Development of Learning Process for Cost Reduction in Rice Production by Environmental Education Principles

Abstract

The development of the learning process for cost reduction in rice production was the creation of the body of
knowledge for farmers to learn and apply in order to reduce the cost of rice production through collaborative
learning. The objectives of this study were to 1) study the problem state, analyze the factors, and develop the
learning process to reduce the cost of rice production, 2) develop a strategic manual for the cost reduction, and
3) try out the manual with farmers. The results of the study show that 93.9% of the farmers used chemical
fertilizers (out of 277 farmers), based on their interviews. According to the cost classification, the average cost
of rice production was 3186.58 baht per rai. From the analysis of factors for the variations of the cost, it was
found that there were seven independent variables which explained the variations of the cost (13.1%) with the
statistical significance at .05. These data were used as fundamental information to develop a strategic manual
for the cost reduction and to create a process of learning through collaborations and group conversations
applying SWOT Analysis. This process consisted of five steps including 1) learning the situation together, 2)
planning and reaching agreements with one another, 3) brainstorming, 4) displaying and presenting ideas, and
5) concluding and discussing the learning outcomes. From this process, three aspects of fundamental data
including the problem state, the factors, and the learning process were used to create a strategic manual for cost
reduction. Then, the manual was evaluated by experts; the average score for the suitability of the manual was
4.65, i.e. highly suitable. Later, the manual was tried out with 30 volunteering farmers. It was found that the
average score of their knowledge prior to the workshop by using the manual was 17.76. After the workshop,
this average score increased to 25.90. Specifically, the average score of knowledge regarding strategies for cost
reduction after the workshop was higher than the score before the training, with the statistical significance at
.05. In terms of attitudes, awareness, and collaboration, the average score after the workshop was also higher,
with statistical significance at .05.