Hasil Pencarian  ::  Simpan CSV :: Kembali

"Kegiatan praktik tanam campuran yang dilakukan petani di Gurusinga memperlihatkan adanya pilihan jenis tanaman yang berbeda-beda di antara petani. Perbedaan pilihan itu terjadi dari satu waktu tanam ke beberapa waktu tanam berikutnya. Beberapa petani ini cenderung melakukan percampuran tanaman dalam bentuk pola tanam yang berbeda, yaitu campur-campur, tumpang tindih, tua-muda, sada-sada dan ragi-agi. Mengapa petani cenderung memilih jenis tanaman yang berbeda dari satu waktu tanam ke waktu tanam berikutnya?Kajian ini berusaha membahas pilihan petani yang berbeda-beda atas jenis tanaman tersebut dengan menjelaskan bagaimana petani mengambil suatu keputusan untuk memilih jenis tanaman dan faktor-faktor apa yang mendasari pilihan petani tersebut. Penelitian di lapangan selama berkisar enam bulan (Juli - Desember 1999) dapat dimanfaatkan untuk mengamati dua periode waktu tanam dan panen dari satu jenis tanaman petani. Penulis menyadari bahwa dua waktu tanam yang diamati adalah merupakan periode singkat dari suatu periode panjang dalam pengalaman petani dengan beragam peristiwa khusus yang mereka alami. Namun, dari dua periode singkat ini, petani juga harus mengambil keputusan untuk memilih beberapa jenis tanaman yang harus ditanam untuk menggantikan beberapa tanaman lain yang telah siap panen.Dengan menggunakan analisis pengambilan keputusan, kajian ini sampai pada suatu pemahaman bahwa pilihan jenis tanaman yang berbeda-beda di antara beberapa petani dalam dua waktu tanam itu terkait erat dengan harapan-harapan mereka atas pilihan tersebut. Harapan-harapan tertentu akan memberikan prioritas-prioritas pada beberapa pertimbangan tertentu. Dengan harapan yang berbeda atau sama atau juga prioritas pada pertimbangan yang berbeda atau pada pertimbangan yang sama, beberapa pilihan jenis tanaman petani dapat menjadi berbeda [dan beberapa pilihan mereka juga dapat menjadi sama]. Prioritas pada beberapa pertimbangan tertentu tersebut akan diputuskan petani dengan proses evaluasi yang cenderung sama, yaitu setelah mereka mengevaluasi pengalaman dan perkembangan kondisi baru yang berhubungan dengan faktor-faktor produksi, harga, distribusi, keputusan petani lain, hubungan dengan orang lain, dan penilaian mereka atas tinggi rendahnya tingkat ketidakpastian yang mereka hadapi. Hasil evaluasi tersebut adalah keputusan 'judi' dan keputusan hati-hati.Keputusan 'judi' yang diambil sangat singkat sebelum penanaman akan dipilih petani dengan harapan untuk mendapatkan keuntungan yang besar dalam waktu singkat dan cenderung mengabaikan resiko kerugian 'putus modal'. Pola tanam yang cenderung dikembangkan adalah sada-sada (rotasi) atau ragi-agi (bertingkat). Keputusan hati-hati dan yang selalu mengalamai penyesuaian secara terus-menerus dengan perkembangan kondisi baru akan dipilih petani dengan harapan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan jangka pendek dan jangka panjang petani dan memperhitungkan resiko dan pertimbangan lainnya dengan lebih cermat. Pola tanam yang cenderung dikembangkan adalah campur-campur, tumpang tindih dan tua muda.Dengan pertimbangan tertentu., beberapa petani akan memilih melakukan dua jenis keputusan ini secara bersamaan dalam waktu tanam yang sama atau pada waktu tanam berikutnya. Perkembangan kondisi baru yang serba tidak pasti cenderung membuat petani melakukan evaluasi dalam setiap waktu tanam untuk memilih jenis tanaman yang akan ditanam. Percampuran tanaman yang 'biasa' mereka lakukan juga `ditampilkan' atas dasar evaluasi pengalaman dan perkembangan kondisi baru. Hasil penelitan ini juga menunjukkan bahwa jenis keputusan apa pun yang dipilih petani, maka pertimbangan hubungan sosial, pinjam-meminjam, dan informasi baru cenderung menentukan keputusan akhir mereka, apakah akan mengganti jenis tanaman pilihan atau hanya mengurangi banyaknya jumlah yang akan ditanam dari beberapa pilihan tanaman tersebut. Hubungan-hubungan tersebut dapat merupakan hubungan dengan keluarga inti, keluarga luas, petani lain di luar lingkungan kerabat, dan dengan orang lain. Pertimbangan-pertimbangan petani ini menunjukkan bahwa keputusan-keputusan petani tidak terlepas dari lingkungan sosial dan budaya mereka."

