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Analysis of the Indonesian Transmigration Model and Some Policy implications for Extension
Dissertation Abstract:
The study was done to understand the Indonesian Transmigration Model, particularly the factors related to its success or failure. This study was heavily based on a review of existing literature and researches related to the transmigration program.
The transmigration program is viewed from the premise of push-pull theory on migration. Therefore, this approach views transmigration program as a combination of “push” factors that pressure a migrant to seek better opportunities, and “pull” factors that attract a migrant to a particular location. There are four major components that influenced transmigration program, namely: potential migrant as push factor to leave the place of origin, government efforts as facilitating factors, economic and noneconomic factors as pull factor to come to the destination area, and barrier to migration as an obstacle in between.
Results of the study indicated that there were two indictors of success, namely: income of the migrant from cultivating the land in the destination area and integration with local people. Almost all studies had sufficiently specified the expected income potentials for the migrants. The economic success and incomes of migrants varied widely from place to place, depending on soil and water resources, the extent of initial inputs, the amount of guidance given to new settlers, and the year in which they were settled.
Problems evolved because transmigration program was narrowed only by migrating people from Java, Bali, and Lombok. Moreover, the promotion of the transmigration program only focused on free land and house, but the type of land cultivation that is suited to the respective areas was not explored. In the past, ‘Javanese-styled paddy field plowing’ (pencetakan sawah) was conducted in all transmigration areas outside Java, which were different in land condition, irrigation system, and climate.
The social phenomenon of cumulative inertia such as Javanese mentality of ‘Mangan ora mangan yang penting kumpul’ (whether or not there is food to eat, the most important is staying together) was quite strong in the rural communities and it became a barrier to the success of the program. Another was the attitude toward transmigration itself where people regard the potential migrant who joins in transmigration program as the ‘failure’ in the community.
Project planners had expected farming (tree crops or annual crops) to provide almost all household income. But farming in settlements did not develop as planned. Cropping intensities and yields of annual crops were much lower than expected. Settlers could not develop their land fully. Important reasons were shortage of family labor and low use of animal traction, lack of experience combined with the inefficiency of support services, settlers’ preference for off-farm employment, soil degradation and erosion, and difficulties in marketing crop.
In the light of these observations, one issue requiring particular attention in the implementation of the transmigration program is the critical role of agricultural extension especially with regard to appropriate policy goals such as technology transfer and human resource development. Agricultural extension should be considered as a central mechanism in the agriculture development process through these objectives. For the transmigration program to achieve its long-range goal of sustained agricultural development especially in the receiving areas, it is essential for the country to support the active participation of a strong and effective agricultural extension in the program.