Benefits and Difficulties of Organic and Conventional Rice Farming Systems in Bali, Indonesia

抄録

Development of organic farming in Indonesia started in the 1980s, especially in Java. Recently we can easily find organic rice products at supermarkets in Indonesia, however, some products are not officially certified as organic agricultural products. According to the Bali Agricultural Agency, only 5 groups were certified for organic rice farming as of 2013. In this study, we interviewed organic and conventional farmers in a town in Bali and analyzed rice growth in their fields to reveal the benefits and difficulties of organic rice cultivation from economic and biological perspectives. In the interviews, all of the organic farmers indicated that they implemented organic systems because the production cost is less than that of conventional systems and the price paid to farmers for organic rice is higher than for conventional rice. Consistent with these replies, the calculated revenue/cost ratio of organic farming was significantly higher than that of conventional farming.