TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Indonesia needs smarter farming, not more farmers
The country must continue to invest in technology, infrastructure, agronomic education and value chain integration.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A farmer works in a rice paddy on June 28, 2024, in Lambaro district, Aceh. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
I
n the context of rising global food insecurity and climate uncertainty, it may seem counterintuitive to suggest that Indonesia, home to over 280 million people, does not need more farmers.
However, this is precisely what the data tells us. The country’s food production trajectory, particularly in rice, has significantly improved despite a dramatic decline in the agricultural labor force.
In 1980, more than 55 percent of Indonesia’s workforce, approximately 40 million individuals, was employed in agriculture. By 2023, this figure had fallen to approximately 28 percent, or around 29 million people. Tens of millions have exited the sector, pursuing opportunities in industry and services.
Yet during this same period, Indonesia's rice production has not only remained resilient, it has increased substantially.
Annual production rose from 30 million tonnes in the early 1980s to over 53 million tonnes in 2023, representing an 82 percent increase. Rice yields per hectare have also tripled, from approximately 1.8 tonnes in the 1960s to 5.92 tonnes today.
Harvested areas have grown by nearly 49 percent, primarily through intensification strategies such as double cropping and improved irrigation. This trend indicates a structural shift from labor-intensive to input and technology intensive farming systems.
Indonesia’s agricultural transformation can be attributed to a series of interventions spanning several decades. A key turning point was the Green Revolution, during which high-yielding rice varieties replaced traditional cultivars. By the mid-1980s, most rice farmers had adopted these improved varieties. Government initiatives such as the Integrated Cropping Calendar and the “Rice 400” program enhanced planting frequency and land utilization (MDPI, 2022).
