Assessing the Socio-Economic Sustainability of Sugarcane Harvesting in Thailand
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Assessing the Socio-Economic Sustainability of Sugarcane Harvesting in Thailand Wanchat Sawaengsak1,2 • Jittima Prasara-A3 • Shabbir H. Gheewala1,2
Received: 12 March 2020 / Accepted: 3 September 2020 Society for Sugar Research & Promotion 2020
Abstract The study aimed to assess the socio-economic impacts via employment and paid wage/income for sugarcane production in Thailand due to the mechanization of the harvesting system. The results indicated that the employment level and income of the workers depend on the yield, employment types (temporary or permanent worker) and the skill of workers. These factors need to be considered to prepare for the promotion and support of sustainable agriculture farming by switching from manual to mechanical harvesting which may be established in the near future. Moreover, the training for upskill and reskill of mechanical harvesting and other local jobs should be provided by the government and private sectors to facilitate the workers transition from manual to mechanical harvesting. A list of strategies, plans, and recommendations have also been provided to eliminate the weaknesses and threats of changing to mechanized harvesting which can help to improve the socio-economic situation of the stakeholders in the sugarcane industry. Keywords Sugarcane production Mechanical harvesting Socio-economic impact Employment generation Paid wage SWOT analysis & Shabbir H. Gheewala [email protected] 1
The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment (JGSEE), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
2
Centre of Excellence on Energy Technology and Environment, PERDO, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Bangkok, Thailand
3
Climate Change and Adaptation Research Unit (CCARE), Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahasarakham University, Maha Sarakham 44150, Thailand
Introduction The global interest in biofuels has currently increased due to the need for mitigating the impacts of energy security and climate change. At the global level, ethanol production is projected to increase by 14% from about 120 billion litre in 2017 to nearly 131 billion litre by 2027. Around 50% of this increase is expected to originate from Brazil, USA, and the European Union, to fulfill domestic demand. Thailand, China, India, and the Philippines are also accounted as large contributors to the expansion in ethanol production with a 12, 10, 9, and 5% share, respectively, in the global increase. Overall, 84% of the additional demand for ethanol in the coming decade will be from developing countries (OECD-FAO 2018). In Thailand, the sugarcane cultivation area has been expanded to meet the increasing ethanol demand following the promotion of the policy by the Thai government. The ethanol consumption during January–September 2018 totalled 1.1 billion litre, up approximately 2% from the same period in 2017. Currently, the feedstocks for ethanol are sugarcane juice, molasses, and cassava. Molasses is the primary
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