Are Indonesian Rice Farmers Prosperous? Local Perspectives

Kompas Research and Development conducted a public perception survey on the welfare of rice farmers in Indonesia.

The results show that 64.2% of respondents believe that most rice farmers are still considered poor.

On the other hand, 32.9% of respondents assessed that rice farmers generally live comfortably, 1.8% considered them prosperous, and 1.1% did not know.

"Only one in three respondents considers most farmers to be living comfortably," wrote Kompas Research and Development researcher Yohanes Mega in his report on Wednesday (5/3/2024).

Respondents were also asked about what measures the government could take to improve the welfare of rice farmers.

The findings indicate that 40.7% of respondents believe the government needs to ensure the availability of subsidized fertilizers.

Furthermore, 26.5% of respondents suggested that the government provide assistance in agricultural infrastructure and equipment.

Then, 18.6% of respondents felt that there should be financial assistance, and 10% opined that the government should limit imported rice products.

This Kompas Research and Development survey involved 512 randomly selected respondents using a stratified systematic sampling method across 38 Indonesian provinces.

Data collection was conducted from February 26-28, 2024, through telephone interviews. The survey's margin of error is approximately 4.33% with a 95% confidence level, under conditions of simple random sampling.