Motivation toward Rice Farming in Margokaton Village, Sleman District, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia

Lately, younger people have not involved themselves in farming activities, nor have they continued their parents’ jobs as farmers. Nevertheless, agriculture continues to play a pivotal role in Indonesian food production. Some studies reveal that fewer young people have been engaging in farming because aging farmers are unwilling to bequeath farms to younger farmers for educational, financial, and motivational reasons. Thus, this study sought to describe and analyze the motivating factors why farmers continue farming in Margokaton village, Sleman district, Yogyakarta province. The study gathered primary information from 82 farmers using a structured questionnaire. It used Alderfer’s existence-relatedness-growth (ERG) theory to assess farmer motivations. It found that, overall, rice farmers’ motivation, as seen from the motivation of ERG needs, was “moderate.” Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient analysis shows farmers’ motivation correlating with their education, side jobs, perception of farming as an occupation, farmland areas, productivity of paddy fields, household income from crops farming, farming experience, maintenance of the farmland, having daughters only, and parental encouragement toward farming. Understanding the factors that correlate with farmers’ motivation to continue farming can help assess the future of farming.