Week 14

Reading: Explicit and Implicit information

Farming smarter

Read the passage and answer the following questions!

Farming smarter: Tackling the decline in Indonesian farming

By 2063 there will be no professional
farmers in Indonesia,
according to the country’s National
Development Planning Agency.
Young people are not joining the
industry, farming is becoming more
expensive, and farmers are not
being treated fairly in food production’s
long supply chain. More than a third
(37 percent according to one
study) of Indonesian farmers
are more than 54 years old. By
contrast, only 10 percent of farmers
are aged between 25 and 34. As
farmers retire, fewer and fewer young farmers are taking their place.
In 1976, 65.8 percent of workers were employed in the agricultural sector, but by 2019 that number
had dropped to only 28 percent. Declining worker numbers have not been compensated for by
sufficient technology and quality improvements in the sector. This labour shortage will have a direct
impact on the agricultural production process and in turn will affect the volume and quality of
agricultural products. The difficulty of finding workers, especially for food agriculture, results in
higher labour costs. As farming becomes more expensive, more and more farmers will sell their
land and a trend of land conversion will emerge.

Food sufficiency is the greatest concern amid this growing problem. A country’s domestic
production supports its food sufficiency so that it does not depend on supplies from other countries.
When the number of farmers is drastically reduced, the country must turn to external producers,
which have their own priorities and may not be reliable. For example, during the COVID-19
pandemic many food-producing countries were reluctant to export their food because their focus
was their own domestic supply.
Government policies that provide special incentives to young farmers will help change young
people’s perception of farming. Improving access to agricultural land and credit, expanding
networks and information, and strengthening the capacity of young farmers will demonstrate that
farming can be a profitable and interesting agribusiness. The agricultural-development paradigm
treats farmers as objects. Policies are results oriented and do not consider the impact on farmers.
Farmers play a key role in food production, so their empowerment is vital.
Adapted from: Jakarta Post. Farming smarter:tackling the decline in Indonesia farming. 2023

Explicit factual information

1. What is the range of age that takes only 10% of total number of farmers?
2. What is the other impact of the declining number of workers instead of agricultural
production process?
Explicit explanatory information
3. What happens to the agricultural sector if the number of workers declines?
4. How does the government solve the problem of farmers reduction?
Implicit explanatory information
 Week 14
Reading: Explicit and Implicit information
Farming smarter

5. Why does the government need to increase the interest of young people into
farming sector?

ANSWER:

1. The range of age that takes only 10% of total number of farmers is between 25 and 34 years
old.
2. Another impact of the decline in the number of workes in turn will affect the volume and
quality of agricultural products,results in higher labour costs.As farming becomes more
expensive,more and more farmers will sell their land and a trend of land conversion will
emerge.
3. When the number of farmers is drastically reduced,the country must turn to external
producers,which have their own priorities and may not be reliable.
4. The government can provide special incentives to young farmers,improve access to
agricultural land and credit,expand networks and information,and strengthen the capacity of
young farmers. This will help demonstrate that farming can be a profitable and interesting
agribusiness.
5. The government needs to increase the interest of young people in farming sector because as
farmers retire,fewer young people are replacing them.This labor shortage will impact
agricultural production and food sufficiency if not addressed.Attracting youth to farming is
important to ensure adequate domestic food production and reduce dependence on potentially
unreliable food imports.

Nama : Nafisah Maharani C.P

Kelas : Agrinak 1B
NIM : 04.09.23.1697