AJAD Volume 17 Issue No. 2 December 2020

Malaysia’s plantation industry and economy, as a whole, has benefitted from foreign labor and remains crucially dependent upon it. Yet, this dependence can prevent optimum productivity by disincentivizing mechanization and innovation. Furthermore, foreign workers have historically filled gaps left by Malaysians seeking higher education and higher-income jobs, but evolving policies and practices in Malaysia’s plantation sector, occurring alongside expansion of Indonesia’s plantation sector, are changing the nature of the mechanization-versus-cheap labor dichotomy that has long affected the industry. While there has been a fair amount of research dedicated to technical advancements in palm oil harvesting, as well as quantitative analyses of economic impacts of migrant labor across multiple industries, the current discourse lacks primary qualitative data on the impacts of recent migration trends on mechanization, productivity, safety, and worker turnover in plantations. This paper explores these questions through interviews conducted with key stakeholders from several levels of Malaysia’s palm oil industry, including individuals affiliated with plantation companies, government ministries, non-governmental organizations, and universities/research institutions. Results of this analysis suggest that foreign worker inflows are insufficient to satisfy labor requirements, even as technology and farming best practices are increasingly adopted. Increased focus on genetic innovation and diversification, as well as social and educational program improvement, are necessary to address labor and productivity challenges. Moreover, a focus on replacing foreign labor with local labor is not maximally effective and should instead be shifted to retaining foreign labor and, where relevant, training Malaysians for more technical and managerial positions in the industry.

Using the value chain analysis (VCA) framework, this research analyzed the rice value chain (RVC) in the Philippines, examined the value additions, identified constraints, and proposed upgrading strategies to enhance the competitiveness of the rice industry and the specific segments in the RVC. Primary data were derived from key informant interviews in government and non-government agencies or NGOs, surveys from farmers, paddy traders, millers, wholesalers, wholesaler-retailers, and retailers in 20 major rice-producing provinces and demand centers. Stakeholders’ workshops were also conducted to validate the preliminary findings and identify upgrading strategies. Descriptive and economic approaches were applied in data analysis.

The country’s RVC starts with the provision of inputs to produce paddy, and ends with the consumption of milled rice.The RVC is dominated by a traditional multi-layered supply chain with interconnected chain actors composed of competing farmers, paddy traders, millers, and rice traders in each segment and, oftentimes, with the engagement of brokers in both paddy aggregation and rice distribution, thereby, increasing marketing cost. The major constraints identified in the RVC included high production and marketing costs of paddy and rice attributed to low yield, high labor cost and material inputs, and insufficient crucial infrastructure and market facilities (e.g., modern mills, dryer, cheap transport, and energy), which result in high domestic paddy and rice prices, and low competitiveness of the entire rice VC. To enhance the level of competitiveness, the rice industry should concentrate on generating and promoting yield-increasing, postharvest loss-reducing, and cost-minimizing technologies, as well as those that improve overall efficiency in the RVC such as investments in enabling infrastructure, and facilities for transport, handling, storage, drying and milling.

This paper examines the long-term impacts of joint prawn-rice gher farming system on agricultural and household incomes, soil fertility, and productivity of modern variety (MV) rice in southwestern Bangladesh based on socioeconomic data of the gher farmers and soil fertility data of their gher plots. In 2005, 20 farmers operating on 30 plots were randomly selected from the Bilpabla village of Khulna from whom prawn and MV rice production data were collected using a questionnaire; soil samples were also collected and tested. In 2011 and 2017, the sustainability of the gher system over time was assessed through another survey of farmers following the same methodology. Results revealed that although the nominal income from gher farming increased by 59 percent in 2011 and 23 percent in 2017, the real income and per capita household income remained unchanged over time. Agricultural income has contributed about 65 percent to household income and household income of gher farmers was about 200 percent higher than the rural people of Bangladesh. Rice productivity declined slightly from its 2005 level. However, the productivity of MV rice under prawn-rice gher farming is substantially higher than the conventional MV rice farming system. The positive estimates of the Mean Soil Quality Index and Soil Degradation Index for land used for MV paddy production within the gher indicate an increase in soil nutrients. Thus, the joint prawn-rice gher farming system is relatively sustainable as it has improved soil fertility and stabilized real income. To promote agricultural growth in the southwestern region of Bangladesh, policy implications include research on developing varieties of MV rice suited to prawn-rice gher farming system and the development of commercial feeds and markets for prawn to increase productivity vis-à-vis income of gher farmers.

