Table 1. Indicators for Organic Farming Sustainability Asssesment
Activities Dimension
Sources for operational indicators
Criteria for selection
Proxy-Indicators
Usage of animal
organic manures and
green manures,
integrated pest
management Economic
Zhen and Routray 2003 -
crop productivity, -
net farm income, -
benefit-cost ratio of production.
Nijkamp and Vreeker 2000 -
land ownership -
economic efficiency Gowda and Jayaramaiah 1998
- input self-sufficiency
- crop yield security
- input productivity
1. relevant to
short-term goal increasing and
maintaning rice production and
farming profitability
2. relevant to
organic farming
practice at farmer level
and to users
3. farmer
understand and easy to
measure 4.
representative 5.
data available 6.
easy to interpret
7. accepted
indicators 1.
Crop productivity 2.
Benefit-cost ratio 3.
Input self- sufficiency
4. Land-ownership
Social Zhen and Routray 2003
- food self sufficiency,
- equality in income and food
distribution, -
access to resource and support services
Gowda and Jayaramaiah 1998 -
information self-reliance -
family food sufficiency Rasul Thapa 2003
- food security
- livelihood security
1. Rice self-
sufficiency 2.
Access to market and banking
3. Farming viability
4. Dependency to
subsidy 5.
Participation on local organization
3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD
Study Area
This study focused on wetland rice farming at Pereng village, Mojogedang, Karanganyar district and Sukorejo village Sambirejo, Sragen district.. Sample districts
as study area were chosen for two reasons. Firstly, they are typical of intensive rice- growing areas in Central Java Province. Secondly, the two area were consistently
expanding the organic rice cultivation until now, 3 times in a year.
Survey and measurements
This study adopted qualitative and quantitative data collection methods for socio-economic and institutional information. Data was collected through primary and
secondary sources. All organic rice farmer in the two locations were interviewed, 15 farmers in Mojogedang, and 22 farmers in Sambirejo, for information on food security,
household income, yield, farm inputs and outputs, and institutional involvement of the family members. Similarly, two focus group discussions were organized for qualitative
information.
Statistical Analysis This study adopted 4 operational economics indicators and 5 operational social
indicators of farming sustainability at farm level Table 2. Statistical tests such as mean comparison and percentage were applied in this study.
Table 2. Sustainable Organic Farming Indicators Measurement
No Proxy-Indicators
Measurement Economic dimensions
1. Crop productivity
Productivity value is calculated using the following equations: P = yieldfarm size
Where P is the yield of dry grain produced per season rice farming, measured in ton per hectare.
Critria: if the productivity is higher than the average productivity of rice farming in the study site, the farming is feasible to do.
2. Benefit-cost ratio
BC ratio simply compares value of benefit to costs Criteria: if the BC ratio is greater than 1, the benefit is greater then costs,
and the farming meets the criterion for profitability
3. Input self-sufficiency
Through interview method, the rice farming input supply which includes the supply of seeds, organic fertilizers, and organic pesticides was
analyzed. If farmer is able to supply the farming input by himself, the farmer has the potential to be independent and to sustain the farming.
4. Land-ownership
Sustainable land, implies the provision of land to support economic needs. Access to land with rent system was risky to healthy land and conversion.
Social Dimension
5. Rice self-sufficiency
Rice self-sufficiency is calculated by dividing the value of rice-equivalent farm production by rice consumption within one growing season. Rice
Sufficiency Ratio RSR = 1 indicates adequate rice supply, RSR 1 means farm household achieved rice surplus, and RSR 1 indicates
defficiency of rice supply Sadikin and Subagyono, 2008
6. Access to market
Market access is measured through the identification of a sale of farm descriptively. The more varied points of sale of the destination, the more
potential towards sustainable farming
7. Access to banking
Access to bank indicates the potential of organic rice farmers to gain capital, more and the more farmers transact with the bank, the more
potential access to capital is.
8. Dependency on subsidy
The dependency on government subsidy may indicate low potential for sustainability of farming
9. Participation in local
organization High participation on local organization may improved information access,
quality of farming decision making, social cohesiveness, ensure input supply, product selling, extension access, and avoid farming risk
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
