The Asian Journal of Technology Management Vol. 10 No.

1 (2017): 41-47

Improving Income through Farmers’ Group

Empowerment Strategy
Nia Desiana* and Atik Aprianingsih
School of Business and Management, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia

Abstract: During recent years the concept of farmer empowerment has been put on the
agenda and now is a part of Indonesian’s government program. Empowerment of
farmers’ group considered necessary because, in agricultural development, farmers’
group are the key development resource and subject in developing their agricultural
efforts. This paper aims to explore the farmer’s group empowerment strategies to
improve their income. The paper is based solely on the reviews of literature on the topic
of farmer’s group and empowerment to explore the phenomena in the agricultural
sector. Based on the findings, the paper proposes the farmers’ group empowerment
strategies such as farmer’s group learning and innovation and information and
communication technology (ICT) have a positive influence on improving their income.

Keywords: Empowerment, farmers group, income, strategy, agriculture, learning,

innovation, ICT
and the empowerment of farmers.
This was to be achieved, among
1. Introduction other, through the development of
extension service capacity and
One of the agricultural development improved service delivery; improved
activities is improving the quality of access to
human resources (HR) of farmers
and their families. It aims to
increase the knowledge, attitudes,
and skills of farmers and their
families so that they can develop a
more productive farming and at the
same time improving the welfare of
their families. The lower crop
production will cause a lower level
of farming income. To obtain
maximum yield and higher incomes
it is needed empowerment involving
the technical aspects, social and
institutional aspects.

During recent years the farmer

empowerment’s concept has been
put on the agenda and now is a part
of the government program. One of
the government programs is the
revitalization of the agricultural
sector (Revitalisasi Pertanian,
Perikanan dan Kehutanan, or
RPPK). It emphasized the
development of human resources
 & Lyons, 2014). Many scholars
have suggested empirical
information; and increased approaches that take into account
investment in long-term empowerment strategy.
technological research. Many
issues concerning farmers’ However, these approaches have
empowerment have been not fully developed the completed
considered in the literature, framework. Thus far, there are
including, women empowerment in fewer theoretical or conceptual
agriculture (Mudege, Nyekanyeka, approaches of the empowerment
Kapalasa, Chevo, & Demo, 2015; strategy. These studies done in
Sraboni, Malapit, Quisumbing, & countries such as China (Zhong,
Ahmed, 2014; Pini, 2002), factors Yang, & Chen, 2015), Mexico
affecting the farmers' (Davila-Aguirre et al., 2014),
empowerment indicators Tunisia (Dolinska & D’Aquino,
(Langerodi, 2013), empowerment 2016), Indonesia (Heryanto, 2013;
in practice (Alsop, Frost, & Jeremy, Karim, Handayawati, & Ruminarti,
2005), psychological empowerment 2012; Soesilawati, Kariada, &
and individual performance (Davila-
Aguirre, Hanley, Lozano-Fernandez,

*Corresponding author. Email: nia.desiana@sbm-itb.ac.id

Received: May 10th, 2017; Revised: July 17th, 2017; Accepted: August 22h, 2017
Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12695/ajtm.2017.10.1.5
Print ISSN: 1978-6956; Online ISSN: 2089-791X.
Copyright@2017. Published by Unit Research and Knowledge
School of Business and Management-Institut Teknologi Bandung
41
 Desiana and Aprianingsih, Improving Income through
Farmers’ Group Empowerment Strategy
developing agriculture in
Margunani, 2017), Iran Indonesia by comprehensively
(Langerodi, 2013), Pakistan arranging relevant theories on
(Murray-Rust, Memon, & Talpur, farmer’s group behavior in
2001), Bangladesh (Rashid, Islam, empowerment strategy. Second,
& Quamruzzaman, 2016; Sraboni this study conceptually examines
et al., 2014), Nepal (Westerndorp, the phenomenon of farmer’s group
2013), and Malawi (Mudege et al., empowerment about the
2015). improving their income.

Although these studies have

demonstrated that many farmer
empowerment strategies, research
has yet to be conducted on
farmer’s group. The importance of
empowerment of farmers’ group is
because farmers’ group are the
key development resource and
subject in developing their
agricultural efforts in agricultural
development (Heryanto, 2013).

