Wulandari 2021 IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. 694 012014
Wulandari 2021 IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. 694 012014
Wulandari 2021 IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. 694 012014
Environmental Science
*Email: [email protected]
Abstract. Palm cattle integration as an integrated farming system is intrinsically complex. The
model involves different processes and interactions between various actors in the value chain.
The participation of women farmers in agriculture is considered the primary social capital in
creating agricultural sustainability and improving productivity, but norms and socio-cultural
aspects often dictate these roles. Investing in women in smallholder-based supply chains is
expected to increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve broader goals. Approximately 49%
of agricultural households comprise of women farmers. While both men and women contribute
significantly to palm cattle integration, rural women’s roles in production activities and
technology transfer are not fully documented. On the other side, women’s participation in
agricultural activities is still faced with various constraints. Hence, this study’s aim is twofold:
to analyze the driving factors and constraints that motivate women’s participation and formulate
strategies to increase women’s participation in palm cattle integration. This study provides useful
information to develop appropriate intervention policies and strategies to support, enhance, and
increase women’s participation in palm cattle integration.
1. Introduction
The integration of oil palm cattle is an integrated farming system model that combines oil palm plantation
and livestock activities in an integrated system. This system involves many different processes and
interactions between various value chain actors. Their outcomes are influenced by and affect multiple
stakeholders and sectors in diverse and sometimes conflicting ways, including women farmers. There
is established evidence of women’s role in the farming system. Women’s participation in agricultural
activities is an essential social capital that can boost productivity and implement sustainable agriculture,
but norms and socio-cultural aspects often dictate these roles.
Empowering women and promoting gender equality is an integral part of the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and a very strategic way to accelerating sustainable development. The
fulfillment of women’s rights in all objectives will promote justice and inclusion, an economy that works
for all, and sustainable development.
Rural women play an essential role in both income generation and household management [1].
Previous studies suggest that investing in women in smallholder-based supply chains is expected to
increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve broader goals. Around 49% of agricultural households
in Indonesia comprise of women farmers. While both men and women contribute significantly to palm
plantations and cattle management activities, rural women’s roles in production activities and technology
transfer in palm cattle integration are not fully documented. On the other side, women’s participation in
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Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd 1
International e-Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farming System IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 694 (2021) 012014 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/694/1/012014
agricultural activities is still faced with various constraints. Hence the objective of this study is twofold:
to analyze the driving factors and constraints that motivate women’s participation in palm cattle
integration and to formulate strategies to increase women’s participation.
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
<25 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 >65
Male Female
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
-
Food Crops- Food Crops- Horticulture Estate Crops Livestock
Paddy Secondary Crops Crops
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International e-Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farming System IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 694 (2021) 012014 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/694/1/012014
Estate crops subsector involves 12.074.520 households, which oil palm is the newest and fastest-
growing tree crop [2]. Indonesia is the world’s largest producer and exporter of palm oil. During 2013-
2017, Indonesia produced 144.7 million tonnes of oil palm fruit bunches, or 49% of world production.
Indonesia’s exports for the 2012-2016 period were recorded at 22,3 million tonnes/year or contributed
52% of the world’s traded palm oil [3].
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International e-Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farming System IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 694 (2021) 012014 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/694/1/012014
benefits [17]. The integration is very complex in terms of their role in reducing the nutrient cycle’s
transparency, following industrial ecological reasons, regulating land use and agricultural practices, and
increasing agricultural resilience to adverse climate and economic events [18].
Based on the characteristic of palm cattle integration, the factors driving women’s participation are
grouping into three groups: personal factors, economic factors, and enabling factors (Figure 3).
Income from
non- farm Access to
Perception
activities technology
Employment/
Entrepreneurial doing any paid Social Capital
Skill work
Figure 3. Factors
driving women’s
Access to own
property participation in palm
cattle integration
Personal factors related to the individual characteristics consist of education level, years of
experiences, perception, and entrepreneurial skill. These four factors have a positive value on women’s
participation. Economic factors are related to the potential for increasing income through additional
benefits or cost reduction, which consists of household farm size, household income, income from non-
farm activities, employment, and access to own property. In terms of the economy, household farm size,
household income, income from non-farm activities, employment, and access to own property are
income levers that provide opportunities for investment activities that are a driving force for women
participation.
Enabling factors are external factors that drive the implementation of palm cattle integration. The
availability of these factors will create the best practices of palm cattle integration, which will motivate
women to participate. Enabling factors include credit utilization, extension service, access to technology,
and social capital.
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International e-Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farming System IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 694 (2021) 012014 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/694/1/012014
to information [19]. It is also influenced by several important aspects such as rural-based enterprise
development, access to training, support from local institutions, developing appropriate technology, and
risk management [20]. The primary constraints in women’s participation are lack of technical knowledge
of the farming system, health problems, secondary status in decision making, poor economic condition,
and household work burden [21]. Data about the number of farmers by educational attainment showed
that the largest group of farmers in Indonesia had a completed primary school background (Figure 4).
