Increasing Rice Productivity and Farming Income by Implementing Bioproduct-Based Environmentally Friendly Rice Cultivation Technology in Indonesia

The application of environmentally friendly rice cultivation technology (EFRC) is one of the innovations in rice cultivation in irrigated rice fields. Bioproduct-based EFRC can optimize the potential of agricultural resources in situ, so that the soil becomes fertile, conserves land and environmental resources, and increases rice productivity to support government programs to achieve sustainable self-sufficiency in Indonesia. The purpose of this research is to determine the level of technical feasibility and feasibility of applying EFRC technology before it is widely developed in Indonesia. This study was conducted in West Java Province using the on farm client oriented adaptive research (OFCOAR) approach. Experiments were carried out by applying the EFRC technology package by cooperative farmers on 10 ha of land, and the results were compared with the technology commonly applied by farmers before the study. The parameters assessed were agronomic performance (plant height, harvesting age, number of grain/panicles, 1,000 grain weight, and productivity), yield motive, and financial feasibility (income, RCR, and BCR). The results showed that by applying EFRC technology, the agronomic performance of rice plants (plant height, number of grains per panicle, weight of 1,000 grains) approached or even exceeded the yield potential of the varieties planted. Rice productivity increased by an average of 23.62% and is financially profitable with an R/C ratio greater than one compared with the existing technology. Thus, EFRC technology is technically and financially feasible to be developed more widely in Indonesia.