., Fox, J.M., & Rambo A.T. (2014). Agriculture in the Mountains of Northeastern Thailand: Current Situation and Prospects for Development. Mountain Research and Development, 34(2), 95-106. https://doi.org/10.1659/MRDJOURNAL-D-13-00121.1
  13. Department of Agriculture Extension. (2019). Ginger : production in 2018. (in Thai) Retrieved from http://www.agriinfo.doae.go.th/year62/plant/rortor/veget/13.pdf
  14. Department of Agriculture Extension. (2020). Summary of important agricultural and cooperative statistics. (in Thai) Retrieved from https://www.opsmoac.go.th/nakhonsithammarat-dwl-files-421191791137
  15. FAO. (2020a). Migrant workers and the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/ca8559en/CA8559EN.pdf.
  16. FAO. (2020b). Rapid assessment of food and nutrition security in the context of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. Retrieved from https://fscluster.org/sites/default/files/documents/fao_bangladesh_covid-19_rapid_assessment_report_09-05-2020_final13may2020.pdf.
  17. FAOSTAT. (2020a). Countries by commodity Ginger 2019. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/countries_by_commodity_exports
  18. FAOSTAT. (2020b). Production quantities of Ginger by country 2019. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC/visualize
  19. Geta, E. & Kifle, A. (2011). Production, processing, and marketing of ginger in Southern Ethiopia. Journal of Horticulture and Forestry, 3(7), 207-213. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5897/JHF.9000093
  20. ICRISAT. (2020). Containing covid19 impacts on Indian agriculture. Retrieved from https://www.icrisat.org/containing-covid19-impacts-on-indian-agriculture/.
  21. Joshi, P., Kulkarni, U., Munje, S., & Kulkarni S. (2019). Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on Indian fruits and vegetables export, postharvest management supply chain and future strategies. AgricInTERNATIONAL, 6(2), 4-8. https://doi.org/10.5958/2454-8634.2019.00015.9
  22. Kumar, P., Singh, S.S., Pandey, A.K., Singh, R.K., Srivastava, P.K., Kumar, M., Dubey, S.K., Sah, U., Nandan, R., Singh S.K., Agrawal, P., Kushwaha, A., Rani, M, Biswas, J.K., & Drews, M. (2021). Multi-level impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown on agricultural systems in India: the case of Uttar Pradesh. Agricultural Systems, 187, 1-10. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.103027
  23. Local Act. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on the agricultural sector, proposals and farmer adaptation. Retrieved from https://www.landactionthai.org/2012-05-18-03-24-45/article/item/2393-19-2.html. (in Thai)
  24. Münster, D. (2015). “Ginger is a gamble” Crop booms, rural uncertainty, and the neoliberalization of agriculture in South India. Facaal-Journal of Global and Historical Anthropology, 71, 100-113. https://doi.org/10.3167/fcl.2015.710109
  25. Nassary, E.K., Baijukya, F., & Ndakidemi, P.A. (2020). Assessing the productivity of common bean in intercrop with maize across agro-ecological zones of smallholder farms in the northern highlands of Tanzania. Agriculture, 10, 117 Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10040117
  26. Nchanji, E.B., Lutomia, C.K., Chirwa, R., Templer, N., Rubyogo, J.C., & Onyango, P. (2021). Immediate impacts of Covid-19 pandemic on bean value chain in selected counties in sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural systems, 188, 1-13. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.103034
  27. Office of Soil Resource Survey and Research. (2008). Land Use Zone. Bangkok: Department of land development. (in Thai)
  28. Plaba Tambon Administrative Organization. (2019). Development plan of Plaba sub-district during 2015-2017. Loei province: Plaba Tambon Administrative Organization. (in Thai) Retrieved from http://plaba.endutot.com/upload-files/uploadfile/25/20181105100909.pdf.
  29. Sengupta, R. & Felman, J. (2020). RBI vs. COVID-19: understanding the announcements of March 27. Retrieved from theleapjournal.org
  30. Siche, R., (2020). What is the impact of COVID-19 disease on agriculture?. Scientia Agropecuaria, 11(1), 3–6. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.17268/sci.agropecu.2020.01.00
  31. Thailand law online. (2016). Land laws, land title documents. Retrieved from http://www.thailandlawonline.com/article-older-archive/land-title-deeds-land-documents-in-thailand
  32. Tungkanjanapas and Chotiwattanakun. (2020). The private sector, with the COVID-19 monsoon: the vulnerability of the household sector and amelioration measures, no one left behind. Retrieved from https://www.bot.or.th/Thai/ResearchAndPublications/articles/Pages/Article_12May2020.aspx# (in Thai)
  33. UNDP. (2020). Rapid Assessment of Socio Economic Impact of COVID19 in Nepal. Retrieved from https://www.np.undp.org/content/nepal/en/home/library/rapid-assessment-of-socio-economic-impact.html
  34. Zankan, J.A.A., Abdul, H.A., Abdul, H.A., & Shat, A.T. (2020). African Journal of Agricultural and Food. Effects of COVID-19 on Agriculture in southern Kaduna state of Nigeria. African Journal of Agriculture and Food, 3(4), 63-78. Retrieved from https://abjournals.org/ajafs/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/journal/published_paper/volume-3/issue-4/AJAFS_DBTUEBLU.pdf
Read More

Author Biography

Sukanlaya Choenkwan, Department of Agricultural Extension, Khon Kaen University
Scopus Author ID: 56223889300
Download this PDF file
PDF