Author(s): Yogi Makbul, Nandan Limakrisna and Sudrajati Ratnaningtyas
This research aimed to determine why poor and non-poor paddy farmers respond differently to an increase in the price of rice. A policy about an increase in the price of rice is important to maintain food security in Indonesia. When the price of paddy increases, paddy farmers are motivated to increase their production. Increasing paddy production ensures food security. An increase in the price of paddy can be influenced by an increase in the price of rice. However, an increase in the price of rice can affect poor families, including paddy farmers. Poor and non-poor paddy farmers respond differently to an increase in the price of rice. This study surveys poor and non-poor paddy farmers in the Gantar district, Indramayu Regency, Indonesia. Simple random sampling was employed to select the respondents. The study finds that the response of non-poor paddy farmers to an increase in the price of rice is better as they have a higher motivation and higher entrepreneurship to engage in farming. The limitation of this research is that it only explores the characteristics of farmers quantitatively. A future study that conducts a detailed qualitative analysis is needed to improve this research.