12,000,000
10,000,000
8,000,000
6,000,000
4,000,000
2,000,000
-
Not/Not Yet Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed
Completed Primary School Junior High Senior High Diploma I/II Academy Diploma IV/ Post Degree
Primary School School School /Diploma III Bachelor
Degree
Male Female
15%
9%
Men
Women
91%
85%
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International e-Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farming System IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 694 (2021) 012014 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/694/1/012014
Palm cattle integration has a specific characteristic, and its implementation needs to be organized
beyond the technical aspect. However, there are several constraints faced by rural women to participate
in palm cattle integration: lack of knowledge, lack of entrepreneurial skill, limited access to the asset,
lack of access to credit, limited access to extension, lack of access to technology, and limited of
networking.
Palm cattle integration is very highly recommended for palm plantation owners. Farmers already
have information and are interested in implementing palm cattle integration. Still, because of the lack of
skills and knowledge, they refuse to take the risk of implementing this system [22]. This phenomenon
also occurs in smallholders in Indonesia. The introduction of livestock is carried out to smallholders who
are already running palm plantation businesses. As an additional activity, smallholders have limited
knowledge in their animal husbandry technical know-how. This condition is increasingly limited to
women due to the limitations of their involvement in the production system.
Palm cattle integration must be operated by farmers who desire to generate value by expanding
economic activity by identifying and exploring new products, processes, production, and markets.
Operating palm cattle integration needs specific characteristics in strategy, competencies, and
management [17] that align with the entrepreneurship aspect.
Most of the women have limited access to assets related to the ownership of assets carried out on
behalf of the family’s head. The implementation of palm cattle integration requires financial support.
However, there are several obstacles to accessing formal financial institutions faced by rural women,
such as time allocation, autonomy in decision making, and limited information [22].
Technological innovation has a significant role in structural transformation, where at the beginning
of its diffusion, technological innovation can change the roles and responsibilities of men and women.
[23]. Technology can reduce labor in farming systems, which opens opportunities for men to diversify
outside of agriculture or outside of family farms [24]. Extension activities mostly focused exclusively
on men to the cultivation stage, hence deterring many women from being involved in the decision making
and production process. This condition leads to the low involvement of farmer women in access to
technology.
As an integrated farming system, the development of palm cattle integration requires solid networks.
In general, networking in palm cattle integration is about constructing social capital in bonding, bridging,
and linking. Bonding social capital describes the links between farmer group members. Bridging social
capital indicates the connections between farmer groups and actors in the value chain of palm cattle
system production. Linking social capital showed a possibility of reaching out to institutions or people
outside the farmers in different situations. Thus farmers enable to leverage a broader range of resources
than are available in the community.
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International e-Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farming System IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 694 (2021) 012014 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/694/1/012014
Strengthen Organic
Fertilizer Processing Bonding Networks
Skills Development
Figure 7.
Strategies to
Strengthen Risk Bridging Networks increase
Mitigation Skills Development women’s
participation
From the technical aspect side, the strategies to increase women’s participation include strengthening
cattle management skills, complete feed processing skills, organic fertilizer processing skills, and risk
mitigation skills. From the managerial aspect, women’s participation can be optimized by developing
entrepreneurial skills, linking networks, bonding networks, and bridging networks. In line with this, the
government needs to create a support system that will facilitate women in optimizing their participation.
The support system includes increasing credit access and utilization, extension service access,
technology access, technology adoption, and strengthen social capital.
7. Conclusion
Rural women have become effective role players in income-generation by implementing palm cattle
integration. Based on the characteristic of palm cattle integration, the factors driving women’s
participation are dividing into three groups: personal factors, economic factors, and enabling factors.
Several constraints faced by women’s participation in palm cattle integration are lack of knowledge, lack
of entrepreneurial skills, limited access to the asset, lack of access to credit, limited access to extension,
lack of access to technology, and limited networking.
The strategies are needed to strengthen rural women’s technical and managerial skills. From the
technical aspect side, the strategies to increase women’s participation include strengthening cattle
management skills, complete feed processing skills, organic fertilizer processing skills, and risk
mitigation skills. From the managerial aspect, women’s participation can be optimized by developing
entrepreneurial skills, linking networks, bonding networks, and bridging networks. Simultaneously, the
government is needed to develop a support system that facilitates women in optimizing their
participation. The support system includes increasing credit access and utilization, extension service
access, technology access, technology adoption, and strengthen social capital.
References
[1] Tariku L 2019 Determinants of rural women economic empowerment in agricultural activities:
The case of Damot Gale Woreda of Wolaita Zone, SNNPRS of Ethiopia J. Econ. Sustain. Dev.
10 6–14
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International e-Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farming System IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 694 (2021) 012014 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/694/1/012014