Soybean Processing to Create Commercial Value in the Upper Northern Provinces.

Abstract

This study is a participatory action research using surveys, interview, panel discussion, and workshop of 400 samples in Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces. This research aims to analyze the potential of soybean farmers in the upper northern provinces and to create commercial value through soybean processing. The findings shows that there are strengths of the soybean communities such as large area of soybean plantation, regular soybean consuming behavior, basic soybean processed products, soybean farmer’s network, and local experts in agriculture and food. However, there are some weaknesses like lack of knowledge and skills in processing food. After being trained in creating commercial value to soybean, communities’ members are more confident in creating new soybean products to meet the consumer’s needs and consuming trends. Moreover, soybean processing networks are formed in order to strengthen and sustain the activities among the members. As the result from AMOS program for interview analysis, the community potential to promote the processing of soybean products has a direct influence on the creation of commercial value at a level of 0.91 statistically significant at (p<.05) and soybean processing has a direct influence on the creation of commercial value at a level of -0.34 with statistically significant at (p<.05). The results of the commercial value creation model presentation in the upper northern provinces showed that the measurement model was consistent with the empirical data at Chi-square = 25.652, Chi-square/df = 1.350, df = 19, p = .140, GFI = .989, CFI = .998, RMR = .013, RMSEA = .030, NFI = .992