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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of enhanced knowledge and technology innovations, which were resulted from training, on the simultaneous production of rice and soybean in Java, Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach: A model of product possibility frontier with two outputs produced using the same resources was employed. Based on the model, supply responses of soybean and rice were derived. Aggregate data consisting of 12 regions during the ten years of 2000–2009 were compiled from relevant agricultural institutions at the provincial level. Findings: Improvement in farmers' capacity has been able to increase production of soybean and rice simultaneously. Farmers' capacity increased after completion of the school. Knowledge and skill gained from the school have been applied to both rice and soybean farming. Other economic factors also affected the supply response of both commodities. Research limitations/implications: Available data covered periods 2000–2009. However, the outcomes are still relevant to the current situation because food crops are the basic necessity. This study used secondary aggregate data, which might be less accurate than primary data. However, secondary data have the advantage concerning coverage and time span. Practical implications: The Government, in collaboration with non-government organisations and the private sectors, should continue to enhance farmers' capacity to increase the production of food crops to feed people in Indonesia, and over the world in general. Originality/value: An analysis of joint production using a concept of product transformation curve can measure the impact of training on multi products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assesses the welfare impact of intensive chilli farming and determines the factors motivating farmers to engage in commercial farming. This study uses a structural equation model that measures the direct and indirect effects of explanatory variables on intensive chilli production and welfare. This study uses data of field surveys of randomly selected 220 farmers in three regions of Java. The results show that stepping up to intensive and profit‐oriented farming improved farmers' welfare. Internal and external factors, directly and indirectly, affected farmers' decision to devote more resources to commercial chilli farming. Farmers' knowledge, as well as access to credit, technology adoption, marketplace, and traders, played significant roles in improving rural welfare. The government needs to reform marketing system of horticultural products and establish market infrastructures to accommodate oversupply during peak season. Easy and flexible credit should be available and accessible to farmers, with technology applicable to such agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the impact of farmer field schools (FFS) on the productivity of vegetable farming in vegetable‐producing areas of East Java and Bali, Indonesia. The FFS have equipped over 3,000 vegetable farmers with integrated crop management knowledge applicable to chilies and tomatoes. The FFS are expected to enhance farmers’ capacity such that they can increase production. This study employs a difference‐in‐differences (DiD) method to overcome selection bias. A survey of 250 FFS‐graduated farmers and 250 non‐FFS farmers were purposively randomly selected from the overall community of farmers. Focus group discussion was used to support the survey. The results indicate that FFS were successful for enhancing farmers’ capability in vegetable farming. Farmers who participated in FFS have higher productivity than those who did not. Farmers also could adapt and adopt the knowledge gained from FFS as they underwent a process of learning by doing. The impacts of the increase in farmers’ capacity can be more evident if weaknesses during the FFS preparation and implementation can be overcome, to ensure more participation, flexibility to fit different conditions/needs and continuous learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If growers can step up from subsistence production to intensive commercial farming, there should be an impact on their welfare. Profitability of vegetable farming and factors that determine farmers’ intentions to commercialize vegetable-based enterprises in rural areas were examined using factor share and multiple regression approaches. Personal characteristics, changes in technology, and factors affecting the business environment were hypothesized to influence farmers to commercialize vegetable farming. A quantitative survey was used to obtain data from 356 respondents in four vegetable-producing regions of rural east Java and Bali, Indonesia, during 2013-2014. Vegetable farming returns profits. There is an opportunity to expand vegetable-based agribusiness by making farm credit, market information, and crop management technologies more accessible to farmers. To encourage commercial vegetable farming, vegetable agribusiness terminals, with all market infrastructures, could support vegetable production in rural Indonesia. The rural community could profitably engage in vegetable-based enterprises to increase farmers’ income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses factors determining farmers’ intentions to move from subsistence to advanced farming. Data were compiled from a survey of 222 randomly selected farmers in three districts of central Java, Indonesia. Intensive chili farming is considered commercial, and three technologies are considered advanced. The results show many significant factors determined farmers moving toward commercial farming and adopting advanced technologies. Better access to credit and market facilities encourages farmers to grow chili. The study suggests policy recommendations for strengthening chili farming and related high-value vegetables in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An evaluation of a farmer field school (FFS) program for chili peppers was conducted to measure impacts on farmers' knowledge of chili pepper integrated crop management (ICM) in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Chili production was selected as the target intervention topic because of its importance in Aceh's economy. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to assess impacts of FFS; 270 FFS-graduate farmers were interviewed and eight farmer groups were surveyed. By integrating descriptive and simple statistical analyses, we measure immediate impacts of FFS, which also makes this study's methods and findings different from others in the literature. The results show that farmers' knowledge on agricultural practices increased significantly due to FFS. In addition, in the future, farmers expected that their chili yields would increase and their pesticide use would decrease. FFS improved farmer cohesiveness and information sharing. Farmers' knowledge of insect pests, diseases and natural enemies increased considerably, as did their awareness of pesticide-related hazards. In sum, FFS successfully delivered improved technology and enhanced knowledge to enable farmers to grow chili with sustainable practices and higher profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze econometrically the impact of IPM training on farmers' economic way of thinking about pest management. The IPM training is expected to increase farmers' acceptable level of pest attack, and reduce pesticide use. The study was conducted in Java, where the training has been widely performed. Panel data on soybeans during 1990 - 1998 were collected from provincial agricultural agencies. Simultaneous equation models were employed to estimate a function of economic threshold and a function for pest control. Estimation was conducted using random effect panel regressions. The results indicate that pesticide use decreased as the amount of IPM training increased. This means that after participating the training, farmers' subjective economic thresholds for soybean pests increased and pesticide use was delayed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perception of farmers in dealing with the phenomenon of climate change is to minimize the impact of reducing the productivity of agricultural products. Climate change which has an impact on the agricultural sector is also caused by unsustainable agricultural practices. Several studies have examined the adoption of organic farming innovations that are sustainable from an environmental aspect and increase farmer income. However, there has been no research on farmers' knowledge and perceptions of implementing organic farming as a climate change adaptation strategy. This research aims to analyze the factors that shape farmers' negative perceptions of organic farming and characteristics of the farmers. The sampling technique in this research uses a probability sampling approach with a total of 80 farmers with interviews using two languages, namely Javanese (local language) and Indonesian to make it easier to understand the research questions. This research used Second Order CFA with WarpPLS 5.0. The basic theory that is found in this study is farmers pay more attention to the attributes of innovation, observability of yields, and access to information. Farmers in Makmur Sejahtera Farmers Group are classified as laggards and late majority. The visible results from the demo plot of organic farming are lower than the results from land that applies conventional farming. Farmers prefer to use pesticides and chemical fertilizers to deal with pest explosions due to climate change. Based on the results, the adoption of organic farming for an adaptive climate change impact with a management policy was recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]