HOW FARMERS COPE :
November 29, 2008
Case Studies of Decision-making in Six Farm Househoolds in South of Malang, East Java
October 1996
This disertation is about decision-making in six farm households in East Java. The research carried out uses the case study approach and focuses on the intellectual locus of the actors who took decisions. The indigenous knowledge and the way it is generated and used by farmers when they make decisions is considered relevant in this respect.
The socio-economic progress of farmers is largely determined by the land they inherit at the start of their farming career. Inheritance, in fact, serve as a foundation for his subsequent success or failure. The way land is divided among the heirs is the reason why land is becoming more and more fragmented and will create serious problems in the near future. Further fragmentation of land holdings will not only bring many more families below the poverty line but will also cause a further deterioration of the land due to a loss of fertility and to erosion.
The impact of government programs for improving the socio-economic well being of rural people in the area has been limited. Up till the time of research, the government in this area has mainly dealt with the regreening program. The development efforts sponsored by the government in the area north of Malang has stimulated a considerable industrial development. The industries are mainly concentrated between the cities of Surabaya and Malang, but very little of the economic growth has trickled down to the villages south of Malang.
Taking all factors into consideration, the development of the limestone area is extremely problematic. Whatever governmental programs are designed and implemented for this area, or however rational, systematic and innovative the farmers and their wives make their decisions, viable agricultural development will still only be possible when the number of farmers in the area is reduced either through diversification or through out-migration.
