Indonesian rice farmers’ perceptions of different sources of information and their effect on farmer capability

Abstract The diverse sources of agricultural extension information do not guarantee increased farmers’ capabilities to adopt agricultural innovations. Consequently, efforts to accelerate the adoption of agricultural innovations should pay particular attention to farmers’ compatibility with different information sources. This study aims to analyze farmers’ perceptions of various information sources about rice commodity innovations and determine the information sources influencing farmers’ capabilities in adopting rice innovations. The study was conducted from June to December 2019 through a structured survey approach with 270 rice farmers in Subang, West Java and Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia, by using structural equation model analysis. The results showed that rice farmers had positive perceptions of government, private, and self-subsistent extension. The capability level of rice farmers showed that all indicators were significantly different. Farmers could improve their capabilities and sustainability of rice farming by adopting agricultural innovations. Information from government and private extension providers had a positive effect on the capacity and capability of rice farmers. The role of self-subsistent extension was more of a facilitator and did not directly affect the capacity and capability of farmers. Participatory extension activities are recommended as a form of intervention that can improve rice farmers’ capacity and capability in terms of technology adoption processes. The extension activities should be provided as a series, rather than one-off events, so that farmer knowledge accumulates over time through a style and pace to match their skills and level of education.