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West Java struggles to attract young people into farming
Despite the presence of 35 agricultural vocational schools (SMK) in West Java, very few young people in the region are interested in going into farming
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espite the presence of 35 agricultural vocational schools (SMK) in West Java, very few young people in the region are interested in going into farming.
West Java Agriculture Agency head Diden Trisnadi said that young farmers tended to be more open to technology and could benefit the quality and quantity of agricultural products.
'However, their number remains small,' he told The Jakarta Post at the World Food Day commemoration event at the Gedung Sate gubernatorial office in Bandung on Friday.
Diden said that graduates from agricultural vocational schools often chose to look for jobs that offered steady incomes or to become entrepreneurs in different sectors, presumably because the schools failed to inspire them to go into farming.
'I want to shift the paradigm that agriculture is not interesting. This change of paradigm must start in SMKs,' he said.
Based on the 2013 agricultural census conducted by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), farming families amount to at least 26 million families nationwide, while the number of farming families in West Java stands at 3.05 million.
- New blood vital to progress in agricultural sector
- West Java sees dramatic drop in number of farming families
- Most farmers over 45 years old
- Farmers' welfare failing to improve
The number of farming families in the province has dropped by 29 percent in the last 10 years, with 4.34 million farm families recorded in 2003.
The census also reveals that a majority of farmers in Indonesia are over 45 years old. Farmers aged between 35 and 44 years old account for 26 percent or 6.8 million people, while the remaining 12 percent or 3.16 million people are farmers aged below 35 years old.
To raise the number of young farmers, Diden said his office would prioritize the creation of agricultural resources through agriculture-based vocational high schools.
A survey has shown that at the higher education level, it was also not easy to find young people with the desire to dedicate their lives to the agriculture sector.
Based on a 2012 study by the IPB Career Development Statistics and Alumni Relations, although 70 percent of university students were interested in being involved in the agricultural field, less than 10 percent were eventually self-employed in the sector.
Bogor Institute of Agriculture's (IPB) Agricultural Policy and Strategy research director Suryo Wiyono said developing the interest of the younger generation required a policy that encouraged the growth of agricultural entrepreneurship and public support.
He added that the next generation of farmers would be crucial to raising production and improving crop quality.
'Competent farmers who are young and educated are key to agricultural success,' said Suryo.
According to him, an agricultural sector superior in terms of value will be achieved if it is backed by technology. Young farmers, he said, were indispensable to change in the agriculture sector because they were more receptive to change.
'The farming generation above the age of 45 is less inclined to change and prefers to run their activities as they always have,' said Suryo.
Meanwhile, People's Coalition Network for Food Reliance advocacy manager Said Abdullah said that the younger generation's reluctance to choose farming as a profession was probably due to the lack of improvement in farmers' welfare.
His conclusion was based on the exchange value of farmers in Indonesia, which was relatively stagnant, standing at 105.15 points in 2005 and 101.85 points this year.
Abdullah also highlighted the agriculture revitalization efforts, which focus on self-sufficiency in five commodities: rice, soybeans, corn, sugar and meat. 'Only rice has been a success. The rest are still a long way off,' said Abdullah.
