Speaker
Description
Keywords: school lunch programme, local farm, qualitative study, SWOT analysis, Thailand
Introduction: In Thailand, public primary schools provide free lunches for students. However, the increase in food prices has affected the management of the school lunch programme (SLP). Therefore, knowing the options for obtaining fruit and vegetables grown locally for the SLP is crucial if it lowers costs.
Objective: This study aimed to understand the perspectives of school staff and local farmers regarding the supports for and barriers to collaborating local farms with the SLP in Chiang Mai province, Thailand.
Method: This study was conducted in ten public primary schools in the Saraphi and Hangdong districts of Chiang Mai province, Thailand. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 school staff and three local farmers. The data collected from these interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis with the help of ATLAS.ti software (version 8). The analysis was further conducted using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis.
Findings: The study found that the availability and accessibility of local farms were strengths in collaborating with the SLP. Participants acknowledged that purchasing locally grown fruit and vegetables was affordable and pesticide-free. However, the local farmers were unable to meet the high daily demand for fruits and vegetables in schools. Additionally, school staff tended to purchase ingredients from local markets rather than directly from local farms, as most ingredients were readily available there. One of the opportunities identified was that some local farmers had their shops at the local markets, while others sold their produce to market vendors. Furthermore, a threat was identified in the fact that most local market vendors sourced their goods from larger markets in Chiangmai City, which resulted in higher prices and pesticide usage.
Conclusion: The study's findings suggest that there are both supports for and barriers to collaborating local farms with the SLP. The main challenge lies in ensuring a daily supply of local fruits and vegetables to support a sustainable school food system. Improvement strategies should focus on addressing this issue.
