Drivers of Organic Rice Adoption Among Smallholder Farmers: Implications for Sustainable Development

Organic rice farming offers a sustainable and healthy alternative to conventional agriculture, yet its adoption remains relatively low. Accelerating its adoption requires an understanding of the factors that influence smallholder preferences for organic farming. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing smallholder farmers' decisions to adopt organic rice farming and to propose feasible strategies to accelerate its adoption globally. The study employed quantitative methods, specifically a logistic regression model, and qualitative approaches. A structured questionnaire was designed to explore the demographic characteristics and factors influencing the adoption of organic rice. At the same time, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were used to capture the meanings behind the findings and to formulate strategies. The analyses utilized SPSS, Gretl, and NVivo 12 software to analyze data collected from 100 organic and 103 conventional rice farmers, providing insights. The results revealed that informal education, farm profitability, rice field size, farmers' knowledge of organic farming practices, and membership in farmers' groups were positively associated with the likelihood of adopting organic farming. To promote the adoption of organic farming, this study recommends enhancing farmers' training and providing additional informal education, such as field schools, coaching, seminars, and extension programs. The training subjects should include Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), seed procurement, the production of competitive organic fertilizers, and integrated pest management (IPM) systems. Furthermore, offering subsidies to offset the costs of organic certification and strengthening farmers' institutions, especially farmers' groups, may encourage more farmers to adopt organic farming. These findings and strategies offer valuable insights for governments and stakeholders in supporting programs for global organic rice development strategies.