CIPS: Urbanization Threats the Regeneration of Farmers and the Agricultural Sector

Armfalcon.com, JAKARTA — The homecoming activity which is part of the Eid al-Fitr celebration cannot be separated from the urbanization that is happening a lot in Indonesia. The phenomenon of urbanization that is unstoppable and is expected to continue to increase every year can threaten the regeneration of farmers and the sustainability of Indonesia’s agricultural sector.

Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) researcher Faisol Amir stated that the reduction in workers in the agricultural sector needs to be evaluated by the government. This is because the number of workers in the agricultural sector, most of whom are in rural areas, continues to decrease.

The reduced number of farmers also has an impact on the production and availability of food, which previously was not sufficient for national needs.

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) through the National Labor Force Survey, there will be 38.7 million people aged 15 and over working in the agricultural sector in 2022.

In addition to the increasing urbanization of the productive age population, the low interest of the younger generation to work in the agricultural sector is also an obstacle to the regeneration of farmers in Indonesia. BPS data for 2019 noted that only 8 percent or around 2.7 million out of 33.4 million farmers in Indonesia were aged between 20 — 39 years.

Faisol added, the decline in agricultural sector workers has the potential to greatly affect national food commodity production. It is feared that national food productivity will not be able to meet the increasing market demand in line with the increasing population.

The gap between the amount of production and the amount of demand is one of the reasons for the high price of food commodities. In addition, the workforce in the agricultural sector which is dominated by the elderly (less productive) makes the adoption of agricultural technology slower.

The younger generation who grew up in rural areas, especially those who received formal school education, tend to want to pursue jobs that have the potential to provide a lot of income quickly, which usually originate in urban areas.

Their disinterest in jobs such as farming that their parents are involved in is partly due to the lack of opportunities for self-development and not being able to meet their economic needs.

Therefore, to maintain the stability of the workforce in the agricultural sector, it is necessary to have an agricultural employment system that can support the agricultural sector in Indonesia so that food production can increase constantly.

The use of more efficient agricultural technology, such as the use of good quality seeds and the latest agricultural tools, opens opportunities for the private sector to participate in supplying and accelerating the food distribution chain and bridging industrial 4.0 businesses in accessing, accommodating and teaching regional agricultural workers so that they get network more markets and greater income.

“Opening market access for farmers also helps provide guarantees for their agricultural products,” he explained.

Faisol added, agricultural extension service or agricultural extension workers also play an important role in encouraging the realization of regeneration of farmers in areas of agricultural centers.

“In addition to providing technical assistance, agricultural extension workers also need to provide a picture of a promising future for the agricultural sector for the younger generation,” he said.