Community IPM in Tulang Bawang Udik,

Lampung Province, Indonesia

Farming Practices

IPM alumni have changed their approach to farming after training.  These changes set them apart from non-IPM trained farmers.  Basic practices that have changed among all IPM alumni include the addition of weekly field observations for the purpose of taking field management decisions, the application rates of fertilizer, and the reduction in applications of pesticides. 

Fertilizer Use.  Table 1, below, shows what farmers were doing regarding fertilisation prior to attending an IPM Field School.  There was a heavy reliance on the use of urea among these farmers.  Most IPM alumni also made frequent and relatively heavy use of ZA, another source of nitrogen for plants.

Table 1. Farmer Practices among Alumni before Training

After training, see Table 2, below, on average, there is a significant shift away from nitrogen in the form of ZA and urea with a slight increase in the use of KCL and an accompanying decrease in the use of TSP.  Three farmers have begun to look to composted manure and other organic materials for both nitrogen and an improved micro-organism base.

Table 2. Farming Practices among Alumni after Training

Thus IPM alumni show a change in their rates of fertilizer application which follows the more balanced approach which they learned while participating in IPM Field Schools.  This might be one of the reasons for the average increase in yield per hectare shown among IPM alumni that were interviewed.  Yield rates increased from an average of 4.5 tons per hectare to 5.1 tons per hectare among these farmers.

Lower Pesticide Use.  The alumni that were interviewed are no longer using pesticides. With reference to the above tables concerning farmer practices, alumni made and average of 5.3 applications of pesticides prior to attending Field Schools.  The average was zero for the last season.

Financial Position Improved

The tables showing farming practices allow for the use of a partial budget to analyse the impact of IPM on the finances of farmers.  Using prices suggested by farmers in the sub-district a partial budget analysis examines the changes made by farmers and the resulting changes in income. Alumni changed their fertilisation practices and their use of pesticides.  These are the changes to which we can assign costs.  The use of compost has not required any cash outlay so it has been disregarded.  On the output side, yields have gone up.  The increase in income because of these increased yields plus or minus the decreases or increases to expenses will reveal how remunerative the changes have been to the farmers that made them.

Table 3. Partial Budget: Analysis of Financial Impact of Changed Practices by IPM Alumni Because of Participation in IPM Field Schools