The importance of farmer’s group

in farm management such as to
optimal use of irrigation systems,
to overcome institutional barriers,
to enable the application of
resources, capital, and ecosystem
management is emphasized.
Empowerment is a process of
change whereby individuals or
groups gain the ability and power
to take control of their lives (World
Bank, 2011). Therefore, this idea
of farmer’s group empowerment
using learning, innovation, and
ICT will be studied to find out
whether the empowerment
strategies attempts made some
productive impacts or not for
farmer’s group income.

This paper addresses this

research gap by focusing on
describe farmers’ group
empowerment strategy to improve
their income. In this study, the
paper proposes two empowerment
strategy as the important strategy
that improving farmer’s group
income. The contribution of this
paper to the literature is twofold.
First, using the existing
conceptual framework, this paper
offers useful information for policy
makers and government for
 group is to strengthen farmer’s
2. Literature Study bargaining position regarding
collective purchasing of farm
Farmers’ Group inputs and to sell their
Nuryanti & Swastika (2011) stated agricultural products efficiently.
that a farmer’s group is a group of Farmer’s group have the potential
farmers informally consolidate to serve as a vehicle for teaching
themselves based on their common and learning, farm production
goals in farming activities. This is in units, a vehicle for cooperation in
line with Rangkuti (2007), farmer’s addressing various challenges and
group is a forum and vehicle to obstacles, and effective vehicles
change the behavior of farmers for the government extension
toward the realization of modern programs in the development of
agriculture to be more effective, agriculture and rural community
efficient and productive. Farmers development (Abbas, 1995; Karim
can realize their desires through et al., 2012). Currently, most of
groups that facilitate community the farmer’s group in Indonesia
development (Barker, Wahlers, are not formed by farmers
Watson, & Kibler, 1987). In farming themselves, but they are mostly
activities, the farmer’s group play a formed as a response to the
major function including peer government program that requires
counseling, small group research, farmers to become members of a
and agricultural innovations farmer’s group.
(Havelock, 1969).
Empowerment
According to Aphunu and Empowerment or self-reliance refers
Otoikhian (2008), the role of the to a manifestation of a person’s
farmer’s group is as a medium of ability to exploit his own potential in
communication and social meeting his needs (Hubies, 1992).
interactions which are natural, This is in line with Rifkin (2003),
sustainable and dynamic and as a empowerment is a mechanism or
foundation for achieving process through which individuals,
improvement evenly in the organizations, and groups can work
agriculture communities. Initial on things and have more
spirit of establishing a farmer’s

42
The Asian Journal of Technology Management Vol. 10 No. 1 (2017): 41-47
control over what they are
involved in. So that individuals,
organizations, and groups with a
high power could control the
resources, build confidence, make
capacity and have an active
participation in managing their
life. The empowerment’s concept
is considered as the idea of power
because empowerment is closely
related to the change of power
such as expanding, gaining,
losing, and diminishing (Page &
Czuba, 1999).
were ProQuest, ScienceDirect,
EBSCOhost, and Emerald Insight.
A limited amount of journal was
found.
Second, research was conducted
using the search engine. Terms
such as ‘empowerment’ and
‘farmer’s group’ were used, and a
limited amount of information was
found. A quantitative study would
be conducted for future research
to obtain data on the

Recently, power has been

conceived as shared because it
can actually become stronger
while being shared with others
(Kreisberg, 1992). Margono
(1995) emphasizes that to
cultivate and foster self-reliance of
farmers, they need to be
sensitized on their strength and
ability to work together if they are
to achieve success. Empowerment
is offering an opportunity to freely
choose all kinds of alternatives
and make decisions according to
the level desire, ability, and
awareness, and to learn from
successes and failures in response
to changes, to be able to control
the future (Heryanto, 2013).

