Exploring Rice Farmers’ Perceptions and Participation in the Sustainability of Integrated Pest Management Programs

Abstract

The Integrated Pest Management program is an effort of the Indonesian government to achieve food self-sufficiency and improve the welfare of rice farmers. Perception and participation are important factors that determine the success of the Integrated Pest Management program. The objectives of this study are to: 1) analyse the correlation between perception and the participation of rice farmers in the Integrated Pest Management program, and 2) analyse the correlation between participation of rice farmers and the success of the Integrated Pest Management program. The study used a survey method using a questionnaire to collect data from 45 rice farmers selected purposively as beneficiaries of the program in Karawangi Village, Depok Sub-district, Cirebon Residencial, West Java Province.  Data analysis by the Rank Spearman Correlation test shows that there is a significant and positive correlation between perception and the participation of rice farmers in the Integrated Pest Management program. It is also revealed that the participation of rice farmers is significantly correlated with the success of the Integrated Pest Management program. Thus, the perception and participation of rice farmers are essential for the sustainability of the Integrated Pest Management programs, as the success of a program will contribute to its sustainability.