"ABSTRACTRural Northeast Thailand has been undergoing rapid change in recent years, a process that can be referred to as an agrarian transformation. This transformation involves a major restructuring of agriculture from being subsistence oriented to market oriented. It also involves concomitant changes in all components of the agricultural system, including technology, economic orientation, social relations, and cultural values. This paper presents a review of a large volume of recent research on several key dimensions of the agrarian transformation: (1) agricultural intensification, diversification, and specialization; (2) technological change and the continuing role of traditional technology in rural life; (3) the epidemiological transition and changes in health and disease risks; and (4) social system changes, including in the nature of rural urban interactions, population structure, household composition and livelihood systems, community social organization, and cultural values and aspirations. "

"ABSTRACTAgriculture in Thailand is undergoing significant change. The present paper addresses this change from a social perspective, focusing on the role of household dynamics and expansion of the capitalist economy into rural areas. It draws upon data from different sources. Changes in household dynamics over the past decades have resulted in not only unprecedented below replacement fertility levels and small households on average but also labor and land constraints in most rural areas. In this environment, rural households are under pressure to modify their farming practices. Meanwhile, the expansion of the capitalist economy brought about by the Green Revolution and new socioeconomic policies since the early 1960s has Opened up new opportunities and choices for rural households to participate in market oriented production. It is the response of households to this environment that is leading to agricultural transformation in rural Thailand. Key aspects of agricultural change identified in this analysis include a shift from subsistence production to market oriented production; widespread agricultural mechanization and adoption of other new technologies; emergence of agribusiness and large scale commercial farming; and structural change in land use and landholding, resulting in land concentration. Changes in agriculture are likely to alter other aspects of rural life. It is, therefore, important to have a short term safety net as well as long term policy that will lead to a holistic agricultural reform. "

"ABSTRACTRainfed paddy fields cover a large area in Northeast Thailand. Rice production there is known to be highly variable, with generally low yields. With the Thai economy developing rapidly since the 19603, an increasing number of farmers have sought employment in the non-farm sector. As a result. some worry that rice growing in this region might decline or even disappear. In reality, however, it continues to play an important role in ensuring basic food security to rural households. This study investigates technological advances in rice growing during this period of rapid economic growth in Don Daeng village using a dataset spanning approximately 50 years. The results indicate that farmers adopted small-scale agricultural machines, irrigation technologies, land consolidation, high yielding varieties, chemical fertilizers, and the direct seeding method on their own initiative. These technologies and methods contributed to increasing rice yields and stabilizing production. They also appear to have substantially improved labor productivity, allowing farmers to procure their main food supply from their paddy fields while earning an additional income from the off farm sector, which could then be reinvested in agriculture. Thus, the interaction between these sectors is currently supporting small scale rice production in peri urban villages in Northeast Thailand. "

"ABSTRACTPaddy fields in Northeast Thailand are unusual in that they contain large trees. In recent years, however, in concert with major changes in the agricultural system of Northeast Thailand, including the shift from subsistence to cash crops, mechanization, use of chemical fertilizers, and increased reliance of rural people on manufactured consumer goods, the role of trees in paddy fields has also been changing, leading to a decline in tree densities. This study was conducted in Khok Kwang village, Khon Kaen Province, in order to examine factors influencing variations in density, canopy coverage, and origin of trees in paddy fields there. In recent years, the rate of tree cutting appears to have been increasing and the density of trees declining. This decline reflects many changes in agricultural practices in the village. Farmers now rely on chemical fertilizer rather than litter from the trees to maintain soil fertility. They no longer value any increase in rice yield during dry years in the parts of their helds that are close to the trees because they are now able to pump irrigation water to maintain productivity; and trees are seen as an impediment to the use of four wheel tractors, which have difficulty working efficiently in paddy helds with many trees. In addition, several farmers have begun to plant their paddy Iields with sugarcane, which is less shade tolerant than rice. The density of trees in paddy fields planted with sugarcane (5.7 trees/ha) is much lower than in helds where rice is cultivated (9.6 trees/ha). In upper paddies that are still planted with rice, the trees are retained because they provide valuable goods and services to the farmers and rice yields there are in any case low and unstable. This study illustrates at the micro level how changes in farmer goals, choice of crops, and production technology that are part of the agrarian transformation of Northeast Thailand are reshaping the rural landscape."

"ABSTRACTCropping intensification in rainfed rice based farming systems through multiple cropping after the rice harvest by using residual soil moisture and supplemental irrigation offers a way to increase agricultural productivity and boost rural incomes in Northeast Thailand. This study identifies localities, planted areas, types of crops, and number of households growing crops after rainfed rice in Khon Kaen Province; it also analyzes some of the physical and social factors associated with the occurrence of this system. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2013 of 198 agricultural extension officers in each subdistrict (tambol) in the province to collect data on multiple cropping. An area of 10,384 ha (2.9% of the total rainfed rice area) was used for multiple cropping by 16,184 households (10.9% of all rainfed rice farming households). Both field crops (e.g., cassava, crotalaria, field corn) and vegetables (e.g., sweet corn, watermelon, Chinese radish) were grown. These crops generated USD414 to 49,072 per hectare per crop for a total revenue of USD32 million, which is three times higher than the value of rice grown in the same field area. However, the area that can be utilized for multiple cropping in different subdistricts may be limited by physical conditions, including availability of irrigation sources and soil texture, as well as social and economic factors such as availability of markets, institutional support, and farmer skills."

"ABSTRACT

Hybrid tomato seed production after rice is a way of intensifying agriculture in rainfed areas in Northeast Thailand. Although this type of intensive high value contract farming has been developing for the last 30 years, there has been little research on it. This study describes the historical development of this system and identifies factors influencing increases and decreases in the number of production sites and farmers producing hybrid tomato seeds. Although production of hybrid tomato seeds was initially adopted by a large number of farmers in many villages in both rainfed and irrigated areas, in recent years it has been carried out only in a smaller number of villages, mostly in rainfed areas. The decision of growers to continue or discontinue production is influenced by both the benefit they gain from production and their relations with the seed companies. The local availability of highly skilled hired workers also affects the concentration of production in certain sites."