Attracting the Interest of Young Farmers

Young farmers have sprung up, producing agricultural products needed by the market. There are also those who fail, then give up in a sector that is vital to the world.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Members of the hydroponic farming community, most of whom are still young people, harvest lettuce to be delivered to customers in Tlogomulyo Village, Pedurungan District, Semarang City, Central Java, Thursday (19/1/2023). The Seikat Farmers Group is one of the pilot models for the development of modern agriculture in urban areas by maximizing existing land.

The United Nations estimate that the earth's population will be 9.7 billion in 2050. To meet the needs of the world's population, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) projects, food production in 2050 must grow by 70 percent compared with 2009.

Agriculture appears to be a sector that provides opportunities at this time and in the future. However, reality says differently. The agricultural sector is burdened by the problem of aging farmers. Regeneration of farmers does not automatically occur. A larger number of young people have started to cultivate the lands, sow seeds, harvest the results and then market them. However, it has not eliminated the concerns about aging farmers.

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FAO data show that the number of workers in the agricultural, forestry and fisheries sectors fell from 1 billion people in 2000 to 866 million people in 2021. Meanwhile, according to data from the International Labor Organization (ILO), the percentage of young workers (15-24 years) in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors shrunk from 10.6 percent in 2010 to 8.2 percent in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic which hit many economic sectors forced many young people to re-enter the agricultural sector. The impact of which was that in 2020 the portion of young people in the agricultural sector rose again to 9.1 percent.

In Indonesia, based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the percentage of people aged 16-30 years working in the agricultural sector fell from 20.79 percent in 2017 to 18 percent in 2022 (Kompas, 11/3/2023). As of August 2022, out of 135.3 million people who worked, around 28.61 percent worked in the agricultural sector. This figure places agriculture as the sector that absorbs the most labor.

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Rayndra Syahdan Mahmudin invites young people to become farmers and breeders in the village. He introduced organic farming activities to school children in Magelang Regency, Central Java.

BPS data also show that of 38.7 million workers in the agricultural, forestry and fisheries sectors, 25.65 million people, 66.26 percent, have only an elementary school education. Those who graduated from university account for 636,398, only 1.64 percent.

Does this educational background affect labor wages? Based on the August 2022 National Workforce Survey, the average wage is Rp 3.07 million per month. Meanwhile the wages of agricultural, forestry and fisheries sector workers are Rp 2.33 million, below the average national labor wage.

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Quoting the World Bank, in order to increase the number of young workers in the agricultural sector, it is necessary to provide important services and improve knowledge and skills in agriculture, including access to financing and access to electricity and transportation.

The attractiveness of the agricultural sector must be promoted. Opportunities must be displayed. No less important is government support through policies in the agricultural sector. One example is the fact that food prices should reflect the purchasing power of the community, farmers' expenses and business actors.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.