Agriculture is one of the most significant contributors to Indonesia’s economy, and the role of women is central to the sector. According to the International Labour Organization (2019), almost 30% of Indonesian farmers are women. Despite these, the gender gap is still present. In Indonesia, women own smaller landholding sizes (World Bank, 2022). Their participation… Read More
As an archipelago, the fishing industry plays a key role in the Indonesian economy. Much effort is needed to ensure its sustainability as it provides food security to more than 200 million Indonesians. Moreover, 21 percent of Indonesia’s agricultural economy in 2012 could be attributed to the fishing industry. Given its role in food security… Read More
When the Philippine Family Farmers’ Agriculture Fishery Forestry Cooperatives Federation or AgriCOOPh started their Coops4Food Program in 2020, they developed a coop-to-coop model linking producers’ cooperatives with consumers’ cooperatives, organizations, and community associations. This model allows more consumers to efficiently access fresh food products from producers’ cooperatives, which in turn could lead to better food choices… Read More
Prior to the end of his term as Department of Agriculture chief, former Secretary William Dar launched the Philippine Action Plan for Family Farming (PAP4FF), with the goal of “Masaganang Ani, Mataas na Kita, at Marangal na Buhay ng Pamilyang Magsasaka” or “Abundant Harvest, High Incomes, and Dignified Life of Family Farmers.” According to former… Read More
As part of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming Regional Awareness Radio Campaign that started in 2021, AMARC Asia-Pacific recently produced a report on the roles of family farmers’ organizations (FFOs) in promoting sustainable food systems in Asia. With reports from Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia, it is said that… Read More
Despite the abundance of mobile phones and increased internet penetration, a survey among farmers from Odisha, India, found that the radio was still the primary source of general agricultural information. One hundred and twenty farmers participated in the said survey. It was conducted by Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal. The farmers were of middle age,… Read More
The Regional Forum on Advancing Rural Communication Services (RCS) for Family Farming in Asia and the Pacific will be held on 28 June 2022, 5:30 pm, via Zoom. The Regional Forum aims at engaging key stakeholders in the discussion on trends, experiences and appropriation of RCS for family farming and how to promote RCS in… Read More
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and women empowerment are two central topics in agriculture. ICTs have been studied in the agricultural context as these are conduits of accurate and timely knowledge that could improve agricultural practices. Meanwhile, focus on women farmers in agriculture has been evident, proving their critical role and participation in the industry.… Read More
While digital technologies could enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of farming activities, the Grow Asia report in 2019 still showed that farmers’ adoption of digital technologies remained low across Southeast Asia. In their interviews with 100 farmers from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Myanmar, the Grow Asia team found that farmers would only decide to adopt a… Read More
Agriculturists and extension workers have been exploring how to harness the use of social media for agriculture. However, social media adoption among farmers in developing nations remains to be a challenge. A survey among 365 farmers in Chiang Mai, Thailand, revealed that only 66 respondents had adopted social media. Furthermore, only 8 out of the… Read More
