Socioeconomic Factors and Challenges Affecting the Income and Sustainability of Vegetable Farmers: A Qualitative Study in Balunijuk Village

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-614-7_25How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Vegetable Farmers; Income; Capital; Human Capital Development; Agricultural Sustainability

Abstract

This study examines the socioeconomic factors and challenges impacting the income and sustainability of vegetable farmers in Balunijuk Village, Indonesia. Through in-depth interviews with 15 participants, the research identifies key influences such as capital, land area, vegetable prices, number of dependents, education level, and working hours, which contribute to income variability. Despite challenges like fluctuating market prices, pest infestations, and limited access to government assistance (such as machinery support and health insurance/BPJS), many farmers still earn sufficient income to support their families, particularly in funding their children's education. Notably, several farmers have successfully provided higher education opportunities for their children, both domestically and abroad, which reflects a long-term improvement in household welfare and optimism for future human capital development. Using a Descriptive Qualitative approach, primary data were collected from three hamlets in the village. The findings reveal that education levels and the number of dependents significantly affect farmers’ ability to invest in their businesses and manage risks. However, vegetable farming, particularly spinach, kale, and mustard greens, remains a sustainable source of livelihood for many. The study suggests that targeted government support and better access to information on assistance programs could further enhance farmers’ welfare. Promoting easily maintainable crops with shorter harvest periods is recommended to help farmers maximize income, securing a more optimistic future for their households and human resource development.

Copyright

© 2024 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Adila Agustira
AU  - Winda Oktavia
AU  - Nabilah
AU  - Muhammad Faisal Akbar
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/12/23
TI  - Socioeconomic Factors and Challenges Affecting the Income and Sustainability of Vegetable Farmers: A Qualitative Study in Balunijuk Village
BT  - Proceedings of the 1st International Conference of Economics, Management, Accounting, and Business Digital (ICEMAB 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 193
EP  - 199
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-614-7_25
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-614-7_25
ID  - Agustira2024
ER  -