This study assesses the long-run relationship and short-run dynamics between paddy yields and climate variables: maximum and minimum temperature and rainfall using time-series data from 1971 to 2014 in Nepal. Applying Autoregressive-Distributed Lag Regression or ARDL bound testing approach for analysis of co-integration between the variables, we confirm that there is a long-run relationship among the variables. Furthermore, we employ Granger non-causality tests for robustness. The findings reveal that rainfall has substantial effects on the rice yield. Specifically, a positive and significant relationship exists between rice yields and rainfall and that this relationship is unidirectional. Rainfall causes rice yield and holding all things constant, a 1 mm increase in rainfall increases rice yields by 0.65 percent. Given these effects of temperature on rice crops and increasing climate change vulnerabilities, agricultural scientists should focus on research and development of temperature tolerant rice varieties in the production of rice yields.

Small and marginal farmers encounter several challenges in managing their farms, the major being limited investment capacity, access to inputs, water, power, and credit. In India, the Ministry of Agriculture recognized the collectivization of these farmers into producer organizations (POs) as the most appropriate institutional form to leverage farmers’ production and marketing capacities. The study aims to understand the characteristics of producer companies (PCs) and identify the issues and challenges in the emergence of PCs through a quantitative study of all PCs registered in the country using secondary data and a qualitative study based on interviews with 192 PC directors, members, and 11 promoting institutions. The formation and development of PCs are being actively undertaken by government and their agencies with major financial support from the Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), with technical support from resource support agencies. A total of 7,381 PCs were registered by March 2019, across 33 states and union territories, and 2,749 PCs were active as of March 2018. PCs face numerous challenges, the major being shortage of investment and working capital, compliance-related problems, lack of vision and direction from the board and poor professional management. From the perspective of the producer organization promoting institutions or POPIs, the major issues were attitude of farmers, limited number of members, poor equity base, subsidy driven process, and non-result-oriented approach of the PCs

This paper examines rice biocultural diversity in Sarangani Province, Southern Philippines through a socio-anthropological lens. Participatory rural appraisal highlighted the cultural importance of upland rice and the entire suite of farming rituals practiced by ethnic communities in the area. Further unveiled by the study were concomitant rice varietal losses, a highly eroded indigenous knowledge system, or IKS, as well as major driving forces that have significantly impacted biocultural diversity on-farm. Sociological analysis of Sarangani tribal community and resources identified upland rice as a potential cultural keystone species (CKS) whose loss can severely compromise cultural integrity and food security. However, halting biocultural erosion while ensuring human wellbeing can become complicated and constrain conservation initiatives. The CKS model, albeit potentially subjective and controversial, can provide valuable insights for the development of sustainable conservation strategies specifically suited to the Sarangani upland situation. Strengthening of awareness among stakeholders about the link between traditional culture, conservation, and food security is necessary if significant results are to be achieved.

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) contribute significantly to the livelihood, food, and nutrition security of rural communities and forest dwellers. Earlier studies on NTFPs emphasized the economic importance, sustainability aspects, and commercialization of NTFPs, and highlighted the importance of strong value chains if NTFP were to fulfill their economic potential for communities and people who rely on them. Formulation of proper policy and commercialization of NTFPs through their value chain will require a thorough review of existing research to identify the policy loopholes. A review of literature sought to determine whether research on NTFPs links to sustainable livelihood, policy, and value chains using clustering and visual network visualization.  The results of the study reveal four domain clusters indicating a mix of traditional and evolved approaches toward the strengthening of the NTFP value chain. Policy issues of NTFP also evolved as one of the important clusters of research. The study recommends the mapping of value chains in the NTFP research for holistic and sustainable livelihood security.