3. Methodology

This conceptual paper studies the

farmer’s group empowerment
strategies to improve their
income. The study reviews the
literature on the farmer’s group
and empowerment. The factors
are analyzed using the conceptual
framework of empowerment. The
conceptual framework is based
merely on a review and analysis of
research and data from the
literature. Several methods were
used to collect and analyze the
literature. First, research on four
databases pertaining to
empowerment and farmer’s group
were examined. The databases

Empowerment Condition Index
(ECI) to assess the real data of the
impact of empowerment
farmer’s group income.
4. Finding and Discussion
The farmers’ group empowerment
strategy has been the subject of
extensive research in agriculture
research. The empowerment
strategy in developing country
such as Indonesia is an important
issue. Because of its importance,
many types of research have been
done in the local and abroad on
how farmer’s group empowerment
strategy can improve their
income. The farmer’s group
empowerment strategy to improve
their income such as:
Farmers' group learning and
innovation
Farmers' group learning and
innovation can empower engaging
farmers as agents of change in
agricultural practice (Dolinska &
D’Aquino, 2016). Farmer’s group
active efforts of improving the
knowledge base, skills, and
attitude through learning process
are characterized by the range of
learning activities such as
attending the counseling session,
on discussion groups, training in
agriculture, and farming
demonstrations (Heryanto, 2013).
The agricultural extension activities
implemented in rural areas can
involve the agricultural extension
workers through the coaching and
guidance approaches on a regular
basis and sustainable to the
farmers. These activities aimed to
strengthen the cooperative spirit of
farmers and cooperation with other
stakeholders in the farming system.
Farmers who are members of a
farmer group is expected able to
implement any new agro-
technologies and gain better
revenues of farming (Karim et al.,
2012). It can conclude that the
more farmer’s learning and
innovation can lead to improving
farmer’s group income.
Thus I propose:
Proposition 1: Farmer’s group
empowerment strategy through
farmer’s group learning and
innovation have the positive
influence on improving their
income.
43
 Desiana and Aprianingsih, Improving Income through
Farmers’ Group Empowerment Strategy
it can lead to improving farmer’s
Information and Communication group income.
Technology (ICT) ICT that can
empower farmer’s group including
email communication, search engine
capabilities, mobile banking, SMS
(short message service), voice
communication, e-agriculture (e.g.
e-Petani in Indonesia), and social
media through the smartphone
(Uphoff, 2012; Babu, Kadian, Kumar,
& Sankhala, 2013; Rashid et al.,
2016). Information needs and
sharing strategies such as
information of prices, production
amounts, farming schedule, market
sales forecasts, weather forecasts,
and delivery schedule has been
increasingly critical in the
development of modern agriculture.

The central information services

should empower farmers’ group
by increasing agricultural
productivity and marketing
efficiency. Farmers’ group must be
able not only to access
information, to assess its
relevance, and to apply it to
production or trading decisions
but also eventually to act on the
information by utilizing
agricultural and marketing
information appropriately (Zhong
et al., 2015). Farmer’s group
activity to obtain information
(Heryanto, 2013), which is
empowered by marketing
information and production,
farmers’ group are capable of
changing traditional farming into
a more sustainable and profitable
agricultural business (Tologbonse,
Fashola, & Obadiah, 2008).

This is in line with Uphoff (2012)

that ICT in agricultural production
methods by facilitating the urge of
changes is helping many farmers’
group to improve their food
security, increase their incomes,
encourage confidence, and
greater innovation. It can
conclude that the more farmer’s
group applied the ICT strategies,
 this empowerment program will
Thus I propose: increase the farmer’s group
Proposition 2: Farmer’s group abilities or farmer’s group
empowerment strategy through production with the result that
information and communication improving farmer’s group income
technology (ICT) have the positive (output).
influence on improving their
income. To appraise the influence of
empowerment on farmer’s group
From the propositions above, the income, Empowerment Condition
conceptual framework of the Index (ECI) of Sendilkumar (2012)
improve income through farmers’ will be used. ECI’s factor such as
group empowerment strategy is economic, political, family and
illustrated in Figure 1. In this social, psychological, and
paper, the concept of knowledge empowerment. However,
empowerment has been referred this paper will be used economic
to learning, innovation, and ICT. factor which is related to income.
The interaction between the Economic factor indicators of ECI
facilitators (the government, such as changes in economic
agricultural expert, educational empowerment consists of saving
institution, a private institution, money, income due to yield
and other stakeholders) and the obtaining, investments, purchase of
participants (farmer’s group) can farming inputs, and availing
collaborate to give the agriculture loans by computed the
empowerment strategies (input) to index for the before and after the
the farmer’s group through the use of empowerment strategies.
transformation of knowledge Each respondent’s total change or
program. Therefore, farmer’s unit free score was considered as
group active effort and the the ECI.
facilitator’s involvement through

