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A sample survey of palm oil smallholders was used to examine the amount of Willingness and Ability to Pay (WATP) and the factors that determine WATP as well as the impact of WATP on the willingness to participate of smallholders in Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification scheme. Results reveal that the average amount of WATP accounted only half of the certification cost, implying that partial assistance is needed to support the smallholders through government subsidy. The study shows that WATP significantly affects the willingness to participate, and smallholders with higher WATP are more likely willing to participate in ISPO. Both WATP and willingness to participate are significantly determined by social norms (farmers collective impression) and awareness of the consequences of unsustainable farming practices. This result indicates the necessity to improve a positive impression on ISPO and increase awareness of the importance of following the sustainability principles of palm oil farming to increase the smallholders’ WATP, and at the same time their willingness to participate in ISPO program. It is suggested for the government to intensify the campaign of the program to a wider range of smallholders to increase their knowledge and awareness of the certification program.

This research aims to explore the shifting of work relations between land owners and landless peasants in Central Java. Besides, it also proposed to find the trend of the impact of shifting work relations between them. The research is designed using the semi-grounded method and phenology based on qualitative approach. This research is intentionally conducted in Purbalingga and Banyumas Regency, Central Java Province. Based on the research results, farmers in rural areas that are relatively far from the city have working relationships that tend to be exploited and are asymmetrical. On the other hand, the relationship of farmers in rural areas near cities tends to be more rational and commercial and symmetrical. The suggestion that can be given is the working relationship between the land owner and the cultivator who is beneficial to both parties needs to be maintained, but for the exploitative nature of work relationship there needs to be continuously empowered so that it does not bring damage to each of the party

Social cohesion is one of the essential elements in participatory empowerment of landless peasants. This study aims to examine the categorization function within elements of social cohesion in empowering landless peasants using a participatory manner. The research location was set intentionally in Baturaden District, Banyumas Regency and Purbalingga Wetan Subdistrict, Purbalingga Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia. The research method is using an intrinsic case study approach. Based on the research result showed that the predominant function within elements of social cohesion at the individual level are enthusiasm, trust, quality and closeness of social relations, solidarity and social values, while some element of social cohesion at the community level has a function towards peasant participatory in the empowerment include motives, mentality, actions, behavior, awareness of self-identity and morality. Lastly, the quality of social relations and collaboration networks is a manifestation of social cohesion which has a dominant function at the institutional level. All elements of social cohesion function are reinforcing energy and driving the activeness of landless peasant in participatory empowerment.

Palm oil smallholder who managed more than 40% of palm oil area in Indonesia are expected to comply with the mandatory regulation of sustainable palm oil (ISPO). However, basically there are two types of smallholder whose condition need to be considered to develop the most suitable certification scheme. This paper aimed to (1) see the difference in socio-economic characteristics between independent and managed smallholders, (2) identify the behavioral factors of independent and managed smallholder as well as (3) analyze the compliance of smallholder towards ISPO indicators. The data of smallholders of Padang Lawas Regency, North Sumatera were collected in terms of socio-economic characteristics, behavioral factors, and compliance towards ISPO. The results of the study showed that socio-economic characteristics of independent and managed smallholder are significantly different in term of ages, education, family member, experiences, farm sizes, and on farm income. Besides, there is a wide gap between the behavioral factors of managed and independent smallholder towards ISPO indicators. It is implied by the attitude, social norm, ability to perform, and intention to comply with the sustainable scheme. However, in average, smallholders considered to have bad compliance towards the indicators of ISPO.