The research examined how efficiently rice farmers use land, labor, seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, and how well they manage production costs. Based on data from 99 rice farmers, the study shows that while production practices are largely efficient, better input allocation and cost control could increase farmers’ economic efficiency by more than 17 percent. These findings matter for Indonesia’s food security and rural incomes at a time when climate pressures and rising input prices are squeezing the agricultural sector.
Why rice farming efficiency matters now
Indramayu Regency is one of West Java’s main rice-producing regions and plays a key role in national food supply. However, official statistics show that rice production in the region has declined over the past two years after peaking in 2022. Climate variability, soil degradation, rising labor costs, and inefficient input use have all contributed to this trend.
Rice farming efficiency has become a policy concern because inefficient use of seeds, fertilizers, labor, and pesticides increases production costs without raising yields. For small and medium-scale farmers, this directly reduces income and weakens resilience to market and climate shocks. Improving efficiency is therefore seen as a practical pathway to stabilize production and protect farmer livelihoods without expanding farmland.
How the research was conducted
The research team, led by Alfan Naufal Alim, analyzed rice farming efficiency in Gantar District using field survey data collected from 99 farmers during a single planting season. Farmers were selected from a population of more than 1,800 rice growers using a standard statistical sampling approach.
To assess efficiency, the researchers used a widely applied analytical method that compares how well farmers convert inputs into output. In simple terms, the method measures how close each farmer is to “best practice” performance, based on real data from their peers. The analysis covered three dimensions:
· Technical efficiency, or how well farmers turn inputs into rice output.
· Allocative efficiency, or how well farmers choose input combinations based on their prices.
· Economic efficiency, which combines technical performance and cost efficiency.
The study also examined whether factors such as education level, farming experience, land ownership, farmer group membership, and access to credit influenced efficiency outcomes.
Key findings at a glance
The results show a clear contrast between strong production practices and weaker cost management.
· High technical efficiency The average technical efficiency score was 0.974 on a scale where 1.0 represents perfect efficiency. More than 80 percent of farmers were operating on the production “frontier,” meaning they were using inputs effectively to generate rice output.
· Labor overuse stands out Despite high overall technical efficiency, labor showed the largest inefficiency. Labor input had the highest excess use compared with optimal levels, indicating that many farms could reduce labor costs without lowering yields.
· Moderate allocative efficiency The average allocative efficiency score was 0.875. This means most farmers were not yet choosing the most cost-effective combination of inputs, even when their production techniques were sound.
· Economic efficiency remains low When technical and allocative efficiency were combined, the average economic efficiency score fell to 0.829. This indicates a potential improvement of about 17.1 percent if farmers can better align input use with prices.
· Socioeconomic factors had limited impact Education, farming experience, land tenure status, farmer group membership, and access to credit did not show a statistically significant effect on technical efficiency. This suggests that efficiency gaps are driven more by input management practices than by farmer background characteristics.
What the findings mean in practice
The study highlights an important reality for rice farming in Indonesia: being good at growing rice does not automatically mean being profitable. Many farmers in Gantar District already know how to achieve high yields, but they often use too much labor, fertilizer, or other inputs relative to their cost.
According to the authors, improving efficiency now requires a shift in focus from production techniques alone to cost awareness and input optimization. Training programs that emphasize balanced fertilization, labor planning, and smarter pesticide use could deliver immediate economic benefits.
Alfan Naufal Alim of the University of Swadaya Gunung Jati notes that farmers are “already close to the production frontier, but still far from the cost frontier.” In ethical paraphrase, the research team explains that future gains will come less from increasing output and more from reducing unnecessary input expenses while maintaining yields.
Implications for policy and agricultural support
For policymakers and agricultural extension services, the findings suggest several priorities:
· Strengthen farmer training on cost-efficient input use, not only on production techniques.
· Promote labor-saving technologies and better farm task organization.
· Improve access to clear information on input prices and cost comparisons.
· Reassess the effectiveness of farmer groups and extension activities to ensure they deliver practical efficiency gains.
Because socioeconomic factors showed limited influence on efficiency, broad-based improvements in farm management practices could benefit a wide range of farmers, regardless of education or land ownership status.
Author profile
Alfan Naufal Alim, S.Agr., is a researcher and lecturer in agribusiness at the Faculty of Agribusiness, University of Swadaya Gunung Jati, Cirebon, Indonesia. His expertise focuses on agricultural efficiency, farm management, and quantitative analysis of agribusiness systems. He collaborated on this study with Firman Hanafi Alam Syah, Nanda Dwi Putra, and Siti Aisyah, all from the same faculty.
Source
Journal article: Technical, Allocative, and Economic Efficiency of Rice Farming Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in Gantar District, Indramayu Regency
Journal: Indonesian Journal of Advanced Research (IJAR)
Publication year: 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ijar.v5i1.16106
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