44
The Asian Journal of Technology Management Vol. 10 No. 1 (2017): 41-47

Input
Empowerment strategy:
1. Farmer’s group
learning and innovation
2. ICT

Process Output
Farmers’ Group increasing farmers group improving farmers
abilities/production group income

Figure 1. Conceptual Model of Farmer's Group Empowerment Strategy

In particular, it would be needed to
collaborate with government
5. Conclusion perspectives. Third, this study has
produced some original findings
The most important empowerment regarding influencing factors which
strategy of farmer’s group in the surpassed
relevant literature was identified
such as farmers’ group learning and
innovation and ICT. This study has
two implications. First, the
understanding and knowledge of
the conceptual model need to be
increased among policy makers,
practitioners, and government for
developing agriculture in Indonesia
by comprehensively organizing
relevant theories on farmer’s group
behavior through empowerment
strategy. Second, this study
conceptually examines the
phenomenon of farmer’s group
empowerment about the
improving their income.

The author believes that future

research on this field could add
additional value towards the total
understanding of the agricultural
empowerment theories in the
Indonesian agriculture
perspective. Apart from this topic,
the topic proffers more potential
for future research. First, it would
be interesting to repeat this study
in other developing countries.
Second, research could be
increasingly done from other
perspectives.
 References
previous findings. This study Abbas, S. (1995). Sembilan puluh
should be tested for robustness tahun penyuluhan pertanian di
and triangulated in future Indonesia. Lokakarya.
research. Furthermore, it could be Bogor: Badan Penelitian dan
interesting to study these Pengembangan Pertanian dan
influencing factors in other Cornel
contexts such as animal husbandry International Institute for Food,
and fishery. Additionally, more Agricultural, and Development.
research could be conducted on Alsop, R., Frost, M., & Jeremy, B.
other possible empowerment (2005). Empowerment in
strategies. Moreover, the practice from analysis to
conceptual model itself should be implementation. Washington
reconsidered from an application DC: World Bank.
point of view. This paper explains Aphunu, A. & Otoikhian, C. S. O.
and contributes to the science and (2008). Farmer’s perception of
practical significance. This the effectiveness of extension
conceptual paper then could be agents of Delta State
upgraded to an empirical research Agricultural Development
by real data. Programme
(DADP). African Journal
of General

