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

Factors Influencing Farmers' Participants in the BIMAS Program in the Subdistrict of Caringin, West Java, Indonesia

(Indonesia), Master of Science in Community Development (University of the Philippines Los Baños)

Thesis Abstract:

 

The study was conducted to determine the effect of various factors on the participation of rice farmers in the BIMAS (Bimbingan Masal or "Mass Guidance") Program in the Subdistrict of Caringin, West Java Province, Indonesia.

The BIMAS Program, launched in 1969 by the Indonesian government, aims to increase farmers' rice production and income, which are expected to sufficiently supply the national food requirement.

The study involved ISO rice farmers as respondents selected by simple random sampling. Data were gathered using personal interview schedule.

Frequency counts, percentages, means, ranges, and standard deviation were used to describe the data. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient Test, the Cramer Corre lation Coefficient Test, and the Multiple Regression Analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings showed that the average age of the respondents, most of whom were owner-operator and. share-tenant, was 49.68 years old. They had been to formal school for about four years and had farmed for 21.46 years on a farm size of about 0.36 hectares. They used 178.90 man days/ ha/year (- Rp 348,740.00/ha/year) and earned an annual family income of Rp 1,499,030.00. They also have a moderate perception of the presence of community resources and agricultural technology in their areas. Likewise, they considered themselves as having moderate contact with change agents. Most rated themselves as "moderate" in cooperativeness by labor sharing but "high" in cooperativeness in money/material sharing. They also gave a moderate rating to cohesiveness but they showed high information seeking behavior.

The majority of the rice farmers had low participation by group affiliation in the SIMAS Program. However, they were categorized as moderate participants in terms of attendance to informal and formal gatherings and decision-making in relation to the Program, and thus in overall attendance, too.

Program participation was significantly correlated to the economic, socio-psychological, sociocultural, and community characteristics. The independent variables such as contact with change agents, value of cooperativeness in money/material sharing, and information seeking behavior were the strongest determinants of farmer participation in the BIMAS Program.