The study focuses on members of the Komite Tani Tano Jaya Mandiri (KTTJM) in Aek Nabara Barumun Subdistrict, Padang Lawas Regency, North Sumatra, where land disputes between local farming communities and plantation companies have persisted for decades. Rather than viewing agrarian conflict solely as a legal or economic issue, the researchers demonstrate that people's perceptions and emotional experiences play a decisive role in transforming individual grievances into organized social movements.
Why the Research Matters
Agrarian conflicts remain one of Indonesia's most persistent development challenges. Unequal land ownership, limited access to productive land, and disputes involving corporations and local communities continue to affect thousands of farming households.
Previous studies have largely emphasized legal frameworks, land governance, and institutional reforms. However, the USU researchers argue that these structural explanations overlook an important dimension: how farmers themselves interpret inequality and respond emotionally to prolonged conflict.
The findings suggest that collective mobilization emerges not simply because land disputes exist, but because communities develop a shared understanding of injustice and a shared emotional response to exclusion and marginalization.
Research Methodology
The researchers adopted a quantitative explanatory design supported by qualitative interviews.
The study surveyed 154 farmers who were members of KTTJM and directly involved in the agrarian conflict across 18 villages in Aek Nabara Barumun. Participants completed structured questionnaires measuring three main dimensions:
- Perceived agrarian injustice
- Sense of oppression
- Farmers' collective mobilization
The statistical findings were strengthened through in-depth interviews with selected participants to better understand the lived experiences behind the numerical results. The combined approach allowed the researchers to examine both measurable relationships and the social realities experienced by farmers.
Key Findings
The research identifies several important findings.
- Perceived agrarian injustice significantly increased farmers' collective mobilization, with a path coefficient of 0.41.
- The sense of oppression had an even stronger influence, producing a path coefficient of 0.46, making it the most influential variable in the model.
- Together, both factors explained 64% of the variation in farmers' collective mobilization (R² = 0.64).
- The remaining 36% was associated with other influences such as social networks, organizational capacity, advocacy support, political dynamics, and external actors.
The study also found that respondents reported consistently high levels of perceived injustice, feelings of oppression, and participation in collective action. Farmers were actively involved in organizational meetings, advocacy activities, deliberations, and demonstrations through KTTJM.
Emotional Experience Proves More Powerful Than Perception Alone
One of the study's most significant contributions is the finding that emotional experiences have a stronger influence on collective action than cognitive awareness alone.
Farmers who experienced marginalization, economic pressure, powerlessness, and the loss of control over their living space were more likely to participate in organized collective movements than those who simply recognized unequal land distribution.
According to the researchers, prolonged experiences of exclusion strengthen solidarity because community members perceive themselves as sharing the same hardship. As these emotions become collective rather than individual experiences, they evolve into organized social action.
KTTJM Functions as a Platform for Collective Organization
The research highlights the important role played by Komite Tani Tano Jaya Mandiri (KTTJM) in transforming individual experiences into collective advocacy.
The organization provides a space where farmers discuss shared problems, formulate demands, organize advocacy strategies, and strengthen internal solidarity. Field documentation included in the journal article illustrates organizational meetings, interviews with participants, advocacy activities, and community gatherings that reinforce collective participation.
Rather than serving merely as a protest organization, KTTJM functions as a mechanism through which shared experiences of injustice become coordinated social action.
Implications for Agrarian Policy
The findings have practical implications for governments, policymakers, and organizations involved in agrarian conflict resolution.
The researchers argue that resolving land disputes should extend beyond administrative legality and land ownership documents. Policymakers should also recognize farmers' lived experiences of injustice, marginalization, and emotional distress when designing conflict-resolution mechanisms.
The study recommends more participatory approaches involving farmer organizations, local governments, customary leaders, civil society organizations, and affected communities. Strengthening organizational leadership, legal literacy, advocacy capacity, and collaboration networks could improve the sustainability of peaceful conflict resolution while reducing long-term social tensions.
Academic Perspective
According to Suci Rahmadani Siregar and colleagues from Universitas Sumatera Utara, farmers' collective mobilization cannot be understood solely through the existence of land disputes. Their findings indicate that collective action develops through the interaction between cognitive awareness of agrarian injustice and shared emotional experiences of oppression, both of which reinforce solidarity and organized participation.
Author Profiles
Suci Rahmadani Siregar is a researcher at Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), Indonesia, specializing in agrarian sociology, rural communities, and collective social movements. The journal article does not specify her academic degree.
Linda Elida is an academic at Universitas Sumatera Utara whose research focuses on social science and community development. The published article does not state her academic degree.
Robert Tua Siregar is a researcher at Universitas Sumatera Utara with interests in social development, agrarian conflict, and community empowerment. His academic degree is not provided in the published article.
Source
Article Title: The Influence of Perceived Agrarian Injustice and the Sense of Oppression on Farmers' Collective Mobilization: A Study of the Komite Tani Tano Jaya Mandiri (KTTJM) in Aek Nabara Barumun Subdistrict, Padang Lawas Regency
Journal: Journal of Social Interactions and Humanities (JSIH)
Publication Year: 2026
Authors: Suci Rahmadani Siregar, Linda Elida, Robert Tua Siregar
Affiliation: Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
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