Risk Assessment of Agricultural Areas in Chon Buri, Thailand: A Composite Index on Sub-District Level

Abstract

Climate variability and natural disasters are some of the main problems affecting agricultural land worldwide. In this study, climatic data, natural disaster data, and agricultural data were used to assess the climate risk of agricultural areas at sub-district level in Chon Buri province, Thailand. The data were aggregated using a composite index, the Agricultural Risk Index (ARI). The ARI values were scaled into three classes: low (<0.2500), medium (0.2500-0.5000), and high (>0.5000) risk. The results showed that the highest ARI value (0.6322) was found in Khokploh sub-district, which is a result of the high water consumption, the high number of agricultural areas, and the great distance from water resources. This index can be used for decision makers and government authorities to evaluate and monitor the risks in agricultural areas.