Key Issues Based on an Analysis of the Thai Shrimp Farm Survey

This paper reports on the statistical analysis of the 1995 survey of 451 shrimp farms in Thailand. The aim was to identify relationships which may indicate key issues for research into sustainability. Rigorous cleaning up of the data was carried out to eliminate cases where the data could not be validated or where a respondent consistently omitted data. In the subsequent analysis, nine key outcome variables were chosen as indices for sustainability and their relationships with 877 original variables and 214 derived variables were investigated, using one-way analysis of variance, Chi square or regression analysis. Significant relationships were found between the key indices for sustainability and 43 variables, with 11 significant variables for site description, 5 for farming system variables, 9 for problem analysis and 18 for economic analysis. For site description, the province to which a farm belonged was a highly significant factor for the key indices for sustainability. Also, the variables of previous use of the land, size of the storage reservoir, growing area, depth of pond, retention of mangrove buffer and use of effluent treatment pond had significant relationships with the key indices. For farming systems, variables which had significant relationships with key indices were: screening inflow water; applying lime before stocking ponds; applying inorganic fertiliser near harvest; use of local pellet feed; and sourcing information from extension officers. As for problem analysis, the significant variables were: costs relating to salinity problems; bloom problems; seed problems; lack of experience; water and sediment problems; and disease problems. Significant economic analysis variables were: average price of shrimp; production per hectare; cost of labour; cost of fertiliser; cost of feed; cost of seed; percentage of owner equity; percentage of equity of relatives; culture period; number of crops per year; fallow period; feed conversion ratio (FCR); total male workers; total female workers; and the previous year's profitability. In summary, if we could simply describe a sustainable farm as one which has high productivity, low problem costs, and reduced impact on the environment, then the results of the analysis would characterise a small, family farm with a storage pond for inlet water, grow-out ponds that are reasonably deep (i.e. 1.5–1.7 m) and an effluent treatment pond. The farmer would use a Thai commercial pellet feed, lime ponds prior to stocking, have a low FCR, use a fallowing period to dry ponds and would receive advice from an industry extension officer. Further, the …