Smallholder farmers, also known as marginal farmers, are those who\ncontrol or cultivate very narrow agricultural land, specifically less\nthan 0.5 hectares (5,000 square metres). This land may be owned or\nrented. Their numbers are substantial, and they are generally trapped in\na cycle of poverty and deprivation.<\/p>\n
Based on this definition, here are several key characteristics and\nfacts about smallholder farmers. First, their economic condition and\nincome. Due to extremely limited land, their harvests are usually only\nsufficient to meet their own household consumption needs, a state known\nas subsistence farming.<\/p>\n
Second, to make ends meet, they often have to seek additional income\noutside the agricultural sector, such as working as construction\nlabourers or doing odd jobs.<\/p>\n
Third, this group is highly vulnerable to economic shocks, such as\nrising fertiliser prices, and climate change, which can trigger crop\nfailure. Smallholder farmers live a life full of challenges.\nObservations suggest their main struggle is limited capital to purchase\nfertiliser or modern agricultural technology. To avoid the risk of\nhunger or total loss, smallholder farmers tend to avoid innovation and\nstick to safe, traditional planting patterns.<\/p>\n
According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS),\nsmallholder farmers overwhelmingly dominate Indonesia\u2019s agricultural\nsector. Their numbers continue to grow annually due to the conversion of\nagricultural land and the division of inheritance, which further\nfragments land holdings. To support the welfare of this group, the\ngovernment often provides various assistance programmes such as\nfertiliser subsidies, irrigation improvements, capital assistance, and\nagricultural insurance to prevent losses from crop failure.<\/p>\n
The 2023 Agricultural Census results released by BPS show a\nsignificant increasing trend in the number of smallholder farmers in\nIndonesia. This phenomenon indicates that agricultural land ownership at\nthe household level is shrinking and becoming more fragmented. Key\npoints from the 2023 Agricultural Census regarding smallholder farmers\ninclude: First, a surge in numbers. The number of individual smallholder\nfarmers in Indonesia reached 17,251,432 out of a total of 27,802,434\nland-using farmers. Second, this means approximately 62 percent of all\nland-using farmers in Indonesia are categorised as smallholders. Third,\nat the household level, the number of smallholder Agricultural Business\nHouseholds reached 16.89 million. This figure jumped by 18.54 percent\ncompared to the 2013 Agricultural Census, which recorded 14.25 million\nhouseholds.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the highest concentration of smallholder farmers is on\nJava Island, due to high population density and massive land conversion.\nAccording to BPS data, the three provinces with the largest numbers of\nsmallholder farmers are East Java with 4,479,526 farmers, Central Java\nwith 3,466,042 farmers, and West Java with 2,551,419 farmers. The main\ncauses of this increase include overpopulation and inheritance\npractices. The division of inherited land among generations continuously\nreduces the size of land plots controlled by farming families.\nAdditionally, the conversion of productive agricultural land into\nindustrial zones, housing, and infrastructure forces farmers to survive\non their remaining land.<\/p>\n
Efforts to defend and improve the welfare of smallholder farmers\nrequire a systematic approach, as their core problems are limited land,\nlack of capital, and weak bargaining power in the market. Five concrete\nstrategies are outlined below to defend smallholder farmers, involving\nboth government policy and community movements. The primary strategy is\naccelerating agrarian reform and land redistribution. The government\nmust expedite the distribution of Agrarian Reform Object Land to\nincrease the area of land cultivated by smallholder farmers until it\nreaches an economically viable scale. Furthermore, legal certainty over\nland ownership must be provided through free certification programmes to\nprevent their land from being easily seized by corporations.<\/p>\n
Next, land consolidation through farmer corporations is needed. The\nnarrow plots owned by smallholder farmers should be merged into a\nsingle, large-scale management area, known as a corporate farming model,\nwithout revoking individual land rights. This consolidation reduces\nproduction costs because the purchase of fertiliser, seeds, and the use\nof agricultural machinery can be done collectively.<\/p>\n
Strengthening agricultural cooperative institutions is also crucial.\nCooperatives can act as buyers of harvests at fair prices, preventing\nsmallholder farmers from being exploited by speculators or local\nmiddlemen. Cooperatives can also distribute agricultural production\ninputs, such as subsidised fertilisers and superior seeds, directly to\nfarmers in a targeted manner.<\/p>\n
Developing specialised agricultural financing is essential. This\ninvolves opening access to formal financial institutions that provide\ncapital with very low interest rates and flexible repayment schemes,\nsuch as payment after harvest. Expanding the coverage of\ngovernment-subsidised Rice Farming Business Insurance is also necessary\nto protect smallholder farmers from total loss due to crop failure or\nclimate change.<\/p>\n
Finally, promoting integrated business diversification is important.\nFarmers should be trained to maximise the use of their narrow land, for\nexample by combining rice cultivation with fish farming or poultry\nrearing. Providing post-harvest processing skills training, such as\nmaking crisps, jams, or modern packaging, can also offer farming\nfamilies alternative sources of income while waiting for the next\nharvest season.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/do-not-tire-of-defending-smallholder-farmers-1786668681", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }