The main aim of this scoping study was to identify a broad set of economic and social constraints that influence farmer behaviour in relation to agricultural water management for high-value vegetable crops in the two provinces (NTT and NTB) in Eastern Indonesia. More specifically, the study aimed to pinpoint several of these factors that were likely to be most influential in constraining farmer's behaviour, and for which more in-depth understanding is necessary. Consequently, the study offered several strategic research directions on the key socio-economic issues for agricultural water management in Eastern Indonesia. It is felt that addressing these issues will provide essential knowledge and understanding of the underlying problems, which can then inform government policy and international donor activities.
Formulated aims were pursued through a range of research activities. These included: thorough review of previous published work, primary data collection through semi-structured field interviews and surveys of farmers in the research area utilising a formal survey instrument (a questionnaire); analysis of the primary data; and collecting expert input through a stakeholder workshop.
The findings from these research activities enabled the research team to identify a broad set of factors that constrain agricultural water management in high-value vegetable production in the research area. These are: capital constraint and access to credit, market price risk, production risks, inadequate incentives for maintenance of water infrastructure capital assets, social attitude and gender factors, marketing problems including transportation and logistics, problems with extension and diffusion of knowledge, inadequate properly rights structures in water management, institutional problems in water management, labour constraints, and land constraints.
The analysis of the data indicated that some of these factors are more important, some less so, in constraining farmer behaviour. In addition, the analysis uncovered some interesting relationships among these factors, which enabled the team to postulate some implications for current activities of governments and donor agencies directed towards improving agricultural water management. For example, it seems that extension efforts should be focused on smaller farms and on female members of the households, as these two categories seem to have greater interest in using water for high-value vegetable production. Conversely it seems that current extension efforts are presently targeted towards larger farms and male household members.
The team was able to pinpoint four key areas for which more in-depth understanding is needed, and where further research efforts will produce the insights necessary for managing change in agricultural water use in this part of Indonesia. These were:
maintenance and operation of water infrastructure assets - instruments and institutions for empowering local communities
understanding and managing risk and uncertainty on the farm and in the market related to producing and marketing irrigated high-value vegetable crops
determining market price responses to changing supply conditions for high-value vegetable crops
understanding the role of social attitudes and perceptions in relation to market engagement and technology adoption in NTB and NTT, and identifying possibilities for change.