Indonesia is currently in crisis of young farmers regeneration.

Many people abandon agrarian characteristics so that is why Indonesia is in crisis of young farmers regeneration. Farming business is considered not decent.

Farmers are not considered to be a profession that can guarantee financially in the midst of increasing costs of living, future investments, home mortgages, tuition fees, and even retirement.

Remembering the Period Before Indonesia Experienced Young Farmers Crisis

In the past, most memorable childhood experience was when their parents took them to rice fields. Some people were given task of bringing foods when harvesting. His father focused on fields, while his mother prefered to grow various types of vegetables and flowers.

During high school, some people were amazed by one of teachers who graduated from agricultural science. While many children play popular games, they stick to modern farming-based games; Harvest Moon. After graduating from high school, some people choose to continue their studies at the Faculty of Agriculture. Their dream is none other than to become farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs who can achieve success.

Unfortunately, when some of them almost graduate, the family hoped that they would stalled their dream. The family wanted to see their son working in an office, wearing a uniform and getting a fixed income. Some of them also expressed their surprise, because from their father to their own grandfather, they were cultivating from nature. But then they were showing a strange attitude, asking their children not to follow the same footsteps.

Some people are also threatened with the same fate as their fellow majors who choose jobs that slightly deviate from the faculty’s vision and mission. Few of his colleagues in the department decided to become farmer. There were only a few colleagues who actually become farmers. It was not only from his generation, but also from several generations before him. It’s still in the agricultural sector companies such as palm oil, but many others were employees of offices, banks, and others.

Causes of Indonesia’s Crisis in the Regeneration of Young Farmers

There are various causes of regeneration of young farmers crisis in Indonesia. Yayasan Agri Sustineri Foundation (YASI) will explain some of them.

The first is the family factor that do not support, but the prospective farmers should not be allergic to the field. Many graduates from agricultural faculties from many campuses choose not to become farmers because they don’t like being dirty, don’t like being hot on the farm, and they are more comfortable working in an office. They don’t want to take risks, they play safe and wait for the monthly earnings.

It makes sense, at this time if you want to be a high profit farmer there are risks as well. High risk means high return.

Currently, the reluctance to be farmer is endemic in Indonesian youths, regardless they graduate from agricultural faculty. Indonesia’s crisis in young farmers regeneration situation has been a concern to the government. Indication that appears in many rural areas is high level of urbanization which automatically agricultural sector being neglected.

Several years ago, BPS (Central Bureau of Statistics) published Agricultural Census Report. In one part of the publication, BPS lists millions of Indonesian farmers data by group age. From a total of 26,135,469 farmers data at that time, 45-54 year of age group had the absolute highest number of 7,325,544 people. Second highest number is 35-44 year of age group, which is 6,885,100 people. Meanwhile, third and fourth highest numbers consist of older age group, 55-64 years with a total of 5,229,903 and age group above 65 years with a total of 3,332,038 people.

Young farmers with age group of 25-35 years totalling to 3,129,644 people and is decreasing. The 15-24 year of age group is only 229,643 people and the least is under 15 year of age group, which is only 3,297 people.

The young generation who are not interested in cultivating land causes number of farmers decrease to 5 million people. Summarized by age, 60.8 percent of farmers in Indonesia are over 45 years ofage in which a person’s productive age has decreased dramatically in that age range. Moreover, 73.96 percent of the education level is elementary school only. Their competitiveness is lower towards modern-style farming strategies.

It’s not just the farmers who are getting too old. In fact, 70 percent of Field Agricultural Extension Officers (PPL) Observer of Plant Pest Organisms (POPT) are more than 50 years of age. Several studies on “farmer regeneration” also revealed similar results. 96.45 percent of food crop farmers recorded in several research areas are more than 30 years of age. While the remaining 3.55 percent are under 30 years of age and 47.57 percent of farmers are over 50 years of age.

Other research reveals that only 54 percent of farmer children (as respondents) are willing to continue to be farmer. Then the remaining 46 percent refused firmly. For the horticultural business group, the percentage is even more disparate. 63 percent of them refuse to inherit their parents’ jobs and 36.7 percent are willing to continue their horticulture business.

Even if they are interested, most of the respondents for rice farming group (70 percent) stated that they have never dreamed of becoming a farmer. While the remaining (30 percent) admitted that they dreams to be a farmer. It is quite different from the respondents in horticulture farming where their interest stated no, but most of them (60 percent) have aspirations to become farmers. The remaining 40 percent admitted that they never had dreams of becoming a farmer.

One of the many factors why young people feel distinct to agricultural sector is they must self-taught and get information by themselves. Most respondents in the rice farming business (64 percent) admitted that their parents had never taught them. The same applies to respondents in horticultural agriculture. Many of the respondents (86.7 percent) said that they had never been taught by their parents about agricultural sector.

Many of the respondents in the rice farming business (42 percent) said that the current agricultural situation is concerning. The remaining 30 percent said it was normal, and 28 percent said they were proud. For horticultural farming business respondents, most of them (66.7 percent) said that agricultural conditions were worrisome. The remaining 26.7 percent said it was normal and only 6.7 percent said they were proud.

The low desire to become a farmer is also influenced by unfavorable perception of the respondents on the current condition of agricultural sector, causing Indonesia’s current crisis of young farmers’ regeneration.