Willingness to Contribute to Bio-Larviciding in the Fight against Malaria: A Contingent Valuation Study among Rice Farmers in Rwanda

There is broad consensus that successful and sustained larval source management (LSM) interventions, including bio-larviciding campaigns, require embeddedness in local community institutions. Ideally, these community structures should also be capable of mobilizing local resources to (co-)finance interventions. To date, farmer cooperatives, especially cooperatives of rice growers whose economic activity facilitates mosquito breeding, have remained under the radar in designing community-based bio-larviciding campaigns. This study explores the potential of rice farmer cooperatives in Bugesera district, Rwanda, to take up the aforementioned roles. To this purpose, we surveyed 320 randomly selected rice farmers who belonged to one of four rice cooperatives in the area and elicited their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for application of Bti, a popular bio-larvicide, in their rice paddies. Results from a (non-incentivized) bidding game procedure, which tested two alternative contribution schemes showed that financial contributions would be significantly different from zero and sufficient to carry a co-financing share of 15–25 per cent. A strong heterogeneity in mean WTP is revealed across cooperatives, in addition to variation among individual farmers, which needs to be anticipated when engaging farmer cooperatives in LSM.

Analysis of supply chain and added value of rice in west Lombok regency

West Lombok Regency is one of rice production centers in West Nusa Tenggara. Rice millings operate in the Regency to process raw rice into rice (hulled rice), and become a central point in the rice agro-industry and institution that connects actors in the supply chain, starting from raw rice to producing hulled rice as the main product. The aim of this research is to: (1) analyze supply chain mechanisms related to product flows, information flows and financial flows on rice; (2) analyze added value received by actors in the rice supply chain network; and (3) analyze marketing efficiency of rice in West Lombok Regency. This research uses descriptive methods. Data collection was carried out using surveys to the research locations of the districts of Narmada, Lingsar and Gerung, which all are the centers of rice in West Lombok Regency. There were 30 rice farmer respondents and some institutions or individuals involved in the flow of rice from farmers to end consumers. Data were analyzed by applying the analyses of descriptive, added value, and marketing efficiency. The results showed that in the rice supply chain there have been flows of product, finance, and information, amongst marketing actors or institutions. The added value and profit resulting from processing unhulled rice to hulled rice were IDR 6,100/kg and IDR 5,850/kg, respectively. It was also found that in West Lombok Regency there are three patterns of marketing channels and all of the channels operated efficiently.

The effect of COVID-19 outbreak on the competitive and comparative advantages of rice production in West Java, Indonesia

Food security is one of the keys to success in overcoming problems arising impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. Attention to the paddy production in West Java is imperative. This paper aimed to discuss the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the competitiveness of rice production in West Java by using two indicators of Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM), namely Private Cost Ratio (PCR) and Domestic Resource Cost Ratio (DRC). The data used is from the National Panel of Farmers (PATANAS) survey data for wetland rice agro-ecosystem in West Java, with 144 households of rice farmer respondents. The results show that the COVID-19 outbreak harms the competitiveness of rice production, and it takes three years for recovery to be a competitive advantage and more than five years for comparative advantage. At the private and social prices of GKP at the farm level equal to the GPP 2020, rice production in West Java will lose its competitive advantage starting in 2022, while the comparative advantage of rice production in West Java continues to decline until 2024. This study has three policy implications: the first eliminating disruption of the distributions of agricultural inputs and outputs. The second is striving to increase the use of machinery and equipment to secure the risk of yield loss during cultivation, harvest time, and post-harvest handling at the farm level. The third is selecting the farmers who have high capability in competitive and comparative advantages as a model for fostering competitiveness improvement for farmers with lower abilities.

Upacara Biyukukung (Kearifan Lokal Masyarakat Bali dalam Menjaga Teo-Agrikultur)

Biyukukung ceremony was carried out by Balinese people who worked in agriculture, especially rice farming. This ceremony was related with Balinese people’s effort religiously to gained prosperity for their rice in the field. As a rice farmer, Balinese people often had adversity in their field, liked damaged by pests, lacked of water, and more. As a religious people, they used this ceremony to avoid any adversity. Biyukukung ceremony was carried out by farmers, started from prepared the facilities like banten and other which related with the ceremony. The meaning of this ceremony was an expression of farmers’ thankful to God in the form of his manifestation as Dewi Sri and Dewa Wisnu which provided safety and growth the rice fertilely, protected from the pests, and other damaged. That was why Balinese people carried out the ceremony which had inherited by every generation. This ceremony also made different meaning of agriculture group, which was not only about farming. Moreover, the mean was combined the concept of Hindu’s theology and farming. This tradition then became a unified in farming system, so that the religion ceremony and farming activity be related to each other. Balinese people always depended to God for their safety, so that all of their action, included farming, was related. This relation made Bali unique, there was no line between religion and culture in their daily life. Thus, “Biyukukung Ceremony” had function and meaning to prayed the rice growth fertilely and also the field safety, so that the farmers could harvest well according to their expectation

PENGARUH PRODUKSI DAN PRODUKTIVITAS PETANI TERHADAP IMPOR JAGUNG DI INDONESIA TAHUN 1993-2018

This research aims to analyze the effect of corn production and productivity of maize farmers on imports in Indonesia in 1993-2018. The data used in this research are secondary data for the 1993-2018 period. This research model uses multiple linear regression. The results of the research that corn production partially has a negative effect on corn imports in Indonesia. Rice farmer productivity has a positive effect on corn imports in Indonesia. Simultaneously, maize production and productivity of maize farmers have an effect on maize imports in Indonesia

Constraints Faced by the Rice Farmer Beneficiaries of Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) in Adoption of Recommended Angrau Technologies

This study aimed to assess the constraints faced by rice farmers under RKVY, their suggestions and a strategy was developed to overcome the constraints. The present study was conducted in 3 districts viz Srikakulam, Nellore and West Godavari of Andhra Pradesh. Ex post facto research design was used and data was collected through interview schedule from 240 farmers. Collected data is analyzed using Garett test and other suitable statistical tools. Multiple responses were considered to ascertain the constraints faced by the rice growers in adoption of recommended technologies of Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU). The constraints faced by the rice growers in adoption of recommended technologies are classified into 5 categories viz., Personnel constraints, Bio physical constraints, Socio-Economic Constraints, Marketing constraints and Organizational constraints. The major constraints perceived by the farmers among different categories were Labour scarcity & high wage rates during peak periods, less mass media exposure, interference of middlemen and Epidemics of pest & diseases. The suggestions given by the farmers were prioritization of agricultural activities in MGNREGA scheme, Conduct of hands on experience training programs on usage of ICT tools and social media for browsing information related to agriculture, Setting up of sufficient number of public purchase points at local level by the government, Conducting sufficient number of practical oriented season long training programs during crop period and Provision of timely updates regarding fluctuations in market prices. A suitable strategy was evolved addressing the various constraints which would be helpful for the policy makers, researchers, extension functionaries to plan and modify the extension programs so as to mitigate these constraints faced by the rice farmers and thereby to augment rice production.