Joko Mariyono

Direct and indirect impacts of integrated pest management on pesticide use: a case of rice agriculture in Java, Indonesia

BACKGROUND Integrated pest management (IPM) technology has been disseminated since 1989 in Indonesia to cut down pesticide use, but the adoption and diffusion of the technology are still debated. This study aims to estimate the models of demand for pesticides and to analyse the impact of IPM technology on pesticide use. Aggregate cross-section time series data from 1990-1998 are used. RESULTS The results show that IPM technology reduces the use of pesticides by improving the process of rice production, such that pesticides are more efficiently used. In this case, the IPM technology is not a pest control technique. CONCLUSION There is an indication that IPM technology has been adopted by farmers. This is evidence that the IPM programme in Indonesia was successful in this area.

Green revolution- and wetland-linked technological change of rice agriculture in Indonesia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse aspects of technological change in rice agriculture, related to adoption of the Green Revolution (GR) in Indonesia. Rice production is selected in this study because it plays an important role in the development of Indonesian economy. Particular attention is paid to the use of agrochemicals that has potentials of contaminating the environment. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses an econometric model to investigate the impact of different technologies and policies related to rice production. Production function technology that enables non-neutrality of input use is the underlying concept of this paper. Types of land and transformation in policies related to rice production were accounted for to determine biased technological change. National-wide data were compiled from the Indonesian Bureau of Statistics. Findings – The results show that rice agriculture underwent technological progress with biased technological change. The technological change wa...

Chilli production and adoption of chilli-based agribusiness in Indonesia

Purpose - – Chilli plays an important role in the Indonesian economy through its multiplier effect. The recent rapid growth of chilli production in Indonesia can be explained by the development of agricultural and communication technologies and improved market infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to analyse factors that affect farmers’ decisions to adopt chilli-based agribusinesses. Intensive chilli farming, as a part of agricultural commercialisation, is considered a technological package that is more profitable but also more input- and labour-intensive than the production of rice or other cereal crops. Design/methodology/approach - – This study used a logit model to estimate the farmers’ decision function. Personal characteristics, technical factors and business environment were hypothesised to influence farmers’ decisions to adopt intensive chilli farming. Data for this study were compiled from surveys conducted during 2009-2011. The surveys interviewed 300 farmer households in three main chilli producing regions of Java, Indonesia. Findings - – The results indicate that younger farmers, and also farmers with more experience, were more likely to adopt chilli farming. Availability of chilli production technology and the use of mobile phones prompted farmers to adopt chilli farming. Access to vegetable markets, credit, and market information were other factors driving farmers’ decisions to take up chilli production. Most farmers were motivated to grow chilli to increase their incomes. Ecological factors were also the reasons. Research limitations/implications - – The sample for this research is quite low. However, the sample was drawn from representative potential chilli production areas in Indonesia. Originality/value - – There is room to increase the number of chilli-based agribusinesses in Indonesia. Intensive chilli farming should be introduced to young farmers and those with experience in vegetable production. Farm credit, market information, and agronomic technologies should be made more available and accessible to farmers. Strengthening communication networks among farmers through the use of mobile phones is the best way to encourage farmers to adopt intensive chilli farming. Vegetable markets should be established in potential chilli producing regions.

Shifting from Green Revolution to environmentally sound policies: technological change in Indonesian rice agriculture

This study analyses technological change in Indonesian rice agriculture. An analysis of data compiled by the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics shows that rice agriculture has undergone technological progress with non-neutral technological change that has been capital and labour saving and chemical intensive. Recent agricultural policy reforms, which include the dissemination and implementation of environmentally friendly technology, however, appear to have been successful in reducing chemical use.

Moving to commercial production: a case of intensive chili farming in Indonesia

ABSTRACT This article analyses factors determining farmers’ intentions to move from subsistence to advanced farming. Data were compiled from a survey of 222 randomly selected farmers in three districts of central Java, Indonesia. Intensive chili farming is considered commercial, and three technologies are considered advanced. The results show many significant factors determined farmers moving toward commercial farming and adopting advanced technologies. Better access to credit and market facilities encourages farmers to grow chili. The study suggests policy recommendations for strengthening chili farming and related high-value vegetables in Indonesia.

Farmer Field Schools on Chili Peppers in Aceh, Indonesia: Activities and Impacts

An evaluation of a farmer field school (FFS) program for chili peppers was conducted to measure impacts on farmers’ knowledge of chili pepper integrated crop management (ICM) in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Chili production was selected as the target intervention topic because of its importance in Acehs economy. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to assess impacts of FFS; 270 FFS-graduate farmers were interviewed and eight farmer groups were surveyed. By integrating descriptive and simple statistical analyses, we measure immediate impacts of FFS, which also makes this studys methods and findings different from others in the literature. The results show that farmers’ knowledge on agricultural practices increased significantly due to FFS. In addition, in the future, farmers expected that their chili yields would increase and their pesticide use would decrease. FFS improved farmer cohesiveness and information sharing. Farmers’ knowledge of insect pests, diseases and natural enemies increased considerably, as did their awareness of pesticide-related hazards. In sum, FFS successfully delivered improved technology and enhanced knowledge to enable farmers to grow chili with sustainable practices and higher profits.

Pesticide use in Indonesian vegetable farming and its determinants

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse factors affecting the use of pesticides in intensive vegetable farming in Java, Indonesia. Evaluating such factors is expected to provide appropriate policies to reduce pesticides, and eventually, mitigates the adverse impacts of pesticides on human health and the environment. Design/methodology/approach Data were compiled from a farm survey of randomly selected 240 vegetable farmers in three regions of Java in 2014. A concept of economic threshold was employed to analyse the pesticide use determinants, which were estimated using econometric models. Findings Factors leading to the increase in the application of pesticides were the number of observed insect pests, prices of vegetables, use of local varieties, and use of mixed pesticides. Conversely, factors lowering the use of pesticides were the number of observed diseases, the cost of pesticides, and area planted to vegetables. The most important factor in influencing pesticide use was farmers’ perception on the correct prediction of yield losses associated with pests and diseases. Research limitations/implications The sample for this research is somewhat low and the analysis was based on one-year data of the quantity of pesticides in a formulation. Practical implications The use of pesticides can be reduced by training farmers on crop protection practices, which provide correct information on pests and diseases. Policies related to the price of pesticides would be ineffective, as farmers still highly relied on pesticides. These findings will be useful for reducing the use of pesticides in intensive vegetable farming in Indonesia, and in tropical countries in general. Originality/value Pesticides have two opposite properties: to increase income on the one side and to cause devastation of life on the other side. Because pesticides are generally less selectively toxic than would be desired, non-targets including humans and the environment must be protected from contamination by these agrochemicals. This study found the most important determinants for reducing pesticide exposures in Indonesian intensive farming.

Rice production in Indonesia: policy and performance

Rice is a politically strategic commodity in Indonesia. The government seeks to ensure that rice production meets the needs of domestic consumption and, accordingly, is interested in its performance as a matter of considerable policy significance. This study addresses its performance in accordance with several determining factors, underlying which is the concept of technical efficiency. Panel aggregate data on input–output rice production in 23 provinces during 1993–2013 are employed for estimating frontier production functions. The results indicate that variation in rice production across regions of the country is due primarily to technical efficiency. Sources of variation within technical efficiency include intensification, training programmes, land fertility and local culture. Of the regions investigated, rice production in Bali has been the most efficient. Overall, efficiency of production is low and has marginally decreased over time in all regions. The study concludes that there is considerable room for productivity improvements through increases in efficiency. Training in relevant agricultural methods, the creation of wetlands, and an improvement in irrigation infrastructure are the best ways to enhance rice production.

Impacts of farmer field schools on productivity of vegetable farming in Indonesia: Gregory C. Luther, Joko Mariyono, Raden M. Purnagunawan, Ben Satriatna, and Martin Siyaranamual / Natural Resources Forum

This study assesses the impact of farmer field schools (FFS) on the productivity of vegetable farming in vegetable†producing areas of East Java and Bali, Indonesia. The FFS have equipped over 3,000 vegetable farmers with integrated crop management knowledge applicable to chilies and tomatoes. The FFS are expected to enhance farmers’ capacity such that they can increase production. This study employs a difference†in†differences (DiD) method to overcome selection bias. A survey of 250 FFS†graduated farmers and 250 non†FFS farmers were purposively randomly selected from the overall community of farmers. Focus group discussion was used to support the survey. The results indicate that FFS were successful for enhancing farmers’ capability in vegetable farming. Farmers who participated in FFS have higher productivity than those who did not. Farmers also could adapt and adopt the knowledge gained from FFS as they underwent a process of learning by doing. The impacts of the increase in farmers’ capacity can be more evident if weaknesses during the FFS preparation and implementation can be overcome, to ensure more participation, flexibility to fit different conditions/needs and continuous learning.

Quantity and Monetary Value of Agrochemical Pollution from Intensive Farming in Indonesia

The purpose of this paper is to measure the environmental performance of intensive farming and estimate agrochemical waste in physical and monetary terms. The intensive farming provides adverse impacts including health and environmental quality associated with the use of agrochemicals.,This study uses a theory of environmental efficiency that measures how efficient the farm uses agrochemical inputs. The efficiency was estimated using a set of farm-level data of intensive farming that use agrochemicals. Data were compiled from a survey of randomly selected 240 farmers who operated intensive farming in three regions of Java in 2014.,The results show that the performance of intensive farming was low. This condition caused agrochemical waste leading to the externality. Taking the external costs into account resulted in the improvement in efficiency of agrochemicals. The actual level of agrochemicals was about a hundred times higher than the most efficient level.,This study is beyond the exogenous external costs. There is a need for a further comprehensive study to include more exogenous external costs associated with agrochemicals to have the potential value of such costs and the most socially efficient use of agrochemicals. The long-term effects of external cost to the environment and socio-economic livelihood of the farmers and other communities are considerable. Advocating for alternatives to decrease the use of detrimental agro-inputs, in the long run, will provide sound quality of the environment. Socially, both producers and consumers get the environmental and health benefits.,To reduce the agrochemical waste that caused environmental problems, a policy should be formulated to make farming more efficient, particularly for agrochemical use. It can be done by introducing agronomic technologies and enhancing farmers’ knowledge on environmentally friendly agriculture.,Environmental efficiency is able to estimate the quantity of agrochemical waste. The waste is a kind of non-point source pollution whose source and quantity are very difficult to identify and measure. As there are many definitions and measurement of environmental performance, this concept of environmental efficiency can be one of the alternatives.