Golden Pearl Rice and farmer separating the rice grains from the stalk and the husk, Rantepao Toraja Sulawesi Indonesia, Asia
Indonesian agriculture supports the livelihood of millions of Indonesians. Three out of five Indonesians still live in rural areas and farming is their main occupation. While Indonesian agriculture has performed well historically and contributed to significant growth with increased employment and reduction of poverty, productivity gains of most crops have now slowed down significantly and the majority of farmers operate in less than one-half hectare today. About 45% of Indonesian workers are engaged in agriculture, which accounts for 17% of GDP in 2001. Some 31 million ha ( million acres) are under cultivation, with 35% to 40% of the cultivated land devoted to the production of export crops. Some 60% of the country's cultivated land is in Java. There are three main types of farming: smallholder farming (mostly rice), smallholder cash cropping, and about 1,800 large foreign-owned or privately owned estates, the latter two producing export crops. Small-scale farming is usually carried out on modest plots—those in Java average about –1 ha (2– acres)—often without benefit of modern tools and methods, good seed, or fertilizer. Although rice, vegetables, and fruit constitute the bulk of the small farmer's crops, about 20% of output is in cash crops for export, the chief of which is rubber. Because the population is rapidly increasing, the government seeks to achieve food self-sufficiency through expansion of arable acreage, improved farm techniques (especially the use of fertilizers and improved seeds), extension of irrigation facilities, and expanded training for farmers. Production of rice, the staple food, has been gradually increasing, and production comes close to meeting domestic requirements. This increase has resulted less from extension of cultivated area through the government's resettlement policy than from expanded use of irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides and cultivation of high-yielding hybrid rice especially insect-resistant hybrids.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Rantepao Toraja Sulawesi Indonesia, Pacific, South Asia
Photo credit: © Thibaut PETIT-BARA / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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