45
 Desiana and Aprianingsih, Improving Income through
Farmers’ Group Empowerment Strategy
Karim, I., Handayawati, H.S., &
Agriculture, 4(3), 165-169. Ruminarti, W. (2012).
Babu, G.B., Kadian, K.S., Kumar, Empowerment of farmer group in
N.S., & Sankhala, G. (2013). improving chili farming income
Empowerment of dairy farmers in Kerinci district, Indonesia.
through ICT enables I-Kisan Wacana, 15(1), 6-11.
project in Andhra Pradesh. Kreisberg, S. (1992). Transforming
International Journal of power: Domination,
Agriculture, Environment & empowerment, and education.
Biotechnology, 6(4), 685-690. New York: State University of
Barker, L.L., Wahlers, K.J., Watson, New York Press.
K.W., & Kibler, R.J. (1987). Langerod M. (2013). Farmers'
Groups in process: an i, C.
introduction to small group empowerme indicato modeling
communication. New Jersey: nt rs in
Prentice-Hall, Inc. Mazandaran province, Iran.
Davila-Aguirre, M.C., Hanley, International
L.M., Lozano-Fernandez, G., & Journa Agricultural and Crop
Lyons, T.S. (2014). l of Sciences, 5(7),
Leveraging low income 769-
farmers’ performance through 776.
empowerment: Analysis of a
sustainable initiative in Mexico.
Management & Marketing.
Challenges for the Knowledge
Society, 9(2), 175‐ 192.
Dolinska, A. & D’Aquino, P. (2016).
Farmers as agents in
innovation systems:
Empowering farmers for
innovation through
communities of practice.
Agricultural Systems, 142, 122-
130.
Havelock, R.G. (1969). Planning
for innovation
through dissemination and
utilization of knowledge. Ann
Arbor: Center for Research on
Utilization of Scientific
Knowledge (CRUSK), Institute
for Survey Research, University
of Michigan.
Heryanto, N. (2013). The
development of a
group dynamics-based farmer
empowerment model for self-
reliance in agricultural
activities in West Bandung
district, West Java, Indonesia.
Indian Journal of Health and
Wellbeing, 4(15), 1141-1145.
Hubies, A.V.S. (1992). The human
group. New Jersey: Brance and
World.
 Rangkuti, P.A. (2007). Jaringan
Margono, S. (1995). komunikasi petani dalam
Dinamika kelompok. adopsi inovasi teknologi
Bogor: PPS IPB. pertanian. [Thesis]. Institut
Mudege, N.N, Nyekanyeka, T., Pertanian Bogor.
Kapalasa, E., Chevo, T., & Rashid, S.M.M., Islam, M. R., &
Demo, P. (2015). Quamruzzaman, M. (2016).
Understanding collective Which factor contribute most to
action and women’s empower farmers through e-
empowerment in potato farmer Agriculture in Bangladesh.
groups in Nitcheu and Dedza SpringerPlus, 5, 1742-1756.
in Malawi. Journal of Rural Rifkin, S.B. (2003). A framework
Studies, 42, 91-101. linking community
Murray-Rust, H., Memon, Y., & empowerment and health
Talpur, M. equity: It is matter of choice.
(2001). Empowerment of Journal of Health Population
farmer organizations: Case Nutrition, 21, 168-180.
study of farmer managed Sendilkumar, R. (2012).
irrigated agriculture project, Empowerment of farmers
Sind Province. IWMI Working through GALASA programme: a
Paper 19. journey for sustainable
Nuryanti, S. & Swastika, D.K.S. agriculture development.
(2011). Roles of farmer’s Indian Res J Ext Educ, 12(3),
groups in agricultural 92–96.
technology adoption. Forum
Penelitian Agro Ekonomi, Soesilawati, E., Kariada, N., &
29(2), 115-128. Margunani. (2017). Model for
Page, N., & Czuba, C.E. (1999). empowering farmers at dry
Empowerment: What is it?. land through quadruple helix
Journal of Extension, 37(5), 24‐ approach. Journal of Art &
32. Humanities, 6(4), 1-9.
Pini, B. (2002). Focus groups, Sraboni, E., Malapit, H.J.,
feminist research and farm Quisumbing, A.R.,
women: opportunities for & Ahmed, A.U. (2014).
empowerment in rural social Women’s empowerment in
research. Journal of Rural agriculture: What role for food
Studies, 18(3), 339-351. security in Bangladesh. World
Development, 61, 11-52.

46
The Asian Journal of Technology Management Vol. 10 No. 1 (2017): 41-47

Tologbonse, D., Fashola, O., & Westendorp, A. (2013).

Obadiah, M. (2008). Policy Empowerment: Are we talking
issues in meeting rice farmers about the same thing?
agricultural information needs Experiences from farmer field
in Niger State. Journal of schools in Nepal. European
Agriculture Extension, 12 (2), Online Journal of Natural and
9–15. Social Sciences, 2(3), 439-446.
Uphoff, N. (2012). Empowerment of World Bank. (2011). Promoting
farmers through ICT. ECOSOS women’s agency in world
expert group meeting on development report 2012:
promoting empowerment of gender equality and
people in advancing poverty development. Washington, DC:
eradication, social integration, World Bank.
and decent work for All. Cornell Zhong, B., Yang, F., & Chen, Y.L.
University. Retrived from: (2015). Information empowers
www.un.org/esa/socdev/egms/do vegetable supply chain: A study
cs/201 2/UphoffICT.pdf of information needs and
sharing strategies among
farmers and vendors.
Computers and Electronics in
Agriculture, 117, 81-90.
47