台灣植物醫師制度績效與經濟效益之評估

Abstract

台灣地區現有農地60萬公頃，農業生產結構逐漸改變，傳統農業萎縮，轉型農業興起，為因應我國生活水準提高及農耕地卻不斷減少的問題，推行植物醫師制度可以提高現有農地之單位面積產量與品質以供人們生活所需。研究顯示全球每年因作物病蟲草害所造成的生產損失平均約35%，適當的植物健康管理措施可以將生產過程中的損失降到最低。台大植微系於2005年經由行政院農委會防檢局與台大生農學院之支持，正式推行「植物診所」與「農會植物醫師試辦計畫」，本研究依據專家訪談及文獻回顧建立「植物醫師制度績效」對「農民或農企業對植物醫師制度之支持度」影響之研究架構，分別調查有機農業型態與慣行農業型態有效樣本共106份，除了敘述性統計分析之外，也運用迴歸分析了解植物醫師制度績效與對植物醫師支持度的影響關係。 本研究結果反應目前有機及慣行農業型態的樣本，對於植物醫師制度在創新性、對於提高商品價值的助益及問題解決效率等指標之五點李克特氏刻度問項的分析結果相似，均達到同意的程度以上，平均值分別為4.4，4.4及4.15。問題解決能力也得到相近的結果，平均為能解決求助者52%的問題。本研究亦發現目前植醫輔導平均可使農產品市場價格提升約22%、減少農藥等資材成本約27%、減少肥料成本約27%，故總收益方面平均提升25%。目前有機及慣行農業型態樣本對於植物醫師制度的設立實施方式以希望由國家預算推行公設的一鄉鎮一植醫制度得到最多正面回應。有機農業型態部分，植物醫師制度績效對支持度具有影響能力，又以創新性及問題解決效率最為重要，慣行農業型態部分只有創新性一項較有影響力及重要性。故建議植醫的訓練及課程上應多加強創新性部分，並且多方增進實習課程以及田間實務診斷經驗，以加強協助農民或農企業進行「診斷、處方及植物健康管理」之問題解決效率。

There’s about 600,000 ha of agricultural land area in Taiwan. Due to the rising of living standards and dramatically decrease of land area, the “Plant doctor” system was proposed to increase the output from existing agricultural land and improve the product quality. Global statistics have shown that the average global crop losses annually due to pathogens, pests and weeds are about 35% in total. The appropriate plant health management in the crop production system can minimize the loss. The plant doctor system had been formally proposed by Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology of NTU in 2005. This project, supported by BAPHIQ and the Bioresource College of NTU, established the “Plant Clinic” and “Plant doctor” system in farmer’s association or local government in Taiwan. In this study, the relation between “performance of plant doctor system” dimension and “supportiveness of farmers or agribusinesses toward plant doctor system” dimension is analyzed, based on a questionnaire with all questions interviewed or suggested by agricultural experts or from literatures. The survey was divided into two types of agriculture, the organic and conventional agriculture. The total effective sample number is 106. The study utilized regression analysis technique to analyze the result and express the correlation between two dimensions. Questionnaire results from both organic and conventional agricultural system showed similar responses toward” innovativeness”, “benefit for raising agricultural product price or value”, and “problem-solving efficient” of current plant doctor system, based on 5-point Likert scale questions. The average values of these responses are 4.4, 4.4, and 4.15, respectively. In addition, the responses of “problem solving rates” are also similar for two type of samples, showing that in average 52% of problems can be solved by plant doctors. The study results showed that current plant doctor system can raise the sale price of agricultural product by about 22%, reduce the cost of pest controlling materials by about 27%, and reduce fertilizer cost by about 27%. The total increase of respondent’s income by plant doctor is about 25%; Both organic and conventional agricultural system samples showed the positive responses toward “supporting one plant tdoctor in one town” system by government budget. However, the present performance of plant doctor system in this study showed significant effect on supporting the plant doctor system by farmers or agribusinesses in organic agricultural system but not in conventional agricultural system. Both “innovativeness” and “problem-solving efficient” played the most important roles for determing these effects in organic agricultural system, but only the “innovativeness” had significant influence in conventional agricultural system. From this study, we suggest that plant doctor training courses should put more effort in imporving the student’s innovative ability. More practical training course and field internship are also critical for improving students’ future performance on diagnosis, prescription, and health management.