Minimum Land Area as Production Factor of Lowland Rice Farming in Cigombong Sub-district, Bogor District based on Highest Production Calculation

Abstract

Land is one of the important factors in agrosystem production. As a consequence of the increasing human population, land as an agricultural production factor becomes scarce and this could generate various problems related to land ownership, domination, and cultivation. Land associated problems affect agriculture production level that in turn will also influence the level of farmer's earnings and prosperity. Cigombong Sub-district represents one of the rice production centres in Bogor District. Since 2005, Cigombong Sub-district has been implementing a healthy agriculture program based on organic agriculture. The aims of this research were to analyse the feasibility of lowland rice farming and to determine the minimmn feasible land area for organic and conventional lowland rice farming in Cigombong Sub-district The analysis used to determine minimum land area was based on the highest calculated mean of ratio between recommended rates of Nitrogen and Phosphorus fertilizer with those rates at farmer's level multiplied by the corresponding production level at various land areas. The results indicated that the average rice-productivity of the organic farming system (0,48 kg/m2) was lower than that of the conventional one (0,53 kg/m2). Within the land-owner farmer group, the organic farming system resulted in a lower R/C ratio vaIue (1,29) as compared with that of the conventional one (1,41). Within the land-renter farmer group, the R/C ratio value of the organic farming system (1,49) was higher than that of the conventional one (1,30). This indicated that the organic agriculture system was more feasible to be developed in Cigombong Sub-district. The feasible minimum land area for organic lowland rice farming was less than 2500 m2, while for the conventional one was lower (5000-7499 m2).