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Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) - Call for papers!

Communication pattern on the diffusion of transgenic potato seed at Garut and Pangalengan

(Indonesia), Master of Science in Communication of Rural and Agricultural Development (Bogor Agricultural University)

Thesis Abstract:

Resilience and self-sufficiency are very important global concerns at this time. The advent of biotechnology as one of alternative technologies for increasing agriculture production has been successful in developing transgenic potato seed resistant to the fungus attack of Phytopthora infestans (late blight) without pesticide use. Transgenic potato seed as one biotechnology product is in the final stages of multi-location field trials, which received permission to be disseminated. Dissemination of transgenic potato seed has been done since 2009–2014 to several stakeholders such as potato farmers at Garut and Pangalengan in West Java, Indonesia, as one of the beneficiaries of such technology. The purposes of this study were to (1) describe communication patterns used in the diffusion process of transgenic potato seed to the farmers in the study sites in correlation with related factors such as farmers’ personal characteristics (in terms of age, education level, income level, farm size, and cosmopolites level) and facilitators’ credibility (in terms of attraction, skill, honesty, and familiarity); (2) describe farmers’ assessment on the transgenic potato seed in correlation with related factors such as the farmers’ personal characteristics, socioenvironment factors (in terms of religious value and need for innovation), and communication patterns (in terms of communication approach, message content, and frequency of communication) for diffusion; and (3) describe farmer’s intention to adopt the transgenic potato seed after dissemination in correlation with related factors such as farmers’ assessment of transgenic potato seed (in terms of relative advantages, compatibility, observability, trialability, and less complexity).
 
This research was designed as a descriptive survey, which was conducted at Pangalengan District and Garut Regency, West Java. Data were collected using census method from all the 45 farmers who joined the field testing of the transgenic potato seed. Twenty-three of the respondents were from Garut Regency, while 22 of them were from the Pangalengan District. The relationship between variables was analyzed by the Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient (rs).

From the survey results, the respondents were found to have an average age of 45 years old, been through compulsory education up to senior secondary level, own 1–2 ha of land, receive an income of IDR <12 million, and have a medium cosmopolites level. As regard the  diffusion  of  transgenic  potato  seed,  majority of the respondents scored the entire facilitators’ credibility element in the medium category.

Communication patterns used for the transgenic  potato  seed  dissemination was through training or workshop. Resource persons were researchers who were directly involved in the genetic engineering of transgenic potato seed resistant to late blight. Communication approaches used were face-to-face  communication, field visit, and print media. The study revealed that majority of the respondents preferred the face-to-face communication approach, and regarded pocket book as the easiest to understand print media. Majority of the respondents also assessed the message content as clear enough with the rare frequency of the communication. The most easily understood message content in general is that the seeds are beneficial to farmers because these are resistant to leaf blight disease. Meanwhile, the most remembered message content is the illustration of biotechnology used by facilitators in describing the essence of biotechnology. Trust in the source of information is closely related to the perception of the risks and benefits of using biotechnology innovation. The research result on the relationship between farmers’ characteristics communication pattern revealed that education level was significantly correlated with communication approach preference. All aspects of facilitators’ credibility were significantly correlated with the respondents’ understanding level of the delivered message contents.

Majority of the respondents regarded their religious affiliation as a consideration in their acceptance of transgenic or genetically modified (GM) products. Majority (55.56%) of them also rated their level of need for transgenic potato seed in the medium category. The survey also confirmed farmers’ assessment of the transgenic potato seed as quite economically profitable, compatible enough with the prevailing values in their environment, quite understandable, can be easily used, and quite easy to observe its superiority to be further communicated to other farmers.

Relationship between farmer’s characteristics, socioenvironmental factors, communication pattern, and farmers’ assessment of transgenic potato seed were as
follows:
 
1. Relative advantage was significantly negative correlated with education level, and significantly positive correlated with income level. Compatibility was significantly negative correlated with age. Observability was significantly positive correlated with education level. Trialability was significantly negative correlated with education level, and significantly positive correlated with income level. Less complexity was very significantly negative correlated with age.
 
2. Relative advantage was significantly positive correlated with communication approaches. Less complexity was very significantly negative correlated with message content.
 
3. Relative advantage was significantly positive correlated with the need for innovation. Compatibility was significantly negative correlated with religious value, and significantly positive correlated with the need for innovation. Less complexity was very significantly negative correlated with religious value, and very significantly positive correlated with the need for
innovation.
 

Majority of the respondents agreed to adopt transgenic potato seed not only by considering its economic benefit, but also as a form of support for the technology, although they knew that GM products have not been proven safe for human consumption and for the environment, and have difficulty being accepted by consumers who are aware of the GM issues. Farmers disagreed to adopt transgenic seed if it is not compatible with their religious belief and if the price is expensive. Significantly and very significantly positive correlation was obtained between relative advantage, trialability, less complexity, and observability with the respondents’ decision to adopt transgenic potato seed.

 

The study recommends the following: (1) diffusion of biotechnology information and products must consider the education level and religious affiliation of target audience, and the cost of the technology preferably through face-to-face communication approach to ensure better adoption; (2) packaging of communication messages and materials should be more accurate, clear, and easy to understand especially regarding food, feed, and environment safety so that there is no doubt in the adoption decision made by the target audience; and (3) dissemination of halal status of transgenic products to